Your law firm’s website is typically the first point of contact for potential clients. Ensuring that your site is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities, promotes inclusivity and demonstrates your commitment to complying with legal obligations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A critical aspect of building an accessible online presence is creating an accessibility statement.
This statement informs visitors of your firm’s dedication to web accessibility and outlines the steps you’ve taken to ensure your site is usable by all. In this article, we’ll walk you through creating an accessibility statement for your law firm, covering essential elements to guide you through the process.
What is an Accessibility Statement?
An accessibility statement is a public declaration that your firm is committed to making your website accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This document should outline the steps you’ve taken to ensure accessibility and provide transparency regarding any limitations. Additionally, an accessibility statement serves as a point of contact for users who experience difficulties accessing your website.
How to Write an Accessibility Statement
An accessibility statement should explain your website’s functionality and any known limitations. Let’s examine some things you should consider when creating one.
Conduct an Accessibility Audit
Before drafting your accessibility statement, it’s crucial to conduct an accessibility audit of your website. An audit evaluates your site’s usability for individuals with varying disabilities, such as visual, auditory, or motor impairments. By identifying areas where your site falls short in meeting accessibility standards, you can develop a more accurate and informative statement.
There are a few ways to perform an audit:
- Manual testing involves navigating your site using assistive technologies such as screen readers or alternative input devices like keyboards rather than a mouse. Testing the site as a user with disabilities is key to understanding their barriers.
- Automated tools like WAVE or Google Lighthouse can scan your site for accessibility issues and generate a report highlighting problem areas.
- Hiring an accessibility expert might be your best option. They can provide an in-depth analysis and actionable recommendations for your law firm’s website.
Use an Accessibility Statement Generator
Once you know your site’s current accessibility status, drafting your statement becomes easier. One helpful tool to streamline the process is an accessibility statement generator. You can customize the templates in these generators to suit your firm’s specific needs.
While these tools can help you save time, it’s crucial to ensure that the information in the generated statement accurately reflects your website’s accessibility, is straightforward, avoids overly technical jargon, and provides users with the information they need to understand your firm’s approach to accessibility.
Some popular accessibility statement generators include:
- W3C Accessibility Statement Generator is aligned with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and provides a template that is easy to adapt to your law firm’s site.
- AccessibilityChecker.org is another tool that offers pre-made templates for accessibility statements. This is useful if you’re looking for a fast, easy solution to get started.
What to Include in Your Accessibility Statement
When drafting your accessibility statement, it’s important to cover a few essential areas to ensure it is comprehensive and clear. Below are the key components to include:
Commitment
Begin by affirming your law firm’s commitment to ensuring website accessibility. This section should outline your steps to improve accessibility and your ongoing efforts to maintain high standards.
Outline
Provide a brief description of your approach to accessibility. This could include referencing specific guidelines (such as WCAG 2.1 AA), tools, or technologies you use to maintain accessibility. This shows transparency in your efforts and reassures potential clients that you are dedicated to providing a user-friendly experience for all.
Limitations
Even with your best efforts, your site may not be fully accessible. Whether it’s third-party applications or elements being updated, it’s important to be upfront about any areas that might not meet full accessibility standards. You can also outline your plans to address these limitations in the future.
Technical Information
Provide a general overview of the technologies you’re using on your website. You can mention whether these technologies are compatible with commonly used assistive tools like screen readers or keyboard navigation.
Contact Information
Make it easy for visitors to contact you if they experience accessibility barriers. Provide a designated email address or phone number so users can report issues or ask questions. Ensure that you respond promptly and take action on reported concerns.
Examples of Accessibility Statements
Now that we’ve discussed what should be included in your accessibility statement, let’s look at a few examples to get a clearer picture of what an accessibility statement should look like.
Here are some examples of accessibility statements:
IRS
The information doesn’t use technical jargon and gets straight to the point of how the IRS ensures all users can access the information on its website. As you continue down the page, they provide accessible materials to assist users.
Amazon
Amazon includes a video demonstrating the various ways it provides accessibility. It then continues to show how its devices are also accessible.
Chipotle
Chipotle’s accessibility statement relays its commitment to improving accessibility and states that it works with a third party to ensure its accessibility follows WCAG.
Let Conroy Creative Counsel Help You Draft an Accessibility Statement for Your Law Firm’s Website
Crafting an effective accessibility statement requires careful consideration and accuracy. An incomplete or vague statement may leave your law firm vulnerable to complaints, or, worse, legal action. That’s why working with a professional team to help create and publish your accessibility statement is smart.
At Conroy Creative Counsel, we specialize in helping law firms develop websites that are compliant, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone. From conducting a thorough accessibility audit to crafting a custom accessibility statement and ensuring it’s visible on your site, we’re here to support your firm in demonstrating its commitment to inclusivity.
Contact us today for a consultation and learn how we can help your firm enhance its digital presence and make your accessibility statement live on your website.