How to Write an effective Accessibility Statement

What is an accessibility statement?

An accessibility statement is a public page on your store that explains your commitment to digital accessibility, how customers can report barriers, and what you are doing to improve. It is not a legal contract, but it is a practical signal to customers, partners, and counsel that you take access seriously.

For U.S. ecommerce brands, accessibility statements sit alongside WCAG 2.1 AA conformance work. Courts and the Department of Justice often reference WCAG when evaluating ADA Title III claims about websites and apps. A clear statement does not replace remediation, but it gives users a path to get help and documents your program for legal review.

Why your website needs one

• User trust: Customers who hit a barrier know how to reach you instead of abandoning the purchase.
• Legal readiness: Demand letters and counsel often ask for documentation of your accessibility program. A published statement is a baseline deliverable.
• Audit hygiene: Every remediation engagement we ship includes a statement draft. Merchants who publish early show ongoing maintenance, not a one-time fix.
• SEO and discoverability: A dedicated page at /pages/accessibility or /accessibility is easy to link from your footer and sitemap.

Accessibility overlay apps do not replace a real statement tied to your storefront. We recommend removing overlays and fixing theme code instead.

What to include in your accessibility statement

Cover these sections so the page is useful to real users and defensible to reviewers:

• Commitment and conformance target

  State your goal (for example, WCAG 2.1 Level AA) and that you work toward ADA Title III digital accessibility expectations.

• Scope

  Name the website or storefront the statement covers (domain, languages, or regions if relevant).

• Feedback and contact

  Provide email or phone for barrier reports, plus a realistic response-time commitment (for example, two business days).

• Known limitations

  Note third-party content, embedded apps, or areas still under remediation so expectations are honest.

• Alternative access

  Explain how customers can complete a purchase or get help if they cannot use the site (phone order, live chat, etc.).

• Assistive technology tested

  List browsers and assistive tech you test with (for example, Safari + VoiceOver, Chrome + NVDA).

• Last reviewed date

  Publish when the statement was written or last reviewed so it stays current.

Copy-paste accessibility statement template

Replace bracketed placeholders, customize for your brand, and review with counsel before publishing. This is not legal advice. The block below uses Markdown headings so Shiki can highlight structure; flatten to plain labels if your Shopify page editor does not need # syntax.

# Accessibility Statement for [Your Brand Name]
 
## Our commitment
 
[Your Brand Name] is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We continually improve the user experience for everyone and apply the relevant accessibility standards.
 
## Conformance status
 
We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. WCAG 2.1 AA is the practical benchmark referenced in many U.S. ADA Title III digital accessibility evaluations.
 
## Scope
 
This statement applies to the [Your Brand Name] online store at https://[yourstore.com], including product, collection, and cart pages on our theme storefront.
 
## Feedback and contact
 
If you encounter an accessibility barrier on our site, please contact us:
 
- Email: [your support email]
- Phone: [phone, optional]
 
We try to respond within two business days.
 
## Alternative access
 
If you cannot complete a purchase online, contact us by email or phone and we will help you place your order or find another way to access our products and services.
 
## Known limitations
 
Some third-party content (payment processors, embedded reviews, marketing widgets, or apps) may not fully meet our accessibility targets. We work with vendors and remediate theme-level issues on a development schedule.
 
## Technical specifications
 
Our storefront relies on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Shopify Liquid. We test with current versions of Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, and with assistive technologies such as VoiceOver and NVDA.
 
## Assessment approach
 
We evaluate accessibility through automated scans, manual keyboard and screen reader testing, and periodic audits of high-traffic templates.
 
## Last reviewed
 
This statement was last reviewed on [Month Day, Year].

How to publish on Shopify

Check your store before you publish

Not sure if you already have a statement, or whether your theme passes a baseline WCAG read? Run our free scanner. It groups findings by template vs page-specific issues and flags a missing accessibility statement when none is discovered.