Website Accessibility and the Role of Accessibility Statements

This chapter defines accessibility in the broader context of usability and explains the importance of making websites accessible as well as usable. It then focuses on one particular aspect of website accessibility – the accessibility statement, which is a declaration on a website about the accessibility of the site to disabled people and others with accessibility needs. This chapter argues that accessibility statements can play an important part in website accessibility if they are appropriately designed and targeted. Based on an extensive literature review and detailed examination of a large sample of accessibility statements, the chapter presents an overview of current practice and usage, raises and discusses the problematic issues that arise when developing accessibility statements, and provides recommendations for best practice.