Step 1: Web Accessibility Statement

The first thing to do before testing your site is to write an accessibility
statement
that is plainly written and easy to understand. In other
words, take your legalese and throw it out the window. This statement must be in plain language – it’s for your site
visitors, not the lawyers. To help you write the accessibility statement, the WCAG Guidelines suggest:

  • Show your users that you care about accessibility with
    information about the accessibility of your content.
  • Demonstrate commitment to accessibility, and to social
    responsibility.
  • Add a link to the statement from several places such
    as, in the footer, in a help menu, in the sitemap, and other prominent areas to help users to find it
    easily.
    Here are examples of a simple
    policy
    , a comprehensive
    policy
    , and finally
    a
    policy template.
  • Have a simple way for users to contact you regarding
    accessibility issues.

Once you have your statement published and are ready to receive feedback from users,
continue through the preliminary
WCAG tests and checks in Step 2
or browse the other chapters below.

The AIMCLEAR Guide to Web Accessibility and WCAG Best Practices

A Guide to Help Make Your Content Accessible

5 Steps to WCAG Compliance and A Better User Experience

Summary and Next Steps