Website Accessibility Statement Guide for WordPress

A website accessibility statement is often the first place a visitor looks after encountering a barrier on your site. If that page is vague, outdated, or makes claims your team cannot support, it can create more risk rather than less. This website accessibility statement guide explains how WordPress site owners can publish a useful, defensible statement that supports accessibility operations without overstating compliance.

An accessibility statement is not a substitute for remediation. It does not make an inaccessible website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 508, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Its job is different: it tells visitors what accessibility standard guides your work, how to report a problem, and how to obtain information or services through an accessible alternative when necessary.

What an Accessibility Statement Does and Does Not Do

For organizations that serve the public, accessibility is an operational requirement. A clear statement provides a documented channel for feedback and shows that the organization has a process for addressing barriers. This matters for businesses, agencies, schools, and government departments that publish frequent content across a large WordPress environment.

The statement should not promise that every page, file, video, form, and third-party service is fully accessible unless you have verified that claim. Most sites change continuously. Editors add PDFs, marketing teams launch campaign pages, and plugins introduce new templates or controls. A statement saying a site is “fully compliant” can become inaccurate quickly.

Use precise language instead. You may state that your organization is working to provide an accessible website, follows a named standard where applicable, and conducts ongoing testing and remediation. If your site has completed a documented audit and the scope is clear, you can describe that work. The level of detail should match your evidence.

There is also a legal distinction worth understanding. The ADA does not prescribe one mandatory public accessibility statement for private businesses. However, a statement is a practical part of a responsible accessibility program. Federal agencies and organizations subject to Section 508 may have more specific policies and procedural obligations. State laws, procurement requirements, and institutional policies can add further expectations.

Website Accessibility Statement Guide: Required Content

A useful statement is direct, easy to find, and written in plain language. Place it in a consistent location, commonly the site footer, and ensure the statement page itself is accessible by keyboard and assistive technology.

Your statement should cover five core areas:

• Your organization’s accessibility commitment and the scope of the website or digital service covered.
• The standard or target level guiding your work, such as WCAG 2.1 Level AA, WCAG 2.2 Level AA, or applicable Section 508 requirements.
• Acknowledgment that accessibility is an ongoing process, particularly where content, templates, and third-party tools change.
• A feedback method that works for people with disabilities, including more than one contact option when practical.
• A reasonable process for providing an accessible alternative or responding to reported barriers.

The standard reference requires care. WCAG is a technical standard, not a legal determination on its own. Saying that you aim to conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA is generally more accurate than claiming broad legal compliance. If a contract, policy, or government requirement specifies WCAG 2.1 AA, do not casually replace it with WCAG 2.2 AA. Your statement should reflect the requirement that actually applies to your organization.

The contact method is especially important. An email address alone may be insufficient if your team does not monitor it or cannot respond promptly. Include a phone number when feasible, and identify the information visitors should provide, such as the page address, the issue encountered, the assistive technology or browser used, and their preferred method of contact. Do not require visitors to use an inaccessible form to report accessibility problems.

Write Claims That Your Team Can Support

The safest accessibility statements are specific about process and measured about outcomes. Avoid broad assurances such as “all content is accessible” or “our site is ADA certified.” ADA compliance is not a certification badge, and a one-time scan cannot prove that every user can complete every task.

A more credible statement explains what your team does. For example, it may say that the organization evaluates content and site components against applicable WCAG success criteria, reviews reported issues, and works to correct barriers within a reasonable timeframe. It can also identify a review date, provided that date reflects real activity.

Dates are useful only when maintained. A statement last updated four years ago signals that accessibility may not be part of current publishing operations. Establish an owner for the page and review it after redesigns, platform migrations, major plugin changes, updated accessibility policies, or a material change in the standard your organization targets.

If known limitations exist, address them carefully. This is not an invitation to publish a long list of unresolved defects. It is a way to be transparent about material barriers that affect access to critical information or services. Describe the limitation, identify any available alternative, and state the expected remediation approach where one exists.

For example, an institution with a legacy archive of scanned documents may explain that some older PDFs are not fully accessible and provide a contact method for requesting an accessible version. That statement only helps if the request path works and the organization can fulfill it. A placeholder promise without a process will not meet visitors’ needs.

Build the Statement Into Your WordPress Workflow

Accessibility statements fail when they are treated as static legal copy. WordPress sites need an ongoing workflow because new accessibility issues can enter through posts, pages, menus, widgets, forms, theme updates, embedded media, and uploaded documents.

Start by assigning ownership. A compliance manager, web administrator, or digital team should be responsible for reviewing accessibility feedback and coordinating remediation. The person listed in the statement does not need to fix every issue personally, but they need a clear escalation path to the people who can.

Next, connect feedback to a documented response process. Log the report, confirm receipt, assess the affected user journey, provide an alternative if the issue blocks access, and prioritize remediation based on severity. A missing decorative image description does not carry the same urgency as a checkout form that cannot be used by keyboard or a required government application published only as an inaccessible PDF.

Automated testing supports this work by identifying recurring code and content issues before they become widespread. WP ADA Compliance Check can scan WordPress content, theme files, custom post types, menus, widgets, PDFs, and linked pages while reporting issue locations and remediation guidance. Automation improves coverage and publishing control, but it should be paired with manual review of keyboard use, focus order, meaningful alternative text, form instructions, and real user workflows.

For agencies, an accessibility statement should also align with client responsibilities. The agency may maintain templates and plugins, while the client publishes articles, documents, and media. Define who reviews reports, who responds to feedback, and who approves remediation budgets. A statement cannot compensate for an unclear operating model.

Include Third-Party Content Without Passing the Problem Along

Many WordPress websites rely on tools outside the core site: appointment schedulers, payment providers, maps, chat widgets, social media embeds, learning platforms, and document viewers. These components can create significant accessibility barriers even when the WordPress theme is well maintained.

Do not assume a third-party vendor’s accessibility claim resolves your responsibility to visitors. Review critical integrations, request current accessibility documentation when appropriate, and test the paths users need to complete. If a third-party service is essential to a transaction or public program, an accessible alternative may be necessary while the issue is addressed.

Your statement can acknowledge that some functionality is provided by third parties, but avoid using that fact as a disclaimer. Visitors care whether they can complete the task. Explain how to contact your organization for assistance if an external tool presents a barrier.

A Practical Review Schedule

The right review frequency depends on your publishing volume and risk profile. A small brochure site may need a formal statement review twice a year, while a university, government department, healthcare provider, or active ecommerce site should review it more often. The statement should also be checked immediately after a redesign or an accessibility-related complaint reveals a gap in your process.

During each review, confirm that the contact information works, the standards language remains accurate, named limitations are still current, and the accessible alternative process is functioning. Then compare the statement against recent audit findings. If your scans repeatedly identify inaccessible PDFs or form-label failures, the solution is not to rewrite the statement. The solution is to correct the source of those issues and prevent them from being republished.

A credible accessibility statement is a public extension of your internal program. Keep it accurate, make it easy to use, and let it reflect the remediation work your organization is prepared to perform when a visitor needs access.