Theme check
Is Member Read accessible?
No automated check can say that a theme is accessible. Here is what one found: on October 28, 2026, our check of Member Read 1.0.3 on its WordPress.org preview found 33 accessibility problems in the theme's own parts (its header, menus, footer and layout), 26 of them serious or critical.
We make Fixlight, a free WordPress plugin that fixes some of these problems, so we're not neutral. The measurements below are what our check found; anyone can repeat it with the same method.
What the check found
| Problem | Impact | Times | WCAG | Free Fixlight plugin fixes it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text with too little contrast | Serious | 26 | 1.4.3 | No, needs a person |
| Page regions that cannot be told apart | Moderate | 3 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark | Moderate | 1 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmark | Moderate | 1 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| More than one page header | Moderate | 1 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| More than one page footer | Moderate | 1 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
How we checked: One page, the theme's home page on WordPress.org's preview (wp-themes.com), which shows the same sample posts for every theme. It was loaded in a real browser and checked with axe-core's WCAG 2.2 A and AA rules and its best practices. Problems inside the sample posts are not counted against the theme, except colour problems its styling causes. Automated checks find many problems, but not all of them. Your site, with your own content, settings and plugins, will give different results. Member Read may have changed since October 28, 2026.
How to fix them
- Text with too little contrast. Make the text darker or the background lighter until the contrast ratio is at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text). Change it in your theme's colour settings so it applies everywhere.
- Page regions that cannot be told apart. When two regions of the same kind exist (two navigation menus, for example), give each a different aria-label.
- Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark.
- Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmark.
- More than one page header. Keep one site header (<header> at page level). Use a <div> for other header-like areas.
- More than one page footer. Keep one site footer (<footer> at page level). Put extra footers inside a section, or use a <div>.
What the free Fixlight plugin does here
None of these is one the free plugin fixes on its own: they need a change in the theme's settings or code. Fixlight lists them with the steps, and it also adds things automated checks don't flag, such as a skip link and visible keyboard focus, where a theme lacks them.
About Member Read
- By wpeverest, 100+ active installs on WordPress.org (number 396 by installs when we checked).
- Version checked: 1.0.3. Preview: wp-themes.com/member-read/.
- Theme author? If you've fixed these, write to fixlight@fernwaylabs.com and we'll check again.