Making your forum more accessible

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:bookmark: This guide explains how to make your Discourse forum more accessible by utilizing WCAG compliant color schemes. It covers instructions for site administrators, theme creators, and end users.

:person_raising_hand: Required user level: All users (with specific sections for administrators and theme creators)

Discourse now includes WCAG compliant color schemes with all installations, providing an excellent opportunity to enhance the accessibility of your forum. This guide will explain how to utilize these color schemes in three different scenarios.

For site administrators

As a site administrator, you have two main options for implementing the WCAG compliant color schemes:

  1. For new sites: When creating a new color scheme, you can select the WCAG compliant palettes as base options.

  2. For existing sites: You can access the WCAG compliant color schemes by visiting:
    discourse.example.com/wizard/steps/color

Alternatively, you can select them as base palettes when creating a new color scheme from:
admin > customize > colors

Both light and dark versions of the WCAG compliant color schemes are available. They are the last two options in the list.

Allowing user selection

If you don’t want to set the WCAG compliant color scheme as your site’s default, you can still make it available for users to select individually:

  1. Go to your site’s admin panel
  2. Navigate to admin > customize > colors
  3. Enable the option to allow users to select these palettes

Admin color palette selection
Admin color palette selection1506Ă—344 25.9 KB

For all users

If your site administrator has enabled user-selectable color palettes, you can choose the WCAG compliant color scheme in your user preferences:

  1. Go to your user preferences
  2. Navigate to the “Interface” section
  3. Look for the color scheme selection option

The URL for this page is typically:
discourse.example.com/my/preferences/interface

User color palette selection

:information_source: If you don’t see the WCAG color scheme as an option in your preferences, consider reaching out to your site administrator. You can direct them to this guide for instructions on how to enable these accessible color schemes.

For theme creators

If you’re developing a theme and want to ensure WCAG compliance:

  1. Use the Discourse WCAG color scheme as a base for your custom theme.
  2. Utilize tools like the WAVE extension to verify that any color modifications you make remain compliant with WCAG standards.

Additional resources

For more comprehensive information about Discourse’s commitment to accessibility, please refer to the official accessibility statement.

Last edited by @hugh 2024-08-02T04:25:53Z

Last checked by @hugh 2024-08-02T04:25:57Z

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