Accessibility statement generator

A public accessibility statement is required under the EU Web Accessibility Directive and recommended everywhere else. This tool produces an HTML statement following the EU Implementing Decision 2018/1523 model template, ready to paste into a /accessibility page on your site.

Nothing you type leaves your browser. The form is local; the HTML is rendered client-side.

Review this draft before publishing

Confirm the conformance level, known issues, contact information, and response commitments. The preview contains default wording that may not reflect your service.

What goes in an accessibility statement

The EU template — adopted in member states from BFSG to RGAA — asks for the same set of facts: who you are, what the statement covers, your conformance level, the standard you measured against (typically EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA), known issues, when you last reviewed conformance, and how users can report accessibility problems. Most regulators expect a feedback mechanism with a 30-day response window.

The output below is structured to satisfy that template. If your jurisdiction requires extra fields (e.g., France's RGAA requires a measured score and an action plan), add them after copying.

The seven sections regulators actually look for

  1. Commitment statement — the legal entity that owns the site, named exactly as it appears in your company register, and the scope: which domains, subdomains and apps the statement covers.
  2. Conformance status — one of fully conformant, partially conformant, or non-conformant against EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA. Claiming full conformance while a scan still reports violations is the single most common way statements backfire in a complaint.
  3. Non-accessible content — the known failures, each with the reason: disproportionate burden, content outside scope, or simply not yet remediated, plus a target date.
  4. Preparation method — self-assessment or third-party audit, the tools used, and the date. Regulators read a statement with no date as out of date.
  5. Feedback mechanism — an email address or form that a user can reach without a login, with the response window you commit to (30 days is the EU expectation).
  6. Enforcement procedure — the national body a user can escalate to if you do not respond. This differs per member state, so name yours explicitly.
  7. Review date — when the statement was last reviewed. Re-review after every major release, and at minimum annually.

Where to publish it

Put the statement on a stable, permanent URL — /accessibility is the convention — and link it from the footer of every page. Auditors and automated compliance crawlers look for exactly that pattern. Do not gate it behind a login, do not render it only in a modal, and do not ship it as a PDF: an inaccessible accessibility statement is a finding in itself.

Write it after the scan, not before

A statement is a factual claim about your conformance level, so it needs evidence behind it. The usual order is: run a free accessibility scan to establish the baseline, fix the critical and serious findings, list whatever remains under “non-accessible content”, and only then generate the statement. If you also need a formal conformance report for procurement, the VPAT generator produces the per-criterion version of the same evidence.

Frequently asked questions

Is an accessibility statement legally required?

In the EU it is mandatory for public-sector bodies under the Web Accessibility Directive, and it is the expected evidence of good faith for private businesses in scope of the European Accessibility Act. In the US there is no statutory requirement, but a dated statement with a working feedback channel is routinely cited in ADA settlements as evidence of a remediation programme.

What conformance level should I claim?

Claim what a scan and a manual review can support — usually "partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 AA". Overstating conformance is worse than admitting known gaps: a plaintiff only has to find one violation to contradict a full-conformance claim, whereas a disclosed, dated remediation plan works in your favour.

How often does the statement need updating?

Review after every significant release and at least once a year. The statement carries a review date, and an old date signals to a regulator that the conformance claim is stale.

Does this generator store what I type?

No. The form runs entirely in your browser and the HTML is rendered client-side — nothing is sent to Certvo servers, and no account is needed.

What is the difference between an accessibility statement and a VPAT?

A statement is a public, plain-language page for your users and regulators. A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a procurement document that reports conformance criterion by criterion, typically requested by enterprise or government buyers. Most organisations end up needing both.

Country-specific obligations differ — see the accessibility law guides by country or the European Accessibility Act hub.