TIL about the
 European Accessibility Act

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!