How to write an accessibility statement

An accessibility statement tells visitors how accessible your website is, what you’re doing about it, and how to get help. DOJ settlement agreements require one, the European Accessibility Act requires service providers to publish equivalent information, and it gives people with disabilities a direct line to you instead of a lawyer.

What to include

1. Your commitment — one or two sentences, in plain language.
2. The standard you aim for — e.g., WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
3. Your conformance status, honestly — fully, partially or not conformant.
4. Known limitations — what doesn’t work yet, and alternatives in the meantime.
5. How to get help and report barriers — email, phone, and a response time you’ll meet.
6. How you evaluate — self-assessment, independent audit, dates.
7. The date it was written and last reviewed.

What never to claim

• “This website is 100% ADA compliant.” No one can guarantee that, and a false claim can be quoted back at you.
• “Certified accessible” by an overlay vendor. The FTC has acted against exactly this kind of claim.
• A statement that’s years out of date.

Template

Copy, adapt, and make every bracketed item true before you publish.

Accessibility statement for [Organization]

[Organization] is committed to making [website/app name] usable by
everyone, including people with disabilities.

Standard
We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.2 Level AA.

Status
[website] is [partially] conformant with WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
[Partially conformant means some parts of the content do not fully
conform.]

Known limitations
- [Older PDF documents published before (date). Contact us for an
  accessible version, which we will provide within (X) business days.]
- [Third-party booking widget — we are working with the vendor and
  you can book by phone at (number).]

Feedback and help
If you have trouble using any part of this site, contact us:
- Email: [address]
- Phone: [number]
We aim to respond within [2] business days.

How we assess accessibility
[Independent audit by (company) in (month year); ongoing internal
testing with automated tools, keyboard and screen readers.]

This statement was prepared on [date] and last reviewed on [date].

See our own accessibility statement for an example.

Make the feedback channel real

The statement is only as good as what happens when someone uses it. Make sure messages reach a person who can act, track response times, and treat every report as a free bug report.