Accessibility Statements Show Commitment to all Site Users

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Updated September 13, 2021

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This post has links to Accessibility Statements (formerly called Accessibility Information Pages). It also has information to help create Accessibility Statements. Accessibility means that technology, including websites and mobile applications, have been designed for people with and without disabilities. Accessibility Statements let the public know that an organization is thinking about all its site visitors. A good Statement should have a phone number for people to call if they face a barrier on the website. This article also has links to pages on company websites talking about accessible products and services.

Most recent update: September 13, 2021. Accessibility Statements need not (should not) read like a legal document. I love the beginning of the Accessibility Statement of Becker, a provider of professional education courses to the CPA community:

“Heart” is one of our core values that expresses our passion, respect and care for all of the students and colleagues we serve. It’s that same sense of respect and care that makes us committed to making our websites and other digital media platforms accessible, with the least number of barriers.Becker Accessibility Statement

Previous update: January 27, 2021 to add the new White House Accessibility Statement. The statement says that “Our ongoing accessibility efforts work toward making WhiteHouse.gov as accessible as possible, and includes the following:

Our ongoing accessibility effort works towards conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria. These guidelines not only help make web content accessible to users with sensory, cognitive and mobility disabilities, but ultimately to all users, regardless of ability.White House Accessibility Statement

[Earlier update: November 8 2020 to add the Accessibility Statement on the Biden Harris Transition Team website!]

[Earlier Update: Check out the Accessibility Statement Generator from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It’s part of a great new page of information titled “Developing an Accessibility Statement.”

Accessibility Statements (previously referred to as Accessibility Information Pages) have long been an important component of most Structured Negotiation settlement agreements addressing web and mobile accessibility. These pages are also found on sites where there has been a litigation or federal agency-based settlement, or where a company recognizes on its own that accessibility information is important to its customers. The U.S. Department of Justice has long required Accessibility Statements as part of its digital accessibility settlements with public and private organizations.

And Accessibility Statements are not just for the United States. The European Union appears to be furthest along in detailing requirements of Accessibility Statements. Resources include the following:

Jump to the following information in this post:

 

Components of the ideal Accessibility Statement

A good Accessibility Statement (Accessibility Information Page) has the following components:

  • has details about the organization’s digital accessibility policy
  • includes information about other accessibility services and accessible products
  • prominently lists a phone and (accessible) web-based method for the public to forward accessibility concerns, both positive and negative
  • can be easily found, preferably linked from the home page and all page footers, available through any Help section, and available through on-site and external search engine

Some lawyers advise organizations not to put up an Accessibility Statement for fear that will attract legal complaints. I disagree. One page on a website cannot guarantee a full site will meet established access standards, or that the site will be usable by every site visitor. But Accessibility Statements usually demonstrate at least some level of commitment to accessibility and to the needs of all site users, even if the process is ongoing.

I believe that posted accessibility pages help organizations avoid legal action — so long as there is an active phone number and email address and site visitors get prompt and positive responses to feedback. Today’s consumers expect transparency; an easily findable and up-to-date accessibility page is increasingly expected. It’s absence a sign that accessibility is not a priority — or worse.

If you discover something good on a site with an Accessibility Statement, use the contact information to let the site owners know. And if you uncover an area that needs improvement, or worse, let them know that too. Feedback helps keep the page current, and shows the site owner that accessibility matters to its customers, clients and site visitors.

Below is a list of links to the Accessibility Statements (previously referred to as Accessibility Information Pages) of some of the largest entities operating on the web. (Visiting these links will take you away from LFLegal.) You may also be interested in WebAxe’s July, 2013 post about Accessibility Twitter accounts maintained by large companies, or the post on LFLegal about companies committed to an accessibility culture.

Visit the Accessibility Statement for this website (LFLegal.com).

Do you know of a page that should be added to the list below? Please use the contact page and let us know.

Links to Accessibility Statements (formerly referred to as Accessibility Information Pages

[Below this list is another list of companies, such as Microsoft that have dedicated pages on their websites about the accessibility of their products, technology, systems and services, which typically include their Accessibility Statements.]

[For even more Accessibility Statements, check out the Accessibility Statement List maintained by MicroAssist].

Accessibility statements of Japanese Companies

Accessibility is global. Thank you to Makoto Ueki, accessibility consultant in Japan, for sending this list of Japanese-based companies with a commitment to digital accessibility.

Japanese consumer products and services companies

Japanese Companies providing web services and applications

Accessible product and services pages

In addition to the pages listed above, other companies have Accessibility Pages that focus on their manufactured products, technology, systems and services. Again, the presence of these pages does not mean every product made by the company will be accessible, but it does mean there is an understanding that a diverse customer base includes people with disabilities. Companies with robust accessibility information on their websites include the following:

About This Article:

A Life Worth Living has copied the content of this article under fair use in order to preserve as a post in our resource library for preservation in accessible format.  Explicit permission pending.

Link to Original Article: https://www.lflegal.com/2013/02/access-info-pages/