This post lists the recommendations of eight Web articles I found that opine about a good accessibility statement. I also found three that advocate a site-help page be used instead. All are referenced below.
Common Recommendations
The survey results are from articles published on the Web by accessibility-focused organizations or by site developers. One, “Evaluating the Usability of Online Accessibility Information“, is based upon research. Publication years range from 2002 to 2009.
Mentioned In Most Articles:
- Agreement
- Do not just list accessibility features; explain how site visitors can use them.
- Detail any site barriers to accessibility.
- Provide contact info for people who experience accessibility problems.
- Make the accessibility statement easy to locate on the Web site.
- Disagreement
- Don’t refer to how the site conforms to accessibility standards (50%).
- Do refer to how the site conforms (50%). Place the info at the bottom of the statement.
Mentioned in Half of Articles:
- Explain the site’s or the organization’s commitment to accessibility.
- Do not use jargon. Use clear, plain language targeted to the site’s audience.
- Use an alternative to the term “accessibility” because many visitors do not know what it means.
Mentioned in at Least 2 Articles:
- Separate accessibility-statement content into sections.
- Reference authoritative, stable accessibility-help, i.e., The BBC’s My Web My Way.
- Do not limit accessibility information to a specific impairment.
- Do not assume knowledge visitors may not have, e.g., which browser they use.
- Do not claim accessibility features if they are not present.
Relevancy To Current Assessment Plan
I decided to investigate this in preparation for my plan to assess the Web accessibility of 100 cognitive disability organizations. Specifically, I considered not just awarding a point for the presence of an accessibility statement, but for the presence of a good one. To do that, I needed to determine agreed-upon characteristics. Now that I have, I realize it would take too much time to assess the accessibility of the Web sites and whether or not their accessibility statements, if existent, are good.
Referenced Articles
- 2009
- Nomensa: Writing an accessibility statement
- Even Grounds: Accessibility Statement: What Is It, And Who Uses It?
- 2008
- Adam Baker: Are Accessibility Statements Useful?
- Lee Dumond: How to Write a Good Accessibility Statement
- 2006
- 456 Berea Street: Accessibility statements or Site help pages?
- Digital Media Access Group: Evaluating the Usability of Online Accessibility Information
- 2004
- Digital Media Access Group: Writing an accessibility statement
- 2005
- Juicy Studio: Writing a Good Accessibility Statement
- 2002
- Dive Into Mark: Day 30: Creating an accessibility statement
Articles That Advocate Site-Help Pages Instead
- 2006
- Standards Schmandards: Don’t Provide an Accessibility Statement
- Accessify: Showing web accessibility statements the door
- 456 Berea Street: Accessibility statements or Site help pages?
Notes
- I searched for recommendations by people who identified themselves as having a disability, but found none.
- Did I miss an important resource? Please comment or contact me.