Accessibility statement generator: what to include and how to write yours

What an accessibility statement is

An accessibility statement is a page on your website, usually linked from the footer, that explains which accessibility standard you aim for, how far your site meets it, which problems you know about and how people can contact you when something does not work for them.

The W3C, which publishes WCAG, recommends that every statement includes at least:

• A commitment to accessibility for people with disabilities.
• The accessibility standard you apply, such as WCAG 2.2 or 2.1 level AA.
• Contact details for people who meet a problem.

It also suggests adding known limitations in plain words, what you do to keep the site accessible, technical requirements such as supported browsers, how and where you tested, and the laws that apply to you.

When the law expects one

Businesses under the European Accessibility Act

The EAA does not use the words “accessibility statement”. Instead, Article 13 and Annex V of Directive (EU) 2019/882 require service providers, such as online shops selling to EU consumers, to prepare information explaining how their service meets the accessibility requirements. That information must:

• Be included in your general terms and conditions or an equivalent document.
• Be available to the public in written and oral form, in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities.
• Cover, where relevant, a general description of the service in accessible formats, the explanations needed to understand how the service works, and how the service meets the accessibility requirements.
• Be kept for as long as the service is offered.

Many businesses meet this with an accessibility statement page that the terms and conditions refer to. Microenterprises that provide services are exempt from the EAA’s service requirements, but a statement is still good practice.

Public sector bodies in the EU and the UK

Public sector bodies have stricter rules. In the EU, the Web Accessibility Directive (EU) 2016/2102 requires them to publish a detailed statement following a model set by the Commission in Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523. In the UK, the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 require most public bodies to publish a statement and to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA.

Businesses elsewhere

UK businesses have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers, and in the US the ADA has no rule that requires businesses to publish a statement. In both cases, a clear statement with a working contact shows customers how to get help and shows that you take accessibility seriously.

What to put in your statement

Who and what

Your organisation’s name and the website or app the statement covers.

Standard

The standard you measure against, such as WCAG 2.1 level AA, which EN 301 549 version 3.2.1 uses, or WCAG 2.2 level AA, which the new version 4.1.1 uses.

Conformance status

Whether the site fully conforms, partially conforms or does not conform. Fully means every requirement of the standard is met; do not claim it on the strength of an automated check alone.

Known problems

What does not work yet, in plain words, such as “some product photos have no description”. Where you can, say what people can do instead, for example call or email to order.

What you are doing

How and by when you plan to fix the known problems.

How you assessed it

The date of your last assessment and how you did it: automated testing, your own manual review, an external audit, or a mix.

Feedback and contact

An email address or phone number for accessibility problems, and how quickly you aim to reply.

Enforcement

Optionally, the authority people can contact if they are not happy with your answer, such as the body that enforces the EAA in your country.

For the EAA

A short description of your service and how it works, for example how ordering, payment and delivery work and which payment methods are available, and how these parts meet the accessibility requirements.

The Commission’s model for public bodies also recommends reviewing the statement at least once a year. That is a sensible rule for businesses too.

How our generator fills it in

In our website accessibility checker, each website has an Accessibility statement page. The first time you open it, the form is filled in for you:

• Organisation name: your business name from your account.
• Website: the address of the website you added.
• Contact email for accessibility feedback: the email address you log in with.
• Standard: you choose WCAG 2.1 level AA (EN 301 549 V3.2.1) or WCAG 2.2 level AA (EN 301 549 V4.1.1). It starts at WCAG 2.1.
• Conformance: always starts at “partially conforms”, because an automated check alone can never show full conformance. Change it only when a manual review or audit supports it.
• Known problems, one per line: the names of up to eight problems from your latest check, most serious first, such as “Images have no description”.
• Date of the last assessment: the date your latest check finished.
• How you assessed the website: starts at “Automated testing only”. Choose “Automated testing and our own review” or “Automated testing, our own review and an external audit” when you have done them.
• How soon you aim to reply: starts at “5 working days”. Change it to a time you can keep, or leave it empty to make no promise.
• What you are doing about them and by when and the optional Enforcement body people can contact if unsatisfied start empty.

When you click Save and preview, you get the finished statement and its HTML to copy into a page on your website. This is what it produces for an example shop that chose WCAG 2.2 and did its own review:

<h2>Accessibility statement for https://shirtshop.example/</h2>
<p>Shirt Shop Ltd wants everyone to be able to use https://shirtshop.example/, including people with disabilities.</p>
<h3>Conformance status</h3>
<p>This website partially conforms with WCAG 2.2 level AA (EN 301 549 V4.1.1): some parts do not yet meet the standard.</p>
<h3>Known limitations</h3><ul><li>Images have no description</li><li>Text is hard to read against its background</li><li>Form fields have no label</li></ul>
<h3>What we are doing</h3><p>We are adding descriptions to all product photos and fixing the contact form by 31 December 2026.</p>
<h3>Feedback and contact</h3>
<p>If you find a barrier on this website or need information in another format, email <a href="mailto:hello@shirtshop.example">hello@shirtshop.example</a>. We aim to reply within 5 working days.</p>

<h3>How we assessed this website</h3>
<p>We last assessed this website on 2026-10-27 using automated testing against WCAG 2.2 level AA (EN 301 549 V4.1.1), together with our own review.</p>

Your saved statement stays as you wrote it; later checks do not change it. After a new check, click Refill from latest check to bring in the known problems and the date from that check, review them and save again. The step-by-step guide explains every field.

Before you publish

• Choose the assessment that matches what you really did: “Automated testing only” unless you have also reviewed the site yourself or had it audited.
• Make the known problems specific and add alternatives, for example “Some product photos have no description yet. Email us and we will describe any product.”
• Check that the contact mailbox is read every day, and set the reply time to one you can keep, or leave it empty.
• For the EAA, add a short description of your service and how it works, and refer to the statement from your terms and conditions.
• Publish it on its own page, link it from the footer of every page, and use the same link name everywhere, such as “Accessibility”.
• Publish it in the languages your shop uses.
• Review it after major changes to your site and at least once a year.

Sources

• Directive (EU) 2019/882, Article 13 and Annex V (EUR-Lex)
• Directive (EU) 2019/882, Chapter IV: obligations of service providers (legislation.gov.uk)
• Directive (EU) 2019/882, Annex V: information on services (legislation.gov.uk)
• Developing an accessibility statement (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative)
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523: model accessibility statement (EUR-Lex)
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523, Annex (legislation.gov.uk)
• Guidance on legislation (AccessibleEU, European Commission)
• Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies (GOV.UK)
• Equality Act 2010, Schedule 2: services, reasonable adjustments (legislation.gov.uk)
• Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA (ADA.gov)