- An accessibility statement is a public page documenting your WCAG conformance status, known issues, and user contact mechanism.
- Required by EU law (EN 301 549); strongly recommended for U.S. businesses as ADA good-faith evidence.
- Link it from the footer of every page alongside Privacy Policy.
- Contents: conformance status, standard, known issues, contact/feedback method, review date.
- Do not claim "fully conformant" if your site has not been professionally audited.
What Is a Website Accessibility Statement?
An accessibility statement is a dedicated page on your website that publicly communicates your organization's commitment to web accessibility, the current conformance status of your website against WCAG 2.2 Level AA, known accessibility limitations, and how users can contact you to report barriers or request accessible content.
What to Include in Your Accessibility Statement
- Conformance Status — Fully conformant, partially conformant, or non-conformant (be accurate — false full conformance claims can be used against you)
- Standard Reference — WCAG 2.2 Level AA published by W3C
- Covered Content — What parts of your site the statement covers
- Known Non-Conformant Areas — List any known limitations with brief explanation
- Feedback & Contact Mechanism — Email, phone, or contact form users can use to report issues
- Response Commitment — How quickly you commit to responding to feedback (e.g., 2 business days)
- Formal Complaints Process — Mention of formal complaints avenue (e.g., DOJ, relevant EU body)
- Last Review Date — When the statement was last reviewed/updated
Free Accessibility Statement Template
[Organization Name] is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We continually improve the user experience for everyone and apply relevant accessibility standards. CONFORMANCE STATUS This website is [partially conformant / fully conformant] with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). [Partially conformant means some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard. Fully conformant means only when a site has been verified by audit.] KNOWN LIMITATIONS [List any known barriers — e.g., "Third-party embedded maps may not meet all accessibility criteria. We are working with the provider on a resolution."] FEEDBACK & CONTACT If you encounter accessibility barriers or need information in a different format, please contact us: Email: [accessibility@yourdomain.com] Phone: [+X XXX XXX XXXX] Response time: We aim to respond within 2 business days. FORMAL COMPLAINTS If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the U.S. Department of Justice or [EU equivalent enforcement body if applicable]. This statement was last reviewed: [Month Year]. Audited to WCAG 2.2 Level AA by complyTech.
Replace all bracketed items with your specific information. If your site has not been professionally audited, use "non-conformant" or "partially conformant" as your conformance status.
Frequently Asked Questions
A website accessibility statement is a public-facing page documenting your organization's commitment to web accessibility, the conformance status of the website (fully or partially conformant), the standard being used (WCAG 2.2 Level AA), known limitations, and how users can contact you to report barriers or request accessible formats.
For private U.S. businesses under ADA Title III, an accessibility statement is not explicitly required by law. However, it is strongly recommended as evidence of good-faith compliance effort — court cases frequently weigh whether a business demonstrated proactive accessibility commitment. For EU-based or UK-based services, accessibility statements are legally required under EN 301 549 and the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations.
Accessibility statements should be linked from the footer of every page — ideally in the same location as your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service links. The statement should also be reachable from any place on your site where a user might encounter an accessibility barrier, such as the contact page.
A website claiming 'partially conformant' status means some parts of the content do not fully conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA due to third-party content, known technical limitations, or specific exempted content types. Partially conformant statements must identify the non-conformant areas and explain why they are not yet remediated.