TIL about the  European Accessibility Act

A presentation at Tech Talk @ Tagesspiegel by Gunnar Bittersmann

my avatar wearing a blue beanie

Blue Beanie Day, article by Jeffrey Zeldman, 2007

Blue Beanie Day II, article by Jeffrey Zeldman, 2008

book cover “Designing with Web Standards” by Jeffrey Zeldman, on which the author is wearing a blue beanie

TIL about the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

European Accessibility Act (EAA)
EU directive that every member country incorporates into law
harmonization of accessibility laws in different countries
dates (individual countries may decide to require this sooner):
2025-06-28 for new products and services
2030-06-30 for all products and services
2045-06-30 for terminals

European Accessibility Act (EAA)
applies to products and services sold across the EU
services: E-commerce, banking services, audiovisual media services, communication services, E-books, various aspects of transport services
products: laptops, tablets, desktop computers; smartphones, smartwatches, VR headsets; terminals for payment, ticketing and selfservice; TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles; E-readers; operating systems for the above
all parts of the supply and distribution chain, help desks, tech support etc.

European Accessibility Act (EAA)
exceptions:
disproportional burden
products created by micro-enterprises < 10 employees, < 2 million €

EN 301 549 Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe

EN 301 549 Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of information and communications technology products and services in Europe

EN 301 549
European standard
countries outside the EU that use this standard: Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Kenya
applicable to non-web software and hardware
includes WCAG 2.1 levels A and AA, but goes beyond (even for web)

EN 301 549
scope:
ICT with 2-way voice communication
ICT with video capabilities
hardware
web
non-web documents
software documentation and support services

EN 301 549
requirements beyond WCAG (excerpt):
when building your own accessibility widgets (like changing contrast/color schemes, in-page text resizing, read-aloud functionality), they have to be accessible
don’t rely on biometrics alone for authorization or control of ICT; provide alternatives to fingerprint, facial recognition, eye tracking
audio/video/captions controls UI follow user preferences set in the OS for color and contrast, font type and size, focus color

EN 301 549
requirements beyond WCAG (excerpt, cd.):
authoring tools (which include things like comment input fields) enable and guide production of accessible content
documentation of accessibility features
banking services: information must be at B2 or lower reading level
transport services: provide information about the accessibility of vehicles and infrastructure

Recommendations
contact your lawyer
check what applies
do your testing – not just against WCAG, but against all of EN 301 549 & EAA
check your supplies (3rd party embeds)
source: Wilco Fiers / Accessibility beyond WCAG: EAA & EN 301 549, Inclusive Design 24 2024

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
international standard from W3C
WCAG is primarily intended for:
Web content developers (page authors, site designers, etc.)
Web authoring tool developers
Web accessibility evaluation tool developers
Others who want or need a standard for web accessibility, including for mobile accessibility

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
13 guidelines
4 principles (POUR):
Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust

screenshot from WCAG 2 at a Glance

screenshot from How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference)

Happy Blue Beanie Day!

Gunnar Bittersmann
@gunnarbittersmann

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about Blue Beanie Day, European Accessibility Act, EN 301 549, and Web Content  Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Resources

The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.

Blue Beanie Day - Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design
Blue Beanie Day II - Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design
Wilco Fiers / Accessibility beyond WCAG: EAA & EN 301 549 #id24 2024

Presentation at Inclusive Design 24 2024
Inclusive Design 24 2024
Harmonisierte Europäische Norm (EN) 301 549
Introduction to the EN 301 549

playlist including chapter 9: Web, part 1 and part 2
WCAG 2 Overview

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
WCAG 2 at a Glance

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Introduction to Understanding WCAG 2

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference)

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
axe DevTools Browser Extensions

from deque
WAVE Browser Extensions

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools from WebAIM
LiebeHeide Color Font