A statement that lists what is wrong is worth more than one that claims nothing is. The first is evidence of a process. The second is a claim waiting to be disproved by the first person who finds a barrier.
Most accessibility statements are a paragraph saying the organisation is committed to accessibility. That is not a statement. That is a sentiment.
What belongs in one
1. The standard you are aiming at
Name it precisely. “WCAG 2.2 Level AA” rather than “accessibility best practice”.
2. How far you think you have got
Three honest options, and pick the true one:
- Fully conformant — everything meets the standard. Rare, and a strong claim.
- Partially conformant — most of it does. This is almost everybody.
- Not conformant — you have started.
3. What you know is not right yet
This is the part everyone omits and the part that carries the weight.
The product filter on our shop cannot currently be operated with a keyboard. We expect to have this fixed by March 2027. In the meantime, the full product list at /products/all is usable without it.
That paragraph does three things: it is honest, it gives a date, and it offers a route around the problem. Somebody who hits that barrier now knows what to do.
4. How you tested
Say what you actually did. Automated checks, a keyboard pass, a screen reader, testing with disabled users. If you have not done the last one, do not imply you have.
5. How to tell you about a problem
This is the feedback mechanism, and European rules expect it. It needs:
- a way to make contact — email at minimum
- how long a reply takes
- what happens next
Somebody who cannot use your contact form needs an alternative, which is a good argument for publishing an email address rather than only a form.
6. The date
A statement is a claim about a particular day. Without a date it is unverifiable and quietly becomes false.
What to leave out
“We are committed to accessibility.” Everybody says it. It carries no information.
Compliance claims you cannot support. Saying you comply with the ADA, the EAA or Section 508 is a legal assertion. If you have not had it assessed, do not make it.
Badges. A graphic claiming conformance proves nothing and attracts attention you may not want.
Blaming third parties without an action. “Some embedded content may not be accessible” is a shrug. “Our booking widget is supplied by X and is not keyboard accessible; we have raised it with them and are evaluating alternatives” is a position.
A structure that works
- Our aim: WCAG 2.2 AA
- How conformant we currently are
- Known problems, with dates
- How we tested, and when
- How to report a barrier, and what happens then
- When this statement was last reviewed
Six headings. Half a page.
Generating one in WordPress
Accessibility Remediation generates a draft from what it actually knows about your site: what has been checked, what was found, what was fixed, what is outstanding. It includes the feedback contact mechanism.
What it will not do is publish it or assert conformance for you. The draft is something you review, edit and attest to, and the attestation needs a name, because a conformance claim with nobody’s name on it is worth nothing.
It will never state that your site is compliant, because no plugin can determine that. More in The accessibility statement.
Keeping it true
Re-generate it after a round of work. Review it whenever the site changes substantially.
An out-of-date statement is worse than no statement, because it is a documented claim that no longer holds, with your name on it.
Questions people ask
Is a statement legally required?
It depends on jurisdiction and sector. Public sector bodies in the EU and UK generally must publish one. For private organisations it is often not mandatory but is strongly advisable, and the EAA expects a feedback mechanism.
Does admitting problems increase my risk?
The opposite, in practice. A documented plan with dates demonstrates good faith. A claim of full conformance that turns out to be false is far harder to defend.
Where should it live?
A page at /accessibility, linked from the footer of every page. Ours is at
/legal/accessibility, and it lists our own known
limitations, including that we have not yet done formal testing with disabled
users.
To generate a draft from what your site actually does, the plugin is free on WordPress.org.