The European Accessibility Act: What Business Leaders Need to Know
You may have heard about the European Accessibility Act which goes into effect in June 2025.
You may also be thinking “oh crap, I have no idea what this is” - and trust me, you’re not the only one.
Let’s have a quick look at what is is and how it may impact your business.
Digital Accessibility
Fundamentally, digital access is essential, and this should include people with disabilities.
It is my view that accessibility should not only be looked at as a legal requirement but should be a strategic one for all organisations. The EU certainly thinks it should be a legal one.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) introduces accessibility standards across the EU and by June 28, 2025, all digital services and products marketed within the EU must meet accessibility standards.
Business are Underprepared
Despite the upcoming deadline, a 2023 study by the European Disability Forum reported that only 28% of European businesses feel prepared to meet the EAA requirements. It’s a year on so even if that stat has increased generously by 20%, it’s still not great.
Another survey revealed that 80% of e-commerce sites in Europe still do not meet accessibility standards.
In short, get prepared.
But What About the UK?
You may have a UK based business and be thinking “what about us? Didn’t we leave the EU?”.
Following Brexit, the UK is not obligated to comply with the EAA directly.
However, UK businesses targeting EU consumers or working in cross-border sectors will still need to meet EAA standards to remain competitive and avoid access restrictions in EU markets.
Additionally the UK has its own accessibility legislation, the Public Sector Bodies (websites and mobile applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which require accessible digital services particularly for public sector organisations.
Following best practices, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, is highly advisable for UK businesses operating in or targeting the EU.
Understanding the Legal Requirements
Let’s face it, most businesses are only going to perk up when they hear potential legislation applies.
And that makes sense when you’re thinking about the bottom line. But it’s better to think of accessibility as a strategic choice - an investment into your business being accessible for everyone.
What are the WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the global standards for online accessibility. They are organised into three levels:
Level A: The minimum level, addressing basic accessibility barriers.
Level AA: The intermediate standard, which balances accessibility with design flexibility and is generally considered the standard for legal compliance.
Level AAA: The highest level, which provides the most comprehensive accessibility but is often challenging to implement fully.
For EAA compliance WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard.
The Business Case
Beyond legal compliance, accessibility is a smart and good-egg thing to do and this is why you should care:
Reach a larger audience: Over 87 million people in Europe alone live with a disability, and ensuring accessibility opens your business to this significant market
Enhance brand reputation: Showing commitment to inclusivity builds goodwill and strengthens your brand’s appeal to socially-conscious consumers
Reduce legal risks: The EAA introduces penalties for non-compliance, making early preparation essential
Boost usability for all users: Accessibility often enhances the user experience overall, from mobile-friendliness to better navigation
Search engines like this stuff: a lot of what we do when implementing accessibility recommendations also helps structure pages better, which is good for SEO
Check Yo Self
You can get a quick sense of your current accessibility status by doing a few self-checks.
These do not replace a full audit but can reveal areas in need of improvement.
1. Keyboard test
Try navigating your website using only the keyboard - if you cannot reach all main parts (navigation, search bar, main content) of your site using the tab key, there may be barriers for users relying on keyboard navigation.
2. Colour Contrast Check
If you’re using some bright colours in your brand, use the WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to test the contrast between text and background.
WCAG Level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text.
3. Automated Accessibility Testing Tool
The automated browser extension Accessibility Insights for Web will show almost instantly if you if you have tests that fail - and you can see a list of these.
Get an Accessibility Audit
Surprise surprise I can provide a full accessibility audit for you. And here you were thinking I was giving you all this free info out of the goodness of my heart.
Joking aside there is enough in this article to get you started, and you may just want to pass this to your full time development team and see if they can have a go. If not, a full audit will check:
Full testing against WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards
Detailed recommendations for design and code improvements
Prioritised action items to guide developers or design teams
And of course, get in touch on here or dm me on LinkedIn if you have any burning questions.
References:
The State of Global Digital Accessibility - Accessibility.com
WebAIM. (2021) - The WebAIM Million