Theme check
Is Variations accessible?
No automated check can say that a theme is accessible. Here is what one found: on October 25, 2026, our check of Variations 4.4.1 on its WordPress.org preview found 11 accessibility problems in the theme's own parts (its header, menus, footer and layout), 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lists with the wrong kind of items | Serious | 1 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| Content outside the page regions | Moderate | 6 | Best practice | No, needs a person |
| Heading levels skip | Moderate | 4 | 1.3.1 | 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. Variations may have changed since October 25, 2026.
How to fix them
- Lists with the wrong kind of items. A <ul> or <ol> should contain only <li> items.
- Content outside the page regions. This usually comes from the theme or a page builder section. Put page content inside the main area, or ask your theme developer to add header, main and footer regions.
- Heading levels skip. Choose heading levels by structure, not by size: one level 1 for the page title, level 2 for sections, level 3 inside them. Change the size with styling instead.
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 Variations
- By Tyler Moore, 10,000+ active installs on WordPress.org (number 41 by installs when we checked).
- Version checked: 4.4.1. Preview: wp-themes.com/variations/.
- Theme author? If you've fixed these, write to fixlight@fernwaylabs.com and we'll check again.