This guide walks you through installing and activating the LEWCA accessibility plugin on any WordPress site. The process takes less than a minute and requires no technical expertise.
Prerequisites
- A self-hosted WordPress site (version 6.0 or higher)
- Administrator access to your WordPress dashboard
- PHP 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.0+ recommended)
Installation Steps
Step 1: Open the Plugin Installer
In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New.
Step 2: Search for LEWCA
Type LEWCA in the search box. Look for “LEWCA – Accessibility Toolkit & WCAG Scanner” in the results.
Step 3: Install and Activate
Click Install Now, then click Activate. LEWCA is now running on your site with default settings.
Step 4: Verify the Toolbar
Visit your site’s front end. You should see the accessibility toolbar trigger button (a circular accessibility icon) in the corner of the page. Click it to confirm the toolbar opens.
Note: If you don’t see the toolbar trigger, check that the plugin is activated under Plugins → Installed Plugins. Some caching plugins may require a cache clear.
Alternative: Manual Upload
If you are testing the private LEWCA release candidate, open the private tester link supplied by LEWCA and download lewca.zip first. Expected SHA-256: 178a65667a296fee8629bd8c22960c354e44c70b6d0f43d922394c5a105eb9c7; expected size: 1,082,202 bytes.
- Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Choose the downloaded
lewca.zipfile - Click Install Now, then Activate Plugin
- Visit your site front end and confirm the LEWCA toolbar trigger appears
Rollback and Removal
For a fresh-user rollback, open Plugins → Installed Plugins, deactivate LEWCA, then delete it. By default, uninstalling removes the plugin files but preserves LEWCA settings and stored scan/fix data so a later reinstall can pick up where you left off. To remove all LEWCA settings and data as well, enable the delete-data-on-uninstall option inside LEWCA before deleting the plugin.
Starting a 7-day Pro trial is optional and does not require a credit card. If the trial ends or you do not upgrade, LEWCA falls back to the Free plan and keeps the toolbar, settings, and scan history available.
Troubleshooting
- Plugin not appearing in search: LEWCA may not yet be listed on WordPress.org. Use the manual upload method with the ZIP from lewca.com.
- “Plugin could not be activated” error: Check that your PHP version is 7.4 or higher in Tools → Site Health → Info → Server.
- Toolbar not visible: Try clearing your browser cache and any site caching plugins. Check for JavaScript errors in the browser console.