Accessibility statement published with 508 status and accommodations

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the 21st Century IDEA Act require federal websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. Publishing an accessibility statement is not optional — it is how agencies communicate their conformance status and give users with disabilities a path to request accommodations or report barriers. Without a statement that names a compliance level and provides at least two contact channels, users relying on assistive technology have no recourse when they hit access failures. Omitting this document also blocks WCAG 2.2 auditors from confirming whether conformance claims have been formally made.

Create app/accessibility/page.tsx with a conformance declaration and at least two accommodation contact methods. Link it from the footer in app/layout.tsx.

// app/accessibility/page.tsx
export const metadata = {
  title: 'Accessibility Statement | Agency Name',
}

export default function AccessibilityPage() {
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Accessibility Statement</h1>
      <p>
        This website conforms to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and
        WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Known limitations are documented below.
      </p>
      <h2>Request Accommodations</h2>
      <p>Email: <a href="mailto:accessibility@agency.gov">accessibility@agency.gov</a></p>
      <p>Phone: (202) 555-0100 | TTY: 711</p>
      <h2>Report an Issue</h2>
      <p><a href="/contact">Submit an accessibility issue via our contact form.</a></p>
    </main>
  )
}

• ID: gov-web-standards.required-content.accessibility-statement

• Severity: high

• What to look for: Look for a dedicated accessibility statement page or section (e.g., /accessibility), or check the footer for a link to accessibility information. The statement should declare Section 508 compliance status and describe how users can request accommodations or report issues. List all accommodation channels found (email, phone, form, TTY).

• Pass criteria: An accessibility statement is published (on a dedicated page or in footer). The statement includes the site's Section 508 compliance status (compliant, partially compliant, or a link to a third-party audit) and describes how users can request accommodations via at least 2 channels (email, phone, contact form). Report the count of accommodation channels found even on pass.

• Fail criteria: No accessibility statement found, OR statement exists but lacks Section 508 status or accommodation contact information. A page that only says "We are committed to accessibility" with no concrete status or contact information does not count as pass.

• Skip (N/A) when: Never — federal sites must publish accessibility statements.

• Cross-reference: For comprehensive WCAG compliance testing beyond the accessibility statement, the Accessibility WCAG audit covers detailed conformance across all four POUR principles.

• Detail on fail: "No accessibility statement found" or "Accessibility statement lacks Section 508 compliance status or accommodation contact information"

• Remediation: Create an accessibility statement page and link it in the footer. Include:

  • Section 508 compliance status (e.g., "This website is Section 508 compliant")
  • Known limitations (if any)
  • How to request accommodations (phone, email, web form)
  • Link to report accessibility issues

  Example:

  // app/accessibility/page.tsx
  export default function Accessibility() {
    return (
      <main>
        <h1>Accessibility Statement</h1>
        <p>This website is designed to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.</p>
        <h2>Request Accommodations</h2>
        <p>Email: accessibility@agency.gov | Phone: (202) 123-4567</p>
      </main>
    )
  }