# What an Accessibility Statement Should Actually Include

Source: https://suitshieldhq.com/blog/2026-10-23-accessibility-statement-what-to-include.html

Reviewed October 23, 2026


An accessibility statement is a commitment document, not a badge. The elements that make one credible to customers, partners, and counsel.

## What the statement is for

An accessibility statement tells visitors what standard you aim for, what you have done, where the site still falls short, and how to reach you when a barrier blocks them. It serves disabled customers first, but it is also read by enterprise partners during procurement and by counsel when questions arrive, and each audience needs the same thing: specifics that can be checked.

A statement that says only that you value accessibility and strive for inclusion communicates nothing testable. Credibility comes from dates, standards, named methods, and a working contact route, the same things that make any operational commitment believable.

## The core elements

Name the standard and level you target, commonly the current WCAG version at AA, and the date the statement was last reviewed. Describe how accessibility is assessed: internal testing, external audit, assistive technology checks, or a combination, with the most recent evaluation date.

List known limitations honestly. Every real site has some: an older PDF library, a third party widget mid remediation, a legacy video set awaiting captions. Named gaps with a plan read as competence. A claim of total perfection reads as fiction to anyone who has ever run an audit, including the people evaluating your statement professionally.

## The feedback route is the functional part

Provide a contact method dedicated to accessibility feedback, an email address at minimum, and commit to a response timeframe. Then staff it. A feedback inbox that nobody answers converts the statement from evidence of good faith into evidence of the opposite, and testers do check.

Log every report, fix what is reported on a priority basis, and tell the reporter what changed. This loop is the living part of the statement; a page that is never updated while feedback disappears into a dead inbox is a liability wearing a compliance costume.

## Keeping it true over time

Review the statement at least annually and after major redesigns, new checkout flows, or changes in your third party stack. Update dates, move fixed items out of the limitations list, and add new known issues as they are found. The statement should age like a maintained document, because it describes a maintained program.

Assign an owner. Statements rot when they belong to everyone in general. One named role responsible for the page, the feedback route, and the review calendar is the difference between a statement that describes reality and one that describes the year it was written.

## Related reading

If this topic is useful, these earlier guides go deeper on connected questions: [What a website accessibility audit actually covers](https://suitshieldhq.com/blog/2026-10-22-what-accessibility-audit-covers.md), [VPATs explained: when an online store actually needs one](https://suitshieldhq.com/blog/2026-10-22-vpat-explained-for-stores.md), and [Alt text audits: the gaps that show up again and again](https://suitshieldhq.com/blog/2026-10-21-alt-text-audits-common-gaps.md).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is an accessibility statement legally required?

Requirements vary by sector and jurisdiction; public sector bodies in many regions must publish one, and private companies often need one for procurement. Even where not required, it is the standard way to document your program and give users a feedback route.

### Which standard should the statement name?

Most statements name WCAG at level AA, specifying the version, because that is the benchmark referenced by most laws and enterprise contracts. Name only what you genuinely test against, since the statement will be measured against it.

### Should I list known accessibility problems publicly?

Yes, with your remediation direction. Honest known limitations are a hallmark of a real program and are viewed favorably by evaluators and counsel. Claiming no issues on a site that has them undermines the entire statement.

### How often should the statement be updated?

At least annually, and whenever the site changes materially or a limitation is fixed or discovered. The last reviewed date on the page should reflect the real review, not the page's original publication.