How to write an accessibility statement for your website

What is an accessibility statement?
Why does my website need an accessibility statement?
What does an accessibility statement need to include?
Is an accessibility statement a legal requirement?
How should I word my accessibility statement?
Where should the accessibility statement live on your website?
Good examples of accessibility statements
Tools that can help

An accessibility statement declares your commitment to making your website accessible. It outlines the steps you have taken to make it accessible and how you continue to work on making it inclusive.

With the European Accessibility Act coming into effect in June 2025, it is more important than ever for organisations to update or create accessibility statements for their websites.

By adding an accessibility statement to your website, you are;

• Showing your commitment to making your website accessible.
• Identifying areas that still require improvement.
• Highlighting the tools you use to make your website accessible.
• Letting your web visitors know that you care about accessibility and inclusivity.
• Providing details of who to contact if the website doesn’t meet accessibility standards.
• Complying with the Equality Act 2010.

Your accessibility statement provides accountability for your organisation and transparency about the steps you are taking to make your website accessible. It's a working document that should be kept up to date to avoid any legal risks.

An accessibility statement doesn’t have to be a 300-page novel. It just needs to be a concise overview of the following points:

• Your commitment to accessibility.
• A brief overview about your organisation.
• The accessibility standard that your website is aiming for, for example WCAG 2.1 AA.
• Use of any accessibility monitoring tools.
• Any third-party tools used on your website that could cause any accessibility issues.
• Any known limitations and exemptions.
• Contact information for feedback if users have a problem accessing your website.
• Continuous improvement steps.
• The date it was last updated.

Public sector organisations in the UK are legally required to publish an accessibility statement for their website and mobile applications. This is a requirement of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR) 2018.

It's not mandatory for private sector organisations , but it is strongly recommended. Per the Equality Act 2010, which applies to both public and private sectors, private sector organisations must make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals. This includes ensuring their digital content is accessible.

Unlike other legal documents, an accessibility statement should be written in plain and simple English that anyone can understand. Because anyone can access the statement, we want it to;

• Be clear and jargon-free.
• Be concise.
• Be genuinely useful.
• Avoid creating frustration.

For example, if your website colour contrast does not meet accessibility standards, say just that. You don’t need to determine which WCAG standard it doesn’t meet, as an everyday web visitor doesn’t get value from that information.

However, citing the web standard your website complies with provides credibility and trust to your accessibility statement and your organisation.

Accessibility statements need to be easily accessible by website visitors. Generally, they are expected to be found in the footer navigation of your website.

However, it’s good practice to make it visible across multiple areas of your website, such as your about us page, sitemap, user accounts, and user support areas.

Use descriptive link text such as “accessibility statement” across your website to make the link destination obvious.

We’ve compiled a list of accessibility statements that are a good point of reference:

A sample accessibility statement from Gov.uk

Citizen’s advice accessibility statement

The Insytful website and app accessibility statement

The time and effort you put into your accessibility statement reflects how much your organisation values your website's accessibility. It's an asset to your business, so take the time to get it right.

Here are our final reminders of how to create an effective and thorough accessibility statement:

• Keep it up to date: Whenever you make an accessibility update, make sure to amend your accessibility statement. If your statement was last updated in 2020, it doesn't look like your approach is constantly evolving, especially if you have known limitations on your website.
• Keep it simple: Avoid the urge to use fancy language in your accessibility statement. Just keep it simple, so anyone can understand the content.
• Keep it concise: It shouldn't be a 10,000-word essay. But don't make it so short that you miss important information. Cover all the basics, such as the standard you're working towards and any known limitations, as mentioned above.
• Make it easy to find: Most accessibility statements are found in a website's footer navigation, but they can also be added to other areas of your website to increase visibility.

The W3C has created a helpful accessibility statement generator. To create your accessibility statement, you must feed the tool with information about your organisation. For example, your website URL, the WCAG level you are compliant with and your conformance status (fully compliant vs partially compliant).

Insytful is an accessibility monitoring tool that checks your website for accessibility compliance against WCAG criteria. Website owners with 100 pages or fewer can use the tool for free.

Google’s Learn Accessibility course is created for beginner and advanced web developers. However, it does provide some helpful insights for non-developers, such as how digital accessibility is measured and accessible design and user experience.