Accessibility Statement Template for SEBI RAs and IAs
An accessibility statement is one page on your website that says which standard you follow, who to contact when something does not work, and how complaints are escalated. For a SEBI RA or IA it is also the natural home for the nodal officer and grievance route SEBI's accessibility circular asks for. Below is a template you can copy.
Not legal advice. Aktai is software, not a Research Analyst or Investment Adviser. You remain the registered entity and are responsible for your compliance, including the accessibility audit and your reports to BSE. Check each point against the SEBI circular before you act.
What SEBI asks for, and where the statement fits
No SEBI clause says โaccessibility statementโ. But circular SEBI/HO/ITD-1/ITD_VIAP/P/CIR/2025/111 of 31 July 2025 asks for things an investor must be able to find:
- A nodal officer for digital accessibility, and by default the compliance officer or proprietor (Annexure I, section 1.1).
- An accessibility grievance channel, with email, helpline and web forms that persons with disabilities can use, and escalation to senior officers (section 1.3).
- The standards your platforms follow: WCAG 2.1 or later, GIGW and IS 17802 (section B).
- Accessible documents and media: tagged PDFs, alt text, captions, and Indian Sign Language where you publish video (sections 2.1 and 2.2).
SEBI's clarification of 8 December 2025 (HO/13/19/13(2)2025-ITD-1_VIAP/I/187/2025) adds that investors can file accessibility complaints on SCORES under an โAccessibilityโ category. Your statement should say so.
The template
Replace everything in square brackets. Keep the known-limits section honest: an auditor and an investor will both read it.
Accessibility statement
[Firm name as registered with SEBI] (SEBI registration no. [INH or INA number]) wants every investor, including persons with disabilities, to be able to use this website.
Standard we follow
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA, the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) and IS 17802, as SEBI circular SEBI/HO/ITD-1/ITD_VIAP/P/CIR/2025/111 asks of regulated entities.
What we have done
Images have text descriptions. Pages work with a keyboard and a screen reader. Our investor charter and disclosure documents are tagged PDFs. Videos have captions [and Indian Sign Language interpretation].
Known limits
[List anything that does not yet meet the standard, for example a third-party chart or an older PDF, and the date you expect to fix it. If nothing is known, write: โWe know of no failures today. Tell us if you find one.โ]
Last audit and review
Last accessibility audit by an IAAP-certified professional: [date]. This statement was last reviewed on [date].
Nodal officer for accessibility
[Name], [designation]. Email: [email]. Phone: [phone]. Available [days and hours].
Report a problem
If any part of this website does not work for you, email [email], call [phone] or use [link to an accessible web form]. Tell us the page and what went wrong. We reply within [number] working days.
Escalation
If you are not satisfied with our reply, write to [name of senior officer or proprietor], [email]. You can also file a complaint on SEBI's SCORES portal (https://scores.sebi.gov.in) under the โAccessibilityโ category.
Get the kit as a PDF
The kit has this template in an editable layout plus a one-page checklist: the website items SEBI asks RAs and IAs to show, and the accessibility checks to run before your IAAP audit.
Free download
Accessibility Statement Kit for SEBI RAs and IAs
- The statement template above, ready to fill in
- A checklist of the accessibility items in SEBI circular 2025/111
- The current deadline and who you report to
Where to put it
- Publish it at a short URL such as
/accessibility. - Link it from the footer of every page, next to your investor charter.
- Make the statement page itself pass the same checks: headings, contrast, keyboard.
- Update the audit and review dates every time they change.
If your existing website needs work before it can honestly carry this statement, our accessibility check and fixes tests every page and fixes up to 8 pages, and adds the statement page for you.
FAQ
Does SEBI require an accessibility statement?
No SEBI clause uses the words "accessibility statement". SEBI circular SEBI/HO/ITD-1/ITD_VIAP/P/CIR/2025/111 does require a nodal officer for digital accessibility and an accessibility grievance channel with escalation, and those have to be published somewhere investors can find them. A statement page linked from every page is the simplest place.
Who should be named as the nodal officer?
A senior officer you designate. If you designate nobody, Annexure I section 1.1 of the July 2025 circular makes the compliance officer or the proprietor the nodal officer by default. For a one-person RA or IA, that is usually you.
How often should I update the statement?
After every accessibility audit and after any change to your website that affects accessibility. SEBI expects an annual audit from 30 April 2027, so a yearly review date fits.
Does publishing a statement make my website accessible?
No. The statement describes your site honestly, including what still fails. The site has to be built and tested to WCAG 2.1 AA, GIGW and IS 17802, and audited by an IAAP-certified professional.