A Practical Guide to Accessibility Statements
A published document describing how accessible a site actually is, what does not conform, and how to report problems.
Marcus Adeyemi
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Template statements claiming full conformance
- Statements that describe intentions as achievements
- No reporting route, or one that goes unanswered
- Statements left unrevised through several redesigns
What good looks like instead
- Base the statement on testing you have actually done
- List known non-conforming content explicitly
- Provide a reporting route and commit to a response time
- Date the statement and review it after significant changes
- Keep the evidence behind the claims
Why it matters
It is a legal requirement for public sector bodies in the UK and EU, and it is the honest alternative to an unsupported conformance claim.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Legal requirement | mandatory for UK and EU public sector bodies |
| Contents | conformance status, non-accessible content, reporting route and enforcement information |
| Accuracy | the statement must reflect testing that actually happened |
| Review | updated when the site changes materially |
| Reporting route | a way for users to raise problems, with a response commitment |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when a statement is legally required, when an existing statement overstates conformance, or when an audit must support a published claim.
Where this comes from
- GOV.UK Service Manual — Accessibility statements
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative — Statement generator
- European Commission — Web accessibility directive
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
Working on something like this?
We take on Performance & Accessibility work for teams who want it done once, properly. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right studio for it. Start a project.
Where to go next
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
