There is no one right way to write an accessibility statement. Each organization must craft its statement to reflect its commitment, objectives, and current state of accessibility.
However, there are certain considerations that should be taken into account when writing your accessibility statement. Below, we will go through the essentials and I have included examples and a link to my free downloadable template.
What is an Accessibility Statement?
An accessibility statement relays a concise summary of your organization’s stance on digital accessibility along with other relevant accessibility and contact information.
Are Accessibility Statements Required?
There is no explicit requirement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that an accessibility statement be published. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the agency that regulates and enforces Title II and Title III of the ADA, has invariably required that notice (basically, a statement) be posted conspicuously posted in the footer of a website in virtually all digital accessibility settlements it has entered into.
Because notice has been a strong theme in the DOJ’s enforcement of digital accessibility, it is now considered a best practice to post an accessibility statement. Moreover, plaintiffs’ law firms are carrying forward the DOJ’s stance and stipulating statements as a part of settlement agreements.
Additionally, other laws may have requirements that closely resemble an accessibility statement.
Critical Components
Every accessibility statement should contain at least two things: 1) a statement of commitment and 2) at least one method of contact for support or to provide feedback.
The DOJ has consistently mandated notice pages feature these components. Although the details have varied, the consistent theme is the DOJ has required a statement of commitment along with multiple methods of contact (e.g., email address, contact form, and/or toll-free phone number) available for assistance along with a means of receiving feedback.
Other Components
Of course, an accessibility statement can contain more information – and, in most cases, it is optimal to include other information such as:
- Standards used (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA)
- Environment compatibility
- Third-party integration notes
- Actions taken (to improve accessibility)
- Investments made (to improve accessibility)
Additionally, you may want to include any known accessibility issues or technological limitations (e.g., the inability to provide complete alternative descriptions for a dynamic game) of accessibility.
As I alluded to above, the best accessibility template for your organization is one that reflects your efforts and status.
If you are just beginning to improve accessibility, your statement will likely be more basic. However, if you have made great strides in improving accessibility, it’s worthwhile to relay how accessible your asset is.
Practically Useful
Not only should your accessibility statement accurately reflect your organization’s commitment, but it should also be practically helpful.
Ultimately your accessibility statement is a resource for anybody who has accessibility issues or would like to know more about how seriously your organization takes accessibility.
Because of this, I recommend you list your statement of commitment and methods of contact among the very first items of the page.
Also, if there are any known issues such as a browser compatibility issue, it’s helpful to prioritize these as well along with any recommendations (e.g., we recommend FireFox or Chrome instead of Edge for optimal experience). This way no user unnecessarily wastes their time and can potentially resolve their issue without contacting support.
Examples
Below are five examples of accessibility statements to give you an idea what other organizations are doing.
Whitehouse.gov uses a very basic statement with an emphasis on “ongoing accessibility efforts.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/accessibility/
Costco.com uses a succinct statement with six examples of accessibility features incorporated.
https://www.costco.com/accessibility.html
Microsoft fully embraces accessibility in its statement, providing in-depth information, examples, and resources on how it seeks to create a more accessible world.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/
Academy.com relies upon one long paragraph to tell users they can contact support for help or to provide a suggestion. Academy also touches upon how they encourage accessibility of third-party integrations.
https://www.academy.com/accessibility
Wix has become more proactive in its approach to accessibility, using its accessibility page as both a statement and a resource / guide for customers using its website builder. (Note: Wix still has work to go, but it is ahead of other website builder platforms.)
https://www.wix.com/accessibility
Template
To get a head start on your accessibility statement, you are welcome to download my accessibility statement template free of charge (no email subscription required).
My template contains all of the optional sections listed above along with other information that you can use or remove as you customize it to best reflect your organization’s status, progress, and values.
Final Words
When writing your accessibility statement, keep in mind that the objective is to benefit and help guide the user. Accessibility statements are increasingly relied upon by others and they very much reflect upon your organization.
To learn more about what the DOJ has mandated in private enforcement actions, read The ADA Book. The ADA Book will not only provide the important bullet points from the DOJ settlements, but also give you a concise and accurate overview of the practical and legal landscape for digital accessibility.
Comments