Ask ten WordPress site owners whether their site has an accessibility statement and most will say no, or that they are not sure what one is. Yet a statement is one of the cheapest, fastest ways to show visitors, regulators, and anyone considering a complaint that you take accessibility seriously. It is also easy to get wrong. A vague or inaccurate statement can do more harm than having none at all.
What an Accessibility Statement Is (and Isn’t)
An accessibility statement is a public page that describes your commitment to accessibility, the standard you are working toward, what you know is not yet accessible, and how people can reach you when they hit a barrier. Think of it as a status report, not a certificate.
What it is not: a legal shield. Publishing a statement does not make your site compliant, and it does not prevent a lawsuit. Its value is transparency and a working feedback channel. Some jurisdictions also require one. The European Accessibility Act and EU public sector rules, for example, expect a statement describing conformance and a feedback mechanism, and several US state and federal public-sector contexts expect something similar.
What to Include
A useful statement is short, specific, and honest. At a minimum, include:
- Your commitment: one or two plain sentences saying accessibility matters to your organization.
- The standard you target: for most sites, WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
- Your current status: fully, partially, or not yet conformant, described truthfully.
- Known limitations: specific pages, features, or third-party content you know have issues, and your plan to address them.
- How you evaluated: self-assessment, automated scanning, manual testing, or an outside audit.
- Contact information: an email address, phone number, or form that a real person monitors.
- Response time: how quickly you will reply, such as within five business days.
- Date: when the statement was written and last reviewed.
Writing It Honestly
Avoid claims you can’t back up
Phrases like “our site is fully accessible” or “we comply with all accessibility laws” are risky. No site of any real size is perfect, and automated tools only detect a portion of issues. If a plaintiff’s attorney finds a barrier that contradicts an absolute claim, your statement becomes evidence against you. Say “we aim to conform to WCAG 2.2 AA” and describe what you have actually done.
Name the gaps
Listing known limitations feels uncomfortable, but it builds trust. “Videos published before 2025 do not have audio descriptions; we are adding them as we update content” tells a screen reader user what to expect and shows you are working on it.
Offer an alternative path
If someone cannot use part of your site, give them another way to get what they need, such as a phone number for placing an order or an emailed copy of a document. Then make sure staff know how to handle those requests.
Adding It to WordPress
- Create a new Page titled “Accessibility Statement” and write the content using plain headings and short paragraphs.
- Publish it at a predictable URL such as /accessibility-statement/.
- Link it from your footer so it appears on every page, and consider linking it from your contact page too.
- Check the page itself: logical heading order, descriptive link text, sufficient color contrast, and keyboard access to the contact form.
- Put a review date on your calendar. Update the statement whenever you redesign, change themes, or fix a significant issue.
An accessibility statement that is itself inaccessible is a poor look, so run the same checks on it that you would on any other page.
Make the Feedback Channel Real
The contact method is the most important part of the statement and the part most often neglected. Test it. Send a message through it yourself, confirm it reaches someone, and decide who owns replies. When a visitor reports a barrier, acknowledge it quickly, log it, and tell them what you plan to do. A documented history of responding to feedback in good faith matters far more than a polished paragraph of commitments.
It also helps to keep the statement connected to real work. If your statement says you scan regularly and fix issues, there should be a scan schedule and a list of fixes behind it. Otherwise the page drifts out of date and becomes a liability rather than an asset.
Take Action
A good statement starts with knowing where your site actually stands. LEWCA is a WordPress accessibility plugin with a WCAG scanner that finds real code-level issues and an accessibility toolbar for visitors. It will not make a site perfectly compliant, and no tool can, but it gives you an accurate baseline to describe honestly in your statement. LEWCA Pro adds AI-powered code fixes, scheduled scanning, and compliance reports that help you keep the statement current. See the pricing options or download LEWCA to run your first scan.