Our commitment to accessibility
Our team is committed to making our plugins usable by everyone, including people who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or screen magnification. Accessibility is treated as a core part of how we build Search & Filter, not an afterthought. This statement covers both Search & Filter and Search & Filter Pro, which are developed together.
Conformance status
Search & Filter (base plugin) has been independently audited by Equalize Digital and conforms to WCAG 2.1 Level A.
Our filter fields are built on native HTML form controls wherever possible. Where a native control isn’t sufficient (e.g., our searchable dropdowns and autocomplete fields), we build custom widgets on the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices patterns for roles, states, and keyboard interaction.
A note on making your site accessible while using our plugins
Accessibility conformance is verified for Search & Filter’s own components. Because our plugins render into the site you build, the accessibility of any page also depends on your theme, your content, other plugins, and any template customizations you make. We recommend verifying conformance on your own site. In particular:
- Color contrast is fully themeable via our plugin’s style editor. The default color scheme is compliant, but for changes, it’s up to you to set colors that meet contrast requirements for your design.
- The results template is customizable (results shortcode guide); if you edit it, its accessibility is under your control.
Accessibility by field type
Below you can find a table of all our field types and whether they’re accessible as per WCAG 2.1 A.
| Field type | Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 A) | Notes |
| Checkbox (standard) | Fully accessible | Native checkbox and label in a labeled group. |
| Checkbox (hierarchical) | Accessible with setup | Enable the tri-state mode setting for a fully accessible parent/child selection. |
| Radio buttons | Fully accessible | Native radios that support arrow-key navigation. |
| Button group | Fully accessible | Native inputs styled as buttons; labeled group. |
| Dropdown/Select (single) | Fully accessible | ARIA combobox and listbox with keyboard navigation. |
| Dropdown / Select (multi-select) | Fully accessible | Options can be selected and deselected by keyboard from the list. |
| Search (text) | Fully accessible | Native input with associated label. |
| Autocomplete/suggestions (Pro) | Fully accessible | Keyboard-navigable suggestions with live result-count announcement. |
| Range – slider (Pro) | Partially accessible | Full accessibility support is being added in v3.3.0. |
| Range – number/dropdown inputs (Pro) | Partially accessible | Full accessibility support is being added in v3.3.0. |
| Date picker (Pro & Advanced) | Partially accessible | Known limitation – see below. |
| Star rating (Pro) | Not yet available | Planned; not currently released. |
Accessibility by control & query feature
Below you can find a table of all our control and query features and whether they’re accessible as per WCAG 2.1 A.
| Feature | Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 A) | Notes |
| Apply/Submit button | Fully accessible | Native button with accessible name. |
| Reset button | Fully accessible | Native button with accessible name. |
| Sort control | Fully accessible | Accessible select/combobox. |
| Results-per-page control | Fully accessible | Accessible select/combobox. |
| Active filters summary (Pro) | Fully accessible | Remove controls have accessible names. |
| Pagination | Partially accessible (shortcode)/provided by your theme or builder | We provide pagination only in the results shortcode template. In block, Elementor, GenerateBlocks, and similar setups, pagination comes from your theme or page builder, and its accessibility is determined by that tool. |
| Skip link to results | Fully accessible | “Skip to search results” link. |
| Results region landmark | Fully accessible | Results exposed as a labeled region and focus target. |
| Screen-reader results announcement (on load) | Fully accessible | Announces result count/no results/page position; text is customizable. |
Configuration notes
- Enable tri-state mode for hierarchical checkboxes for a fully accessible parent/child experience.
- Color contrast is themeable via our style editor. The default color scheme is compliant, but any changes will need to be tested by the site owner.
Known limitation – Date picker
The date-picker calendar does not yet fully meet our keyboard, focus, and labeling targets. We are developing a new custom calendar to resolve these.
Feedback
We welcome accessibility feedback. Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any questions or notes.
