Writing your accessibility statement

When writing your accessibility statement keep the following things in mind:

• use clear and simple English
• be specific – do not make vague statements such as 'Some of our images do not have alternative text' or 'Most of our videos have captions'. Be as specific as possible to help users understand what will and will not work for them
• write for the user – avoid overly technical descriptions for issues. This will help users understand what does not work and how it might impact upon them
• ensure there are contact options – if someone has an accessibility issue and is reading the statement, they are likely looking to find a solution. Provide clear contact options and support them in solving their problem as best you can
• be transparent – there are likely to be problems with your service. Provide information on your intention to address these issues. Try to include dates for when things will be fixed
• consider what might help – if someone reports a problem, work with them to see what can be done to address the barrier they have found. There may not be an obvious or easy solution but be as open as you can be to find one

You will need to review or audit your site against the accessibility guidelines. This does not need to be an independent audit, although this will help provide an impartial view on the accessibility of your service.

Tools and checklists can help you assess accessibility, but there is no automatic tool that can check for all accessibility issues. Tools are a helpful part of conducting a review or audit but to be thorough you will need some human expertise.