WordPress with JAWS for Windows
By
CathyAnne Murtha
www.blind.training
cathy@blindtraining.com
© Copyright 2025 CathyAnne Murtha. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Access Technology Institute, LLC
PO Box 90812
Tucson, AZ 85752
cathy@blind.training
www.blind.training
We wrap up our WordPress Exploration with features that add website
functionality and design.
Plugins enhance WordPress. They support accessibility, help with SEO,
add features, and can enable full e-commerce systems.
Open the “Plugins” page in the Dashboard to locate, install, and manage
plugins.
Themes control layout, typography, logos, background images, and color
palettes across the site.
You can experiment with plugins. They seamlessly integrate and remove
themselves from WordPress.
Contents
Plugins add functionality to your website.
Install plugins from the “Plugins” page or upload them manually from a
trusted source. Once activated, they integrate directly into the WordPress
interface.
Some plugins function immediately after activation. Others must be
configured.
Plugins range from simple login controls to complex automation tools
like autoresponders and content schedulers.
Most plugin developers provide documentation. Refer to it for
plugin-specific setup and support.
Open the “Plugins” page from the Dashboard to install and manage
plugins.
Installed plugins are in a table at the bottom of the Content Area.
Some WordPress installations include default plugins. Manage them from
the “Plugins” page on the Dashboard.
Plugins must be activated before you can configure or use them.
Default plugins may include:
To access installed plugins:
Review installed plugins with table navigation or JAWS layered table
commands.
Plugins install in two ways.
The archive must be a .zip file. Do not unzip it.
Free, one-time fee, and subscription-based plugins are all available
from the Dashboard “Plugins” page.
Search for plugins by name or functionality using any Internet search
engine.
Download the plugin as a .zip file.
Do not unzip the file. WordPress installs plugins directly from .zip
archives.
To install a downloaded plugin:
The “Add Plugins” page opens.
At the top of the page:
Activate “Install Now.” WordPress installs the plugin.
The Plugin Activation page opens.
Plugins must be activated before use.
The plugin is activated and ready for use.
Focus is placed on the Installed Plugins page.
Install plugins on the “Add New Plugin” page.
The “Add Plugins” page opens.
Search for plugins in the search edit box:
Matching plugins load beneath the edit box. The most popular plugin is
listed first. Plugin popularity is based on installs and activations.
Plugin names are Heading Level 3.
Each plugin has two links:
Clear the search edit box to restore the full plugin list.
Activate the plugin to enable its features.
Manage installed plugins on the “Installed Plugins” page.
Access Installed Plugins on the Dashboard “Installed Plugins” page:
The “Installed Plugins” page contains controls that manage, filter, and
add plugins.
The controls are:
The Plugins table is at the bottom of the Content Area.
Each row contains checkboxes to select plugins, a Bulk Actions combo
box, and links that manage each plugin.
Configure plugin settings from the WordPress Dashboard. Review plugin
documentation for help and support.
WordPress Themes control the layout and visual design of your website.
Themes are designed by companies and individuals. They vary widely
in features, layout, and accessibility.
The “Dusk to Dawn” theme is installed on your site. This theme includes:
The color contrast creates a simple, attractive, and accessible layout.
Review themes carefully before installation. If an inaccessible theme is
activated, return to the Themes page and activate: “Dusk to Dawn.”
Install a new theme or customize the current one.
WordPress includes a collection of built-in themes. You can also
download and install customized themes from trusted websites.
The Themes Dashboard page is not affected by the active theme. You can
safely restore a preferred theme at any time.
Theme selection affects the look and layout of your site. It does not
change your content.
Consider the following when selecting a theme:
Themes are the scaffolding on which your site is built. You can change
them without breaking content, navigation, or links.
Activate a new theme to change your site’s appearance. Return to the
Themes page at any time.
Customizations and accessibility vary by Theme. Experiment with Themes.
Dusk to Dawn can be easily restored.
Themes are managed from the WordPress Dashboard:
The “Themes” page opens. Add a new Theme or select an installed Theme
from this page.
Many Themes can be installed. Only one is active. Download your favorite
Themes and switch them as needed.
Theme page controls include:
Installed Theme controls are located at the bottom of the page. Each set
of controls overlays the related Theme image.
Navigate Themes with JAWS Heading level 2 navigation. Each Theme has its
own buttons and links.
The first Theme is the Active Theme. JAWS echoes: “Dusk to Dawn.” It
includes one link:
Other Themes may include the following controls:
Open the preview in a new window. Review settings and customize the
layout in Live Preview.
Return to the “Themes” page as needed. Activate a Theme to apply it to
your website.
Activate “Add New Theme” on the “Themes” Dashboard page to upload or
install a new Theme.
“Add New Themes” page controls are:
Matching Themes propagate at the bottom of the page.
The “Feature Filters” button opens an extensive list of Theme filter
checkboxes.
The Themes list is filtered to show matching Themes. Theme names are in
Heading 3 text.
The controls overlay an image of the related Theme:
Activate “Clear Filters” to restore the view. Install as many Themes as
you find interesting.
Preview Themes and find one that fits your needs.
Clear the filters, select a Category, or execute a search to review more
Themes.
Themes have different layouts and features. Theme Customization options
are accessed through the Dashboard “Themes” page.
We’ll discuss “Dusk to Dawn” Theme
customizations.
To customize the Theme:
The “Customize” page opens in a full-page view.
A list of buttons is on the left. The website preview is on the right.
“Dusk to Dawn” customizations include:
Activate a button to open related settings.
Selected settings slide out to overlap the customize buttons. Activate
“Back” to select another customization.
Use JAWS Navigation Quick Keys to locate this button.
Let’s discuss some of these.
Primary site identity features are configured in these controls:
This page has graphical color selection commands and buttons. These aren’t accessible. Use the edit boxes to select background
and header colors.
The background color is behind the header and sidebar.
The header color sets the header and sidebar color.
The main content background and text are not affected. The main content
is black text on a white background.
There are two buttons that toggle related controls:
Each color section includes an edit box that accepts hexadecimal color
codes. Computers convert hexadecimal color codes into colors.
There is a rainbow of hexadecimal codes. A quick Bing or Google search
lets you select colors that match your website identity.
A hexadecimal code is a hashtag followed by six characters or digits.
Input the colors and activate “Publish” to apply the changes.
Upload a rectangular Header Image. A Header Image replaces the Website
Title and Tagline.
The image should be at most 870x222 pixels. Sighted users can crop the
image in the Live Preview on the right side of the page.
Activate “Add New Image” to open the Media Library and select an image.
Background images are available for download on the Internet.
Upload an image and select how it’s displayed
on the background. This may require sighted assistance.
This is an alternate way to open the menu page.
Select a menu and manage menu items as previously discussed.
Some Themes have widgets that can be added to web pages:
Select and enable widgets in this customize option.
The Dusk to Dawn theme doesn’t have installed
widgets.
Similar to those discussed earlier, select how your
page is presented to visitors.
Select a static or blog-style page and specify the pages.
Customize the settings and activate the “Publish” button to update the
site.
The changes are applied and are live.
Activate “Close” to close Customization settings without saving the
changes.
Export a full WordPress site to a backup file in the WordPress
Dashboard.
Set up your website and create regular backups to ensure the site can be
restored should the unthinkable happen.
Export posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags and more.
Use the XML file to import data to another WordPress website or to
restore your own.
To Export WordPress data:
The “Export” page opens.
Radio buttons configure exported data. Available options are dependent
upon installed plugins and may include:
Check the radio buttons for the content to export, and
activate the “Download Export File” button.
The file is downloaded to the download folder.
Import data from a WordPress xml backup file in the WordPress Dashboard:
The “Import” web page has a table of websites whose backup files you can
import.
Use table navigation to locate “WordPress” and activate “Install Now.”
This installs the WordPress importer..
The link changes to an “Import Now” link:
This opens the Windows “Open File” dialog. Select and “Open” an xml
file.
Activate “Upload and Import.”
WordPress uploads the file and imports the data.
Depending on plugins and data, additional screens may open that
configure imported data.
Plugins can affect website accessibility. Fortunately, they are easily
deactivated and uninstalled.
Themes range widely in accessibility. Investigate Themes carefully
before activating one. Live Preview is a great way to
review configuration access.
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