European Accessibility Act (EAA)

An important deadline is on the horizon - in June 2025 the EU will introduce the European Accessibility Act (EAA) which details how digital media of all kinds needs to be accessible to those with disabilities. This covers everything from websites and apps to kiosks and ATMs, and applies to companies of over 10 employees and an annual turnover of €2,000,000+.

What is the act?

The directives in the act are not new, but what is changing is how the enforced. Non-conformance will not only be bad from a brand perspective, but it will also be financially impactful too. Fines can be anywhere from €5,000 to €20,000, and if they continue can rack up extra penalties of €1,000 per day. It's worth noting that you do not have to be based in the EU for the act to have an impact - if you are based outside of the EU but sell to customers in the EU, then you are impacted.

How will it be enforced?

It is unlikely there will be a taskforce that is proactively scouring the web for non-compliant websites. Rather, it will likely by akin to the recent GDRP and cookie law changes where companies can be reported. This does not mean you should be complacent however - there have been various high profile cases with previous laws where hefty fines have been dealt out. Also, putting aside the financial aspect, allowing more people to access your website is just a good thing to do, both from a business sense and also morally. People with disabilities should not be discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, so making your website accessible is the right thing to do.

How do I make my website accessible?

The W3C have the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) directive which defines various levels of compliance, known as WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2, with 2.2 being the latest version. Within these directives there are also various levels - A, AA and AAA.  For the act you should be aiming for WCAG 2.2 AA as a minimum, and AAA if possible (though AAA can be restrictive from a design perspective, and is not required for the act).

Some of the items that fall under the directive are:

• Accessible multimedia (e.g. alternate text for images, text transcripts for videos)
• Screen reader compatibility (e.g. semantic HTML to allow screen readers to traverse content accurately)
• Colour contrast (e.g. non clashing colours for colourblindness)
• Consistent navigation
• Mobile accessibility (e.g. swipe gestures)
• Reduced screen movement

Non compliant issues can be found through a combination of running automated tools and manual human testing - we would recommend both as tools normally only find 30%-40% of issues.

Conclusion

The deadline is only a few months away so it is important you act soon if you believe you may have issues. If you would like assistance please get in touch so we can undertake an audit and suggest improvements.