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Accessibility Statement Template (Free) + How to Write One

The template is further down this page — copy it, fill in the brackets, publish it, and link it from your footer. That takes about twenty minutes and you can do it today. The rest of this guide is about the parts that go wrong, because a statement written carelessly is worse than no statement at all.

An accessibility statement is a public page that names the standard you are working toward, admits what is still broken, and gives a real person to contact when a visitor hits a barrier. Two things make it worth the twenty minutes: the European Accessibility Act obliges in-scope businesses to publish information about how their service meets accessibility requirements, and in the US a dated statement plus a logged feedback trail is part of what a good-faith remediation record looks like when a demand letter arrives. (Nothing here is legal advice.)

The failure mode is the opposite of what people expect. It is not writing too little — it is claiming conformance you have not tested. “This site conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA” is a factual assertion about your site, and if a complainant runs a scanner and finds twelve contrast failures on your homepage, you have handed them a documented gap between what you said and what is true. “We are working toward WCAG 2.1 AA” costs you nothing and is defensible. The template below is written the honest way by default.

Why Your Website Needs an Accessibility Statement

There are three compelling reasons to publish an accessibility statement, and they go well beyond checking a compliance box.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which became enforceable in June 2025, explicitly requires businesses to provide information about how their products and services meet accessibility requirements. While the EAA does not use the exact phrase “accessibility statement,” publishing one is the most straightforward way to demonstrate compliance with this transparency obligation.

In the United States, the ADA does not require an accessibility statement anywhere in its text, and no court has held that publishing one satisfies it. What a statement does is narrower: it timestamps your intent and creates a documented channel for barrier reports. DOJ settlement agreements in web accessibility matters have commonly required the organization to adopt a written web accessibility policy, designate a responsible contact, and post both publicly — so the artifact is one regulators ask for after the fact, and there is no reason to wait to be asked. It is not a shield, and anyone selling it to you as one is overselling. (Nothing here is legal advice.) If a letter has already arrived, what to do in the first 48 hours is the more urgent read.

The EU Web Accessibility Directive goes even further for public sector organizations, mandating a detailed accessibility statement that follows a specific template provided by the European Commission. While this directive applies only to government websites, it has set the standard that many private organizations now follow voluntarily.

It Builds Trust with Visitors

For the estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide who live with a disability, finding an accessibility statement on a website is a signal that the organization takes their needs seriously. It tells visitors that if they encounter a problem, there is someone they can contact who will actually help them. This is especially important for e-commerce sites, service providers, and organizations where visitors need to complete transactions or access important information.

Many accessibility advocates and disability organizations actively look for accessibility statements when evaluating whether to recommend a business or service. Having one can differentiate you from competitors who have not made the effort.

It Forces You to Think About Your Current State

The process of writing an accessibility statement requires you to honestly assess where your website stands. You need to identify which standards you are targeting, acknowledge what you have done so far, and admit what still needs work. This self-assessment is valuable even if no one ever reads the statement, because it gives you a clear picture of your accessibility maturity and helps you prioritize next steps.

What to Include in Your Accessibility Statement

A good accessibility statement covers six key areas. You do not need to write pages of dense legal text. Clear, plain language is better. Here is what to include:

1. Your Commitment to Accessibility

Start with a brief statement about your organization’s commitment to making your website accessible to everyone. This sets the tone and purpose of the document. Keep it genuine and avoid corporate jargon. One to two sentences is enough.

2. The Standard You Are Working Toward

Specify which accessibility standard you are targeting. For most websites, this is WCAG 2.1 Level AA or WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Be honest about your current level of conformance. There is a difference between “our website conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA” (which means you have tested and verified full compliance) and “we are working toward WCAG 2.1 AA” (which means you are making progress but are not fully there yet). Do not claim full conformance unless you have evidence to support it, such as a recent audit report.

3. Known Limitations

This is the section many organizations skip because they feel uncomfortable admitting their website has problems. But acknowledging known limitations actually strengthens your statement. It shows honesty, demonstrates you are aware of the issues, and sets expectations for visitors. List specific areas where you know barriers exist and, if possible, mention what you are doing to address them and your expected timeline.

Common limitations to acknowledge include:

  • Third-party content or widgets you do not control (embedded maps, social media feeds, payment processors)
  • PDF documents that have not yet been remediated
  • Legacy content that predates your accessibility efforts
  • Specific pages or features that are in the process of being fixed

4. Feedback and Contact Information

This is arguably the most important section. Provide a clear, easy way for visitors to report accessibility barriers they encounter. Include multiple contact methods because some visitors may not be able to use certain channels. At minimum, provide an email address and a phone number.

Specify what happens after someone contacts you. Will they receive a response within a certain timeframe? Who handles accessibility feedback? Setting expectations helps visitors feel confident that their report will be taken seriously.

5. Assessment and Testing Methods

Briefly describe how you evaluate your website’s accessibility. This might include automated scanning tools you use, manual testing methods (such as keyboard navigation and screen reader testing), whether you conduct periodic professional audits, and whether you involve people with disabilities in your testing process. You do not need to go into extensive detail, but this section adds credibility to your statement.

Be precise about what kind of evaluation you actually did. “We run automated scans monthly” is a fine thing to write and an honest one; describing a scanner run as a full audit is the kind of overstatement that reads badly if anyone checks. If you are not sure which one you have, what’s in a WCAG audit report breaks down the difference.

6. Date and Update Schedule

Include the date the statement was last updated and how often you plan to review it. Accessibility is an ongoing process, not a one-time project, so your statement should reflect your current state, not the state of your website two years ago. We recommend reviewing and updating your statement at least annually, or whenever you make significant changes to your website.

Accessibility Statement Template

Here is a template you can copy and adapt for your website. Replace the bracketed placeholders with your specific information.

Accessibility Statement for [Your Organization Name]

[Your Organization Name] is committed to ensuring that our website is accessible to all visitors, including people with disabilities. We believe that every person deserves equal access to the information and services we provide online.

Conformance Standard

We are working to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These guidelines are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and define best practices for making web content more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

Current Status

We [have conducted an accessibility audit / are in the process of auditing] our website and are actively addressing identified issues. The following measures have been taken:

  • [List specific actions you have taken, for example: “Added alt text to all product images,” “Ensured all forms have proper labels,” “Improved color contrast across the site”]

Known Limitations

While we strive for full accessibility, we are aware of the following limitations:

  • [Describe known issues, for example: “Some older blog posts contain images without descriptive alt text. We are remediating these on an ongoing basis.” or “Our embedded Google Maps widget has known keyboard navigation limitations that are controlled by Google.”]

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website. If you encounter any barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

  • Email: [[email protected]]
  • Phone: [your phone number]
  • Mailing address: [your address, optional]

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within [2-5] business days. If we cannot immediately resolve the issue, we will provide an interim accommodation and a timeline for a permanent fix.

Assessment Methods

Our website’s accessibility is evaluated through:

  • [Automated scanning using tools such as axe DevTools and WAVE]
  • [Manual testing with keyboard navigation and screen readers]
  • [Periodic professional accessibility audits]

Last Updated: [Date]

We review and update this statement [annually / quarterly / when significant changes are made to the website].

Tips for an Effective Accessibility Statement

Put it where people can find it. Link to your accessibility statement from your website footer on every page. Common link text includes “Accessibility,” “Accessibility Statement,” or “Accessibility Policy.” The footer is the conventional location and where assistive technology users will look for it.

Use plain language. Your accessibility statement should be accessible itself. Avoid legal jargon, technical acronyms without explanation, and complex sentence structures. Write for a general audience, not for lawyers or accessibility specialists.

Be honest, not aspirational. Do not claim WCAG 2.1 AA conformance if you have not actually tested and verified it. It is perfectly acceptable to say you are working toward a standard. Overclaiming can backfire legally if someone files a complaint and discovers your statement does not match reality.

Keep it updated. An accessibility statement dated three years ago signals that accessibility is not a priority. Update it at least annually, and whenever you complete significant remediation work or learn about new issues. Add the update date prominently so visitors know the information is current.

Make your contact information real. The email address and phone number in your accessibility statement should go to someone who can actually help. Nothing undermines trust faster than a feedback mechanism that leads to a dead end. Designate a specific person or team to handle accessibility feedback and ensure they have the authority to escalate issues to your development or content team.

Do not use it as a substitute for actual accessibility work. An accessibility statement is not a shield that protects you from legal action. It is a communication tool that complements your ongoing accessibility efforts. The statement describes your commitment; the actual work on your website demonstrates it.

What Happens After You Publish

Publishing your accessibility statement is a starting point, not an end point. Here is what to expect and how to respond:

You may receive feedback from visitors who encounter barriers. Treat this as valuable information, not as complaints. Each report tells you about a real problem that a real person experienced, and gives you the opportunity to fix it before it affects more visitors or becomes a legal issue.

Track the feedback you receive and the issues reported. Over time, this creates a record of your accessibility improvement journey. It also helps you identify patterns, such as recurring issues with certain types of content or specific assistive technologies, that can guide your remediation priorities.

Review your statement periodically against the current state of your website. As you fix issues, update the “Known Limitations” section. As you adopt new testing practices, update the “Assessment Methods” section. Your accessibility statement should be a living document that evolves with your website.

Want to know what is actually broken on your site? Get an accessibility report.