An accessibility statement is a page on your site that details your organization’s commitment to web accessibility. It could outline your policies, goals, and progress in pursuit of inclusivity, or it could just be a general statement about what you’re doing about it.
Who Needs to Write an Accessibility Statement?
Just because you choose to be inclusive doesn’t mean you have to produce an accessibility statement. It’s only required of organizations that have legal obligations to provide accessible content, such as government agencies, businesses serving people with disabilities, and private contractors that serve those sectors. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Accessibility Statement is Required for…
- All U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies
- All public sector bodies in the E.U.
- All Canadian federal departments as well as federally regulated industries.
Accessibility Statement is Recommended for…
Under Title III of the ADA, “businesses that are open to the public” must provide equal access to their services for people with disabilities. While an accessibility statement is not explicitly required by law, it can serve as evidence in your efforts to comply, which is helpful in the event of an accessibility lawsuit. Public business include (but are not limited to):
- Retail and eCommerce stores
- Financial institutions
- Healthcare providers
- Education (both public and private)
- Restaurants and hotels
- Movie theaters and other entertainment venues
- Licensing or certification organizations
- Gyms
- Daycare centers
- Privately-operated transit like charter buses and airport shuttles
Do I Really Need To?
Let’s say you run a modest little cafe and have a basic website that provides information about your business. It has the restaurant’s contact info, hours of operation, some photos, and maybe a menu. The website doesn’t provide any services like selling food or making reservations, so if it isn’t accessible, you’re not really denying anyone a service, so you’re probably safe.
If you do provide services through your website, then it’s probably a good idea to have an accessibility statement posted.
What Should It Actually Say?
An accessibility statement has some key components:
1. Your Commitment to Accessibility
This is where you talk about how much you value inclusivity. It could be as simple as two sentences. For example, Hilton’s Accessibility Statement says:
We recognize the diversity of our guests. We are committed to providing an excellent online and in-person experience for all our guests including those with disabilities.
The opening paragraph of Hertz’s Accessibility Statement is very similar:
At Hertz, we are committed to providing an accessible online experience for all our users, including those with disabilities. We strive to meet the needs of the broadest possible audience and conform with established accessibility standards.
2. Accessibility Standards Applied to Your Website
This will typically be whatever the latest standard is. Ally’s Accessibility Statement has included this information in their opening paragraph:
Since everything we do is digital, we’re committed to creating online experiences that empower equal engagement and make everyone feel welcome, not just by working towards the standards set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( WCAG 2.2 AA ), but by always striving to be even better.
3. Summarize Accessibility Efforts
This part can be broad or detailed. Greyhound’s Accessibility Statement talks about who they partnered with to reach their accessibility goals:
We are working to ensure our websites and online services are accessible for all and are committed to following the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and other applicable web accessibility laws.
To accomplish this, we have partnered with Level Access to leverage their digital accessibility platform and 25 years of experience to achieve and sustain conformance to accessibility standards. Their digital accessibility platform is used to evaluate our digital properties in accordance with best practices and is supported by a diverse team of accessibility professionals, including users with disabilities.
Through this partnership, Greyhound continues to develop our digital accessibility program and capabilities so that we are designing, developing, and testing our websites and online services for conformance to accessibility standards.
Hertz (linked above) goes as far as to list all the different ways they deliver accessibility. But don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to talk about your accessibility efforts if you don’t want to. Cheesecake Factory’s Accessibility Statement is pretty basic and doesn’t mention it at all.
4. Contact Information for Reporting Issues
You’ll want to include a phone number, email address, or form that someone can use if they are experiencing difficulties with your website. This is probably the easiest part of the statement.
Can Someone Else Do It?
Absolutely. Your Web Accessibility Specialist can write it for you once they’re done remediating your site. You can also try Accessibility Checker’s Accessibility Statement Generator or Accessible Web’s Accessibility Statement Generator. I can’t personally vouch for either of these free services, but I found them for you so you have options.