How to write an accessibility statement for an SME website

An accessibility statement tells users how your site works for people with disabilities, how to contact you, and what you still plan to fix. For most small and medium businesses, a clear, honest page beats a lawyer’s essay or an empty “we are WCAG compliant” claim. This guide is educational only. It is not legal advice, not ADA/EAA certification, and not a guarantee that your statement meets any national requirement.

Who this is for

• SME owners with a public marketing, booking, or shop site
• Teams aiming at WCAG 2.2 Level AA as a practical technical target
• Anyone preparing for European Accessibility Act (EAA)–minded buyers without a full audit retainer

What to put on the page (minimum useful set)

• Organisation name and the URL(s) the statement covers.
• Technical target: e.g. “We aim for WCAG 2.2 Level AA on these pages.” Avoid “fully compliant” unless counsel and evidence support it.
• Last review date (month and year is fine for a first draft).
• Contact: a real email or form for accessibility feedback — and a note that you will reply.
• Known limitations: honest list (e.g. “PDF menu from 2019 not tagged yet”; “third-party booking widget has limited keyboard support”).
• How you test: keyboard pass, zoom to 200%, automated scan on key templates, and/or human checks — keep it factual.
• Feedback process: what happens after someone reports a barrier (acknowledge, triage, fix or explain).

What to leave out (or phrase carefully)

• Blanket claims that the whole site is “ADA compliant,” “EAA compliant,” or “100% WCAG AA” without evidence.
• Marketing copy that blames users (“use our overlay widget”) instead of fixing content and HTML.
• Copied statements from other brands that list tools you never ran.
• Legal opinions about whether the EAA or other laws apply to your product — that is counsel territory.

A 30-minute first-pass workflow

1. List your top pages: home, one service/product page, contact form, and cart/checkout if you sell.
2. Tab through each page without a mouse; note focus traps, missing skip link, and unlabeled controls.
3. Check a few images for meaningful alt text; fix filename alt (“IMG_4021”) on hero images.
4. Write the statement draft with org name, target (WCAG 2.2 AA), contact, review date, and 3–5 known limits.
5. Publish the page (footer link from every template) and schedule a quarterly review reminder.

How this ties to WCAG 2.2 AA

WCAG does not require a statement by itself, but many buyers and public-sector tenders expect one. The statement is strongest when it matches what you actually checked: keyboard, focus, headings, forms, contrast, and media. Automations (axe, WAVE, Lighthouse) catch some issues; they do not replace a human keyboard pass or fixing real content.

What this does not mean

Publishing a statement does not make you “compliant.” Overlays do not replace semantic HTML. Scope under the EAA and other laws varies by country and product. When stakes are high, talk to a qualified attorney and, if needed, a human auditor.

Educational materials only. Not legal advice. Not ADA/EAA certification. A11yReady does not guarantee legal outcomes.