Generate an Accessibility Statement

In this section you can describe the efforts your organization takes to ensure accessibility. This helps users to understand your sincerity and the validity of the claims you make in your accessibility statement.

There are many situations in which limitations to accessibility can occur. For example, you may not be able ensure instant accessibility of user-generated content. Providing transparency on such situations helps users to understand any issue they may be observing, and to find alternatives where applicable. Under the EU Web Accessibility Directive, public bodies are required to provide information on the parts of the content that do not conform, the reason for not conforming, and, if applicable, where to find accessible alternatives.

Despite best efforts, accessibility may not work well in every combination of operating system, web browser, and assistive technology. Developers typically test their websites and mobile applications with common user environments, to determine compatibility. WCAG defines requirements for accessibility features provided by content authors to be accessibility supported. Communicating this compatibility expectation helps user to determine if that is the cause for any issues they may be observing.

Help users understand what versions of operating systems, web browsers, and assistive technologies are not (or no longer) supported. This helps user to determine if they can use your website or mobile application with their current environments.

You may be relying on specific web technologies, such as JavaScript, WAI-ARIA, or SVG to ensure accessibility of your content. Communicating this expectation in the accessibility statement can help users to understand the reason for issues they may be observing. For example, the accessibility features may not work because the user disabled JavaScript. The WCAG 2 conformance requirement 4 on "accessibility supported was of using technologies relied upon" provides more background.

How did you assess your website or mobile application, to determine the information provided in the previous sections? This helps users understand your quality assurance process and the background for the claims you make in your accessibility statement.

Provide links to related background and evidence to support the claims you make in this accessibility, and to provide more transparency and credibility. This can include an evaluation report, an evaluation statement, or a certification.

In some situations you may want to or may be required to provide information about a formal complaints procedures. For example, a quality management process within your organization may require you to establish a formal complaints procedure with clear escalation paths. The EU Web Accessibility Directive foresees EU countries to have legal “enforcement procedures” when users are not satisfied with the responses from public bodies. Inform users about any such formal complaints procedures. This may also motivate them to provide you with valuable feedback about the accessibility of your content.
Example: “We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 2 business days, and to propose a solution within 10 business days. entity], should you be dissatisfied with our response to you.”

Your organization may want to formally approve this accessibility statement, for example for internal purposes or to show users that this is part of the corporate policy.