Open Accessibility 1.4.01 is a widget reliability and content detection release. It follows 1.4.0, which added the Links tab, panel customization, string filters, and the skip-to-content rework. Both are covered here because most sites upgrade across the pair.
1.4.01 Headline Changes
- The widget stays reachable in contrast modes. Switching on a contrast mode could previously leave the widget itself unreachable. The toggle and panel now remain usable in every contrast mode.
- Skip-to-content sits above theme chrome. The skip link is raised above sticky headers, notification bars, and other fixed theme elements so keyboard users can actually see and activate it.
- Better content detection for page builders. Content detection was improved for builder-generated markup, including Divi, so controls resolve real content regions instead of falling back to broad page-level behavior.
- New Reading Mask control. A reading mask dims the page except for a horizontal band that tracks the pointer, giving visitors a stronger focus aid than the existing reading guide.
- Wider theme testing. 1.4.01 was tested against Divi, Blocksy, Neve, Sydney, and Hestia.
Reading Mask
Reading Mask is a separate control from Reading Guide:
| Control | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Reading Guide | Draws a horizontal guide line that follows the pointer |
| Reading Mask | Dims the whole page except a band that tracks the pointer |
Reading Mask is enabled by default in the plugin's feature defaults and appears in the widget alongside the other visual aids. Site owners can turn it off under Accessibility → Features like any other control.
1.4.0 Headline Changes
1.4.0 was the panel customization and skip-to-content release.
- Links tab. A dedicated Links settings tab adds optional Help and Feedback links to the widget panel, and exposes the Sitemap link in the settings UI.
- Panel Title setting. The widget heading can be renamed without code.
- Open Links in Same Tab. An opt-in, off-by-default setting strips
target="_blank"from links, addressing WCAG 2.1 SC 3.2.5. - Usage Logging is now opt-in. Feature usage is recorded only when the site owner enables it. It is off by default.
- Skip-to-content actually works everywhere. The skip link previously did nothing on themes without an
#contentelement, including all block themes and Kadence. It now resolves a real target, and moves keyboard focus to that target rather than only scrolling to it (WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1). - New filters.
open_accessibility_strings,open_accessibility_panel_title,open_accessibility_panel_links, andopen_accessibility_skip_target_candidates. - Platform compatibility. Verified against WordPress 7.1 on PHP 8.4 and PHP 8.5, and tested against Hello Elementor, Astra, GeneratePress, OceanWP, Kadence, and Twenty Twenty-Five.
Upgrade Notes
- Usage Logging changed default. If you relied on usage statistics, enable Usage Logging under Accessibility → Advanced. It is off by default as of 1.4.0.
- Skip-to-content may now land somewhere new. Sites that had a non-functioning skip link will find it working for the first time. If it lands in the wrong place, use
open_accessibility_skip_target_candidatesto control the candidate list. - Open Links in Same Tab is site-wide. It changes how every link on the site opens, which is why it ships off by default. Turn it on deliberately.
- Reading Mask is on by default. Review it under Accessibility → Features if you maintain a curated set of enabled controls.