Searching for an “accessibility statement generator”? You don't need one. A good statement is short, specific to your site, and honest, and you can write it in about 20 minutes with the template below. Here's what to include, a free fill-in template, and the mistakes to avoid.
What an accessibility statement is, and isn't
An accessibility statement is a page on your site that tells visitors how accessible you've tried to make it, what you know still doesn't work, and how to contact you if something gets in their way. The W3C describes it as a way to show your commitment and to help users, and offers its own guidance and generator tool.
A statement is not a compliance claim. Publishing one doesn't make a site accessible, and it doesn't certify anything. Its value comes from being accurate: a statement that says “fully compliant” while customers struggle to use the site does more harm than having none.
Not legal advice. We're accessibility testers, not lawyers. If you have a legal question about what your statement should say, talk to a qualified attorney.
What to include
- Commitment: one or two plain sentences on why you care.
- The standard you aim for: usually WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Say “aim for” unless you've had it tested and confirmed.
- How you test: for example automated scans, keyboard testing, and a screen reader check, and when you last did it.
- Known limitations: the honest part. List what you know doesn't work yet, and what you're doing about it.
- Contact: an email address, and ideally a phone number, for people to report problems or ask for content in another format.
- Date: when the statement was last reviewed.
Free accessibility statement template
Copy this, replace everything in [square brackets], and delete anything that doesn't apply. It's plain HTML, so it pastes into most site builders' HTML or code block; or copy the text alone.
<h1>Accessibility statement</h1>
<p>We want everyone to be able to use [business name]'s website.
We aim for it to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA.</p>
<h2>How we test this site</h2>
<ul>
<li>[Automated checks with tools such as axe or WAVE]</li>
<li>[Keyboard-only testing of key pages and forms]</li>
<li>[Screen reader checks with VoiceOver or NVDA]</li>
</ul>
<p>We last tested the site on [date].</p>
<h2>Known limitations</h2>
<ul>
<li>[Example: Some older blog images don't have text
descriptions yet. We're adding them by [month year].]</li>
<li>[Example: Our booking widget is provided by [vendor].
If you have trouble using it, call us on [phone] and
we'll book for you.]</li>
</ul>
<h2>Tell us about a problem</h2>
<p>If anything on this site is hard to use, or you need
information in another format, contact us:</p>
<ul>
<li>Email: [email address]</li>
<li>Phone: [phone number]</li>
</ul>
<p>We aim to reply within [number] business days.</p>
<p>This statement was last reviewed on [date].</p>If you'd rather fill in a form than edit text, the W3C's free accessibility statement generator walks you through the same sections. Either way, the content is what matters.
Accessibility statement example: our own
You can read our own accessibility statement to see a short, real one. It says which standard we aim for, how we test the site, what we've done, known limitations, and how to reach us.
Mistakes to avoid
- “This site is fully ADA compliant.” Unless you can back it up, don't say it. “We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 AA” is honest and still shows commitment.
- Overlay badges. A widget's “accessible” badge isn't evidence that your pages work. See why we don't recommend overlays.
- No known limitations. Almost every site has some. Listing them, with a workaround, is more helpful than pretending there are none.
- A contact form as the only contact. If the form itself has a barrier, people can't tell you about it. Give an email address too.
- Hiding it. Link the statement from your footer on every page.
Keep it current
Review the statement whenever you redesign, change themes or add a major feature, and at least once a year. Update the “last tested” and “last reviewed” dates when you do. Before you publish, it's worth checking where your site stands: check your site before you publish a statement with our free checker (automated, one page at a time), then follow up with the manual checks in our audit guide.