Accessibility Statements: What They Are and How to Write One
In the digital age, your website is often the first point of contact between you and your audience. Ensuring it is open and usable for everyone, including people with disabilities, is not just a matter of compliance—it’s a fundamental aspect of inclusive customer service. A crucial piece of this puzzle is the accessibility statement.
But what exactly is it, and why is it so important? This article will guide you through what an accessibility statement is, why your website needs one, and how you can create one that is both effective and transparent.
What Is an Accessibility Statement?
An accessibility statement is a public, formal declaration on your website that details your organization’s commitment to digital accessibility. Think of it as a transparency report and a promise to your users. It informs visitors about the accessibility level of your content, the standards you aim to follow (like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG, and the European standard EN 301 549), and provides a clear point of contact for users who may encounter barriers.
A well-crafted statement demonstrates that you see, value, and are actively planning for users of all abilities.
Why Your Website Needs an Accessibility Statement
Beyond being a best practice, having a dedicated accessibility statement offers several key benefits:
- Builds Trust and Confidence: It shows your audience that you care about inclusivity. This transparency fosters a positive relationship with all users and enhances your brand’s reputation.
- Provides Legal Clarity: In many regions, digital accessibility is a legal requirement. An accessibility statement serves as evidence of your good-faith efforts to comply with legislation like the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which mandates accessibility for many digital products and services in the EU.
- Creates a Vital Feedback Loop: It gives users a straightforward way to report problems. This feedback is invaluable, as it helps you identify and fix real-world barriers you might have missed, leading to continuous improvement.
- Centralizes Information: It provides a single, clear resource for anyone (users, developers, legal teams) to understand your accessibility policies and current status.
How to Write a Comprehensive Accessibility Statement
Crafting an accessibility statement requires honesty and clarity. Your goal is to be helpful and informative. Here are the essential components to include:
1. Your Commitment to Accessibility
Start with a clear, positive declaration of your organization’s commitment to ensuring digital access for people with disabilities. This sets the tone and frames the purpose of the page.
2. Conformance Status
State the accessibility standard you are targeting. This is most often the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 or 2.2 at a Level AA conformance. For many European entities, this also means aiming for compliance with EN 301 549, which largely aligns with WCAG.
It is vital to be transparent here. State your website’s current level of conformance:
- Fully conformant: The content fully conforms to the accessibility standard without any exceptions.
- Partially conformant: Some parts of the content do not fully conform to the standard.
- Non-conformant: The content does not conform to the standard.
Determining your exact conformance status is a crucial first step. Tools that provide ongoing monitoring and actionable reports, like those offered by Wawsome, can help you gain a clear picture of your website’s standing against these important standards.
3. Feedback and Contact Information
This is one of the most critical sections. Provide clear instructions on how users can contact you if they encounter an accessibility barrier. Include multiple contact methods if possible, such as:
- A dedicated email address
- A link to a contact form
- A phone number
Specify the information that would be helpful for them to include in their report, such as the page URL and a description of the problem.
4. Known Limitations and Alternatives
No website is perfect. Being transparent about known issues is a sign of maturity and honesty. If there are areas of your site that are not fully accessible, list them here. Where possible, provide alternative ways for users to access that content or service. For example, “The video on our homepage does not yet have audio descriptions, but a full transcript is available on the same page.”
5. Technical Specifications
Mention the key technologies your website relies on to deliver an accessible experience, such as HTML, WAI-ARIA, CSS, and JavaScript. This helps users and their assistive technologies understand your site’s technical environment.
6. Date and Review Cycle
Include the date the statement was published and when it was last reviewed. Accessibility is an ongoing effort, so stating your intention to review and update the statement regularly (e.g., annually) reinforces your commitment.
Make It Effortless with Wawsome
Writing a legally sound and comprehensive accessibility statement can feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. The Wawsome widget is designed to handle this for you.
Our platform includes an AI-powered accessibility statement generator that automatically creates a detailed, professional statement tailored to your site. It covers all the essential components, ensuring your statement aligns with official guidelines like the European Accessibility Act. This feature not only saves you time but also provides peace of mind that you’re meeting your transparency and compliance goals.
Your Next Step Towards a More Inclusive Web
An accessibility statement is your public promise to be inclusive. It’s a powerful first step, but true accessibility is achieved through continuous, proactive action.
Wawsome helps you turn your commitment into reality with a suite of AI-powered tools. Go beyond the statement with real-time accessibility monitoring that provides actionable reports, and enhance your site with AI that automatically generates descriptions for visual content.
Our platform even uses AI-powered intelligent profiles to adapt the user experience based on real-time behavior, creating a uniquely tailored and inclusive environment.
Experience the full power of automated accessibility. Sign up for a 7-day free trial to explore all of Wawsome’s features. Discover how easy it is to achieve EAA compliance and build a truly inclusive digital environment, together.