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Best Practice

Accessibility Statement Template

How to write a legally compliant, transparent accessibility statement — what to include, how to maintain it, and a complete template for EU and global compliance.

Why an Accessibility Statement Is Required

An accessibility statement is a public declaration of your site's conformance with accessibility standards, the known barriers that remain, and how users who encounter problems can contact you. It is legally required in the European Union under the Web Accessibility Directive for public sector bodies and under the European Accessibility Act for private sector organizations. It is strongly recommended for all organizations globally as a demonstration of commitment and as a legal risk mitigation measure.

Beyond legal compliance, an honest accessibility statement builds trust with disabled users. It acknowledges that accessibility is an ongoing process, identifies known barriers so users can make informed decisions, and provides a clear escalation path when barriers prevent access.

Required Elements (EU Web Accessibility Directive)

The EU WAD specifies that an accessibility statement must include:

  1. Compliance status — fully compliant, partially compliant, or non-compliant with the applicable standard.
  2. Non-accessible content — a description of the content that is not accessible, with the reason (non-compliance, disproportionate burden, content not within the scope of the legislation).
  3. Accessible alternatives — descriptions of accessible alternatives where they exist.
  4. Contact mechanism — an email address or contact form for users to report problems.
  5. Enforcement procedure — the process for filing a complaint if the response is unsatisfactory.
  6. Date — the date the statement was prepared or last reviewed.

Accessibility Statement Template

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT Last updated: [Date] This accessibility statement applies to [Website name] at [URL]. CONFORMANCE STATUS [Website name] aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. We believe this site is [fully / partially / not] compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA. KNOWN ISSUES We are aware of the following accessibility issues: - [Issue 1: Description, affected pages, planned fix date] - [Issue 2: Description, affected pages, planned fix date] We are actively working to resolve these issues. We aim to fix all critical issues by [date]. COMPATIBILITY This site is designed to work with the following assistive technologies: - NVDA with Firefox on Windows - JAWS with Chrome on Windows - VoiceOver with Safari on macOS and iOS - TalkBack with Chrome on Android TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Accessibility relies on the following technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WAI-ARIA. FEEDBACK AND CONTACT We welcome feedback on accessibility. If you experience barriers, please contact us: - Email: [accessibility@example.com] - Phone: [+1 xxx xxx xxxx] - Contact form: [URL] We will respond within 2 business days. ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURE (EU) If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the [National Enforcement Body name] at [URL].

Maintaining Your Accessibility Statement

An accessibility statement is not a one-time document. It requires active maintenance:

  • Review the statement quarterly and update the "Last updated" date.
  • When new issues are found (from audits, user reports, or automated scans), add them to the known issues section within 30 days.
  • When issues are resolved, remove them from the known issues section.
  • After each major release or site redesign, re-audit and update the conformance status.
  • If your conformance status changes (improves or worsens), update the statement within 30 days.

Placement and Discoverability

The accessibility statement must be easy to find. Best practices:

  • Link to the accessibility statement in the site footer, alongside Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
  • Host at a predictable URL: /accessibility or /accessibility-statement.
  • Include a link in the main navigation on public-sector sites.
  • Ensure the accessibility statement page is itself accessible — it must be reachable and readable by the users who need it most.

VPAT: The Enterprise Accessibility Statement

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a more detailed accessibility conformance report used in B2B and government procurement. It maps each WCAG criterion to a conformance status (supports, partially supports, does not support) with explanations. If your product is sold to enterprises or government, a VPAT is often contractually required. The ITIC.org provides the official VPAT template format (VPAT 2.4 WCAG for web products).

Resources