How to Create, Edit, and Publish an Accessibility Statement

An accessibility statement explains the current accessibility condition of a website or digital service, the measures taken to support accessibility, and how visitors can report problems or request assistance.

SimplifyAccess provides a guided editor that helps you prepare and maintain this information in one place.

The editor supports different statement structures and legal contexts, including public-sector accessibility statements, consumer-service accessibility information, and general accessibility transparency statements.

The workflow consists of eight tabs, covering seven information-entry steps followed by a final review and publication step.

Important: The Statement Editor helps you organize and publish accessibility information. It does not automatically determine which laws apply to your organization, certify compliance, or replace accessibility assessments and legal review.

For an overview of the feature and available publication formats, visit Accessibility Statements.

1. Open the Statement Editor

The Statement Editor is associated with a specific website controller.

You can access it from two locations:

From the Dashboard

1. Open the Dashboard.
2. Select the relevant website or controller using the controller selector.
3. Locate the Widget & Controller card.
4. Click Edit Statement.

From the Controller Overview

1. Open the Controller Overview.
2. Locate the controller associated with your website.
3. Select the available Edit Statement action.

The editor opens in a panel containing the guided statement workflow.

Each controller maintains its own statement information. Make sure you have selected the correct controller before making changes.

For more information about navigating the platform, see Understanding the Dashboard.

2. Understanding the Editor

The editor divides the information into manageable sections rather than presenting every possible field at once.

At the top of the panel, you will find:

• Step indicator: Shows the current step out of eight.
• Statement status: Indicates whether the required information is complete or whether additional details are needed.
• Completion percentage: Displays the progress of the essential information.
• Step navigation: Shows the individual sections and their completion status.
• Review or edit answers: Provides a way to revisit entered information when available.

Use the Back and Next buttons to move through the workflow.

Why Some Fields May Be Missing

The editor is adaptive.

The fields displayed depend on your answers, including:

• The selected statement structure
• Country or legal jurisdiction
• Applicable legal context
• Accessibility conformance status
• Whether an assessment has been completed
• Additional requirements associated with the selected context

For example, selecting a partially conformant accessibility status may require you to document known barriers, while certain legal contexts may introduce additional feedback or complaint-related information.

Consequently, your editor may look different from the examples shown in this guide.

Quick Start

When starting without an existing statement, the editor may offer Create a starter statement.

Quick Start prepares an initial statement configuration based on three choices:

1. Statement structure
2. Country or jurisdiction
3. Legal or voluntary context

It provides a neutral starting point and helps identify the information that still needs to be completed.

Quick Start does not invent an accessibility assessment or declare your website conformant. The initial assessment status remains Not assessed unless you provide evidence supporting another status.

All generated starting information should be reviewed and adjusted before publication.

3. Step 1 — Operator: Identify Your Organization

The first step establishes who is responsible for the website or digital service.

Enter the essential information visitors need to identify and contact the operator.

Required Information

Contact Information

Provide a public email address through which visitors can report accessibility barriers or request assistance.

Use an address that is actively monitored by your organization.

Optional Operator Details

Expand Optional operator details and individual introduction to provide additional information, including:

• Accessibility commitment or introductory statement
• Prepared introduction text
• Street address
• Postal code and city
• Public telephone number

The accessibility commitment allows you to explain your organization's approach to digital accessibility.

You can write your own introduction or select prepared text and adapt it.

Tip: Prepared text is intended as an editable starting point. Only retain statements that accurately describe your organization and its accessibility practices.

Once the operator details are complete, select Next.

4. Step 2 — Statement: Choose the Statement Structure

The second step determines the general purpose and structure of the statement.

Under Statement type, select the option that best describes your organization and the digital service.

Available structures include:

Your choice determines which questions and documentation sections may be required later in the workflow.

Statement Type vs. Legal Context

The statement type and legal context are separate decisions.

The statement type defines the document's general structure.

The legal context, selected in the following step, defines the jurisdiction and the regulatory, contractual, policy-based, or voluntary basis you want to document.

For example, selecting Consumer service does not automatically establish that a particular consumer-protection or accessibility law applies to your organization.

Choose the structure that fits your actual service and continue with Next.

5. Step 3 — Legal Context: Select Your Jurisdiction and Requirements

The Legal Context section determines the regulatory or voluntary framework described in your statement.

Because accessibility obligations differ between countries, organizations, and types of services, this is an important part of the workflow.

Select the Country or Legal Area

Start by choosing the relevant country or jurisdiction.

SimplifyAccess provides starting points for several jurisdictions, including:

• European Union
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Canada
• Switzerland
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Other countries or manually specified jurisdictions

Where relevant, enter the state, province, region, or other local jurisdiction.

Regional information can be important where different laws, authorities, or requirements apply.

Use the Legal Context Assistant

The section Help me choose a suitable starting point helps you identify a possible starting configuration.

Select the description that best matches your organization or service.

For example, you might choose a description indicating that your organization provides a business or service open to the public.

The editor may recommend a legal-context preset based on your selection.

You can apply the recommendation to prefill relevant information.

Important: Recommendations are drafting aids, not legal determinations. You remain responsible for confirming that the selected context actually applies.

Review the Legal Context Preset

The Legal context preset field allows you to select a predefined regulatory or organizational context.

A preset may suggest:

• Applicable legal or regulatory basis
• Accessibility assessment benchmark
• Additional documentation requirements
• Relevant complaint or enforcement procedures

Not every jurisdiction provides the same options.

If no suitable preset is available, you can enter the context manually.

Specify the Applicable Basis

The Applicable legal or regulatory basis field describes the requirements or voluntary framework under which the statement is published.

Review the proposed text carefully.

You can edit it to reflect the exact requirements applicable to your organization, including regional or sector-specific obligations.

Additional Jurisdiction Information

Where necessary, expand Additional jurisdiction or scope information.

Use this section to explain:

• Regional requirements
• Special organizational obligations
• Scope limitations
• Overlapping legal contexts
• Relevant deadlines or additional legal information

This information helps clarify circumstances that may not be adequately represented by a standard preset.

Do not publish legal references merely because they were suggested by the editor. Verify their applicability first.

6. Step 4 — Assessment: Document Accessibility Status

This step records what is known about the accessibility of your website or service.

The information should be based on actual assessments and verified findings.

Select the Conformance Status

The Conformance status field indicates the documented accessibility condition.

Depending on the selected context, available options may include:

Select a status that accurately reflects the available evidence.

If your website has not been assessed, use Not assessed rather than assuming compliance.

Enter Assessment Details

When an assessment has been completed, the editor may request:

• Assessment method: How the evaluation was conducted, such as self-assessment or another applicable method.
• Assessment date: When the accessibility evaluation took place.
• Applicable standard/assessment benchmark: The standard against which accessibility was evaluated, such as the relevant WCAG level.
• Statement preparation/update date: The substantive date associated with the statement.

The assessment benchmark must reflect the standard actually used.

For example, selecting WCAG 2.2 Level AA does not automatically establish that it is the legally required benchmark for your jurisdiction.

Additional Assessment Information

The optional section Review date and published assessment report allows you to enter:

• Last substantive review date
• Evaluation report URL

Use the report URL when a relevant accessibility evaluation report is publicly available.

Understanding the Dates

The assessment date, statement update date, and generated PDF timestamp serve different purposes.

• The assessment date records when the accessibility evaluation occurred.
• The statement update date records the substantive preparation or revision of the statement.
• The PDF generation timestamp is generated when the document is requested.

Generating a fresh PDF does not mean the underlying website has been reassessed.

Conditional Assessment Requirements

When you select partial or non-conformance, the editor may require additional information about identified accessibility barriers.

These details help ensure that the statement is transparent about known limitations.

A SimplifyAccess audit can provide supporting evidence, but an automated audit alone cannot establish complete accessibility compliance.

For detailed page-level results, explore Site Workspace.

7. Step 5 — Content: Describe Accessibility in Practice

The Content section describes how accessibility is addressed in your website or digital service.

The fields displayed depend on the statement type, conformance status, and legal context selected earlier.

General Description of the Service

For consumer-service statements, you may be asked to provide a General description of the consumer service.

Explain what the service offers, how visitors interact with it, and which important digital functions are available.

This description should be understandable to someone unfamiliar with your organization.

You can use a prepared service description as a starting point, but it must be adapted to reflect your actual service.

Accessibility Implementation and Measures

The Accessibility implementation and measures field allows you to describe verified measures taken to improve accessibility.

Examples may include:

• Semantic headings, labels, and page structure
• Keyboard navigation support
• Text alternatives for meaningful images
• Color contrast and text scaling considerations
• Accessibility testing and quality assurance
• Compatibility testing with assistive technologies

You may also use Add a verified common measure to insert prepared wording into the editable text.

Only include measures your organization has actually implemented or verified.

Known Accessibility Barriers

Depending on the declared conformance status, the editor may request information about known accessibility barriers.

Describe specific limitations that visitors could encounter.

Useful descriptions explain:

1. What content or functionality is affected.
2. What accessibility problem exists.
3. How the problem may affect visitors.
4. Whether an accessible alternative or workaround is available.

Avoid vague descriptions such as "Some content may not be accessible" when more precise information is available.

Alternatives, Exceptions, and Improvements

Where relevant, additional fields may allow you to document:

• Accessible alternatives to affected content or functionality
• Applicable exceptions or scope limitations
• Planned accessibility improvements
• Additional information about known barriers

Only claim exceptions when they genuinely apply and have been appropriately reviewed.

Tip: Use this section to describe the website's actual accessibility condition, not the intended or ideal condition.

8. Step 6 — Feedback: Explain How Visitors Can Request Help

Accessibility statements should provide visitors with a practical way to report barriers or request assistance.

The public email address entered in Step 1 serves as the primary contact.

The Feedback section allows you to add further information where appropriate.

Feedback Form and Response Target

Expand Feedback form and response target to access optional fields.

If your organization provides a dedicated accessibility contact page or feedback form, enter its URL.

Select a response target that your organization can realistically meet.

If no fixed target is defined, use the appropriate option rather than promising an unsupported response time.

Depending on the applicable legal context, additional feedback-related information may be required.

Important: Providing a contact address is only useful if accessibility requests are received, reviewed, and handled appropriately.

9. Step 7 — Procedure: Document Complaint or Escalation Options

Some accessibility frameworks require information about complaint procedures, enforcement mechanisms, responsible authorities, or market-surveillance bodies.

This section allows you to document the procedure applicable to your organization.

Select the Procedure Type

Use Additional authority or escalation route to specify the relevant arrangement.

Depending on the context, this may involve:

• Complaint or escalation procedure
• Enforcement authority
• Market-surveillance body
• Conciliation or dispute-resolution mechanism
• No separate procedure, where appropriate

Enter the Responsible Body

When applicable, provide:

• Responsible body name: The verified name of the authority or organization.
• Procedure/responsible body URL: A link to the relevant website or procedure.

Additional contact fields may also be available.

Conditional Requirements

Certain legal contexts may introduce additional questions.

For example, some US federal contexts can require accessibility-related contact, accommodation, complaint, relay-service, or policy information.

Other jurisdictions may require different documentation or references to responsible authorities.

The editor displays relevant fields based on the chosen configuration.

Important: SimplifyAccess does not automatically identify a competent enforcement authority for every organization. Verify the responsible body before publishing its details.

If no separate procedure should be included, select the appropriate option rather than providing an unrelated authority.

10. Step 8 — Ready & Share: Review and Publish

The final step brings together the completed information and provides the available publication options.

Review Your Information

Before publishing, review the information you have entered.

Use Review or edit answers or expand Your information at a glance to inspect the statement details.

Pay particular attention to:

• Organization and contact information
• Website or service scope
• Legal context and applicable requirements
• Conformance status and assessment evidence
• Known barriers and accessibility measures
• Feedback and escalation procedures
• Relevant dates and references

The completion indicator shows whether the required fields are populated.

A 100% completion status means the essential information is complete within the editor. It does not certify the accuracy of your answers or legal compliance.

Save the Statement

Use the panel's save action to store your changes.

Review and save the information before relying on the published outputs.

The statement is maintained centrally for the selected controller.

Publication Options

SimplifyAccess offers several ways to make the saved accessibility statement available.

You can use more than one publication format.

PDF Document

Select Download PDF to generate the statement as a PDF document.

Alternatively, select Copy PDF URL to obtain a direct link that can be shared with visitors.

The PDF is generated on request using the current saved statement information.

Accessibility note: The generated PDF is not automatically a tagged PDF/UA document. When a machine-readable accessible version is needed, prefer the public HTML or semantic HTML embed as the primary publication format.

Public HTML Statement

Select Copy HTML URL to obtain the public statement URL.

The HTML version can be linked directly from your website, for example from its footer or accessibility information section.

It provides a responsive, structured alternative to distributing a PDF alone.

Embedded HTML Statement

Select Copy embed code to obtain the integration snippet.

The embed allows you to display the statement within a page on your own website.

The standard integration uses vanilla JavaScript and semantic HTML without injecting a predefined visual design, allowing the statement to follow the website's existing styling.

If your website uses a restrictive Content Security Policy, the necessary script and connection sources must be permitted.

Availability Through the Accessibility Widget

The SimplifyAccess Accessibility Widget can also provide visitors with access to the current accessibility statement as a PDF download.

This gives visitors another way to find the statement while using the website's accessibility tools.

Learn more about the Accessibility Widget.

11. Updating an Existing Statement

An accessibility statement should be reviewed whenever important information changes.

Examples include:

• Changes to the organization or contact details
• A new accessibility assessment
• Newly identified or resolved barriers
• Changes to the website or digital service
• Updated legal or regulatory requirements
• Changes to feedback or complaint procedures

To update an existing statement:

1. Open the relevant controller.
2. Select Edit Statement.
3. Navigate to the section containing the information you want to change.
4. Update the relevant fields.
5. Review any additional requirements triggered by your changes.
6. Save the updated statement.

The editor calculates progress from the currently relevant information. If a change introduces new required fields, the statement may become incomplete until those fields are addressed.

Do You Need to Generate the Published Statement Again?

Public statement outputs use the current saved information when requested.

This means a new request for the public HTML, embedded statement, or PDF can reflect your saved updates without separately maintaining multiple document versions.

The system can also include information about currently enabled SimplifyAccess widget features at request time.

However, manually entered information is not automatically verified or updated.

You remain responsible for reviewing the accuracy of assessment details, barriers, legal references, and organizational information.

12. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a statement without completing an accessibility assessment?

Yes. Select Not assessed when there is insufficient assessment evidence.

You can still provide organization details, accessibility information, and feedback options without making an unsupported conformance claim.

Does SimplifyAccess automatically select the correct legal framework?

No. The editor provides suggested starting points based on the jurisdiction and organization or service type.

You must verify which obligations apply.

Can I use the editor outside the supported preset jurisdictions?

Yes. You can select another jurisdiction and manually specify the relevant legal, contractual, policy-based, or voluntary framework.

Why do some fields appear only after I select an option?

The editor is adaptive. Additional fields appear when they are relevant to the selected statement type, assessment status, or legal context.

Can I publish the statement before all optional fields are complete?

Yes, where the remaining fields are genuinely optional and all relevant essential information is complete.

However, you should still verify that your statement contains everything required for your specific legal context.

Does the statement automatically become compliant when it reaches 100%?

No. Completion measures the required information entered into the editor, not legal compliance or website accessibility.

Which languages are supported?

The current editor and generated statement outputs support English and German.

Choosing a particular jurisdiction does not automatically make additional local languages available.

Does the PDF update automatically?

The PDF is generated on request from the current saved statement information. Its generation timestamp reflects the request, not a new accessibility assessment.

Can I use both PDF and HTML publication?

Yes. You can publish a direct HTML statement, embed it within your website, and provide a PDF download from the same maintained source.

Remember: An accessibility statement is a maintained record of your organization's accessibility information. Keeping it accurate requires periodic review, actual assessment evidence, and updates when the website or applicable requirements change.

Explore the Platform

Site Workspace · Accessibility Widget · Accessibility Reports · Accessibility Statements