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An accessibility statement is an important feature for organizations committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is required by law.
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What's an
Accessibility Statement?
A website accessibility statement is a public-facing disclosure detailing why, how, and what measures an organization has taken to lower barriers to accessibility and ensure universal usability.
The Importance of Having a Web Accessibility Statement
An accessibility statement is an important feature for organizations committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Show Commitment
Show your organization’s commitment to inclusion
Enable Access
Provide information on available accommodations to access your website
Be Responsible
Demonstrate social responsibility
Do I Really Need An Accessibility Statement For My Website?
In the United States, no laws explicitly require a business to provide an accessibility statement. However, they can be useful to maintain and are overall a signal of good corporate culture.
Legal Compliance
Organizations that conduct online business internationally may be required to post a statement and include particular language or details. For example, on the EU Web Accessibility Directive, you can find each respective country’s laws here.
What about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for U.S.-based companies? This is a common misconception. There are no legal requirements to provide an ADA compliance statement or ADA accessibility statement. There are also no requirements under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Federal Contractors
Accessibility statements are beneficial for federal contractors when submitting RFPs to do work for governmental bodies. These contractors are often required to provide a link to their accessibility statements when seeking to be listed as an approved vendor.
Under Section 508, these agencies are required to only do business with organizations that comply with equal opportunity regulations, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. An accessibility statement is the first sign a company is an eligible bidder.
Litigation Defense
Having an accessibility statement can help deter costly lawsuits and demand letters. In web accessibility complaints, organizations are frequently accused of discrimination against people with disabilities by having no established accessibility policy. As evidence, complainants will often point to the lack of an accessibility statement on a website.
Plaintiffs will commonly demand an accessibility statement be written and posted to a webpage as a concession in a ruling or settlement agreement.
Legal Compliance
Organizations that conduct online business internationally may be required to post a statement and include particular language or details. For example, on the EU Web Accessibility Directive, you can find each respective country’s laws here.
What about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for U.S.-based companies? This is a common misconception. There are no legal requirements to provide an ADA compliance statement or ADA accessibility statement. There are also no requirements under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Federal Contractors
Accessibility statements are beneficial for federal contractors when submitting RFPs to do work for governmental bodies. These contractors are often required to provide a link to their accessibility statements when seeking to be listed as an approved vendor.
Under Section 508, these agencies are required to only do business with organizations that comply with equal opportunity regulations, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. An accessibility statement is the first sign a company is an eligible bidder.
Litigation Defense
Having an accessibility statement can help deter costly lawsuits and demand letters. In web accessibility complaints, organizations are frequently accused of discrimination against people with disabilities by having no established accessibility policy. As evidence, complainants will often point to the lack of an accessibility statement on a website.
Plaintiffs will commonly demand an accessibility statement be written and posted to a webpage as a concession in a ruling or settlement agreement.
What Is Included in an Accessibility Statement?
How comprehensive and in-depth an accessibility statement is written is a matter of preference, intention, and, in some cases, legal compliance. Some organizations will provide only the critical basics, while others will detail their entire accessibility status.
Minimum Statement
According to the W3C, at minimum, a web accessibility statement should include:
- A commitment to ensuring content is accessible to everyone
- Details on accessibility standards followed (for example, WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, and A, AA, or AAA)
- Contact information for feedback and alternative access to the content posted on the website
Recommended Statement
Other recommended information includes:
- A list of known existing accessibility barriers (for example, links to third-party websites that may not be accessible)
- The measures that have been taken to achieve accessibility
- Technical requirements for best webpage performance (e.g., browser, supported assistive technology)
- References to any relevant laws or regulations, especially for countries that require an accessibility statement
Accessibility Statement Examples
Depending on the type of website and industry, an accessibility statement could range from basic to complex. For a blog page or single-service business website, a basic accessibility statement will likely be appropriate. For more complex websites and high-profile businesses (e.g. social media platforms, federal contractors), a more comprehensive statement may need to provide in-depth guidance and insights.
Example of minimal
accessibility statement
The White House provides one example of a brief, informative accessibility statement. Note how the statement expresses commitment to inclusion, identifies standards used when designing the website for accessibility, and provides contact information if there are questions or needed improvements.
Example of comprehensive
accessibility statement
Oracle has a comprehensive accessibility statement to account for their suite of products. They follow internationally-recognized accessibility standards, build standards-based products that meet the Revised Section 508, WCAG 2.1, and EU's EN 301 549, and test for accessibility using various techniques.
