The One Accessibility Thing Everyone Overlooks

Last year at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Annual Conference, I sat in on a packed session about making everyday digital work accessible, this included PDFs, PowerPoints, and webpages. The presenter, Keeri Tramm, CPACC from Lifeworks Services, Inc., covered the fundamentals in a hands-on, beginner-friendly way. Good stuff. People were taking notes.

During Q&A, I raised my hand and asked if I could add something quick.

I told the room about accessibility statements, what they are, why they matter, and where to get a free generator from the World Wide Web Consortium, W3C for short (don’t worry, I’ll give you a link in a bit). You could imagine the collective light bulb. After the session, a few people came up with questions. Not about WCAG levels or ARIA labels. Just: “How do I add an accessibility statement?”

That’s when it hit me. We talk about accessibility compliance, legal risk, and inclusive design. But we skip the simplest, most obvious thing: telling your audience that you’re actually trying.

What Is an Accessibility Statement?

An accessibility statement is a public page on your website that:

• Acknowledges your commitment to accessibility
• Explains what you’re doing to make your site accessible
• Provides contact information for people to report issues
• Shows your accessibility standards (like WCAG 2.2 Level AA)

That’s it. It’s not complex. But many sites I visit don’t have one.

Why It’s Overlooked

People think about privacy policies (GDPR, HIPAA), cookie notices, terms of service. But accessibility statements? They just don’t think about it until someone forces them to.

The mental block is simple: if it’s not required, it doesn’t make the checklist.

Why You Need One (Three Reasons)

1. Business Case – Sites that are accessible rank better in search. AI tools parse content the same way screen readers do. An accessibility statement signals to search engines that you care about structure and usability.

2. Legal Protection – If someone files an ADA complaint about your site, an accessibility statement shows good faith effort. It won’t prevent lawsuits, but it demonstrates you’re actively working on compliance—not ignoring the issue.

This is especially important for sites with federal compliance requirements. As of April 24, 2026, municipalities with populations of 50,000 or more must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards under ADA Title II. Smaller municipalities have until April 26, 2027.

3. Ethical Reason – This is the one nonprofit audiences immediately get: it’s just the right thing to do. But many organizations that don’t have a mandate or aren’t nonprofits don’t have this mindset. A lot of the biggest culprits are B2B businesses, especially manufacturers. I’ve been told by leaders in the past that “we just don’t need it”, which is the wrong way to think about it and, frankly, just lazy.

All three reasons matter. But most organizations only think about #2 (legal) after they’re already in trouble.

How to Create One

The W3C has a free generator, which you can find here.

I’ve used it for SANscript’s site and suggested it when I worked at other organizations. It’s a solid foundational tool, but you need to customize it:

• Add your organization’s specific accessibility stance
• Include multiple contact methods: email, phone number, physical mailing address, and an accessible contact form (and if you add a form, make sure the form itself is accessible, reach out if you need help with that!)
• Be honest about what you’ve done and what you’re still working on
• List the tools you’re using to maintain accessibility
• Update it as you make progress

The generator gives you the structure. You fill in the honesty.

What Makes a Good Statement vs. a Bad One

Good accessibility statements:

• List specific standards you’re meeting (WCAG 2.1 AA, 2.2 Level AA, etc.)
• Provide real contact information: email, phone number, physical address, and an accessible contact form
• Acknowledge known issues and your plan to fix them (doesn’t need exhaustive detail)
• Get updated regularly

Bad accessibility statements:

• Generic template with no customization
• No way to actually contact anyone
• Claims full compliance when the site clearly isn’t
• Never updated

Don’t Just Cover Your Ass

Don’t be lazy, if you’re only putting up an accessibility statement for legal protection, people will see through it.

Any organization worth its salt is going to do the right thing. If you’re claiming commitment to accessibility but ignoring the actual work, then you’re not protecting your brand, you’re actively damaging it by lying to visitors who need accommodations.

The statement isn’t the compliance. It’s the communication. Do the work, then tell people about it.

The Simplest First Step

If you’re starting your accessibility journey and don’t know where to begin, start here:

1. Go to the W3C generator
2. Fill it out honestly
3. Add real contact information
4. Publish it on your site
5. Actually respond when people report issues

It takes 20 minutes. And it’s the one accessibility thing that benefits everyone: users with disabilities know how to reach you, search engines see you care about structure, and your organization shows good faith effort toward compliance.

Most organizations skip this obvious step. Don’t be most organizations.