What does it mean for you… a UK organisation.
From June 28, 2025, digital products and services will be required to conform with WCAG 2.1 level AA standards. This new Act will ensure all online experiences are accessible for everyone, including those with disabilities. This is relevant in the UK, not only when providing services to EU countries, but in anticipation of new UK acts to mirror the EAA.
European users will increasingly expect a higher standard of accessibility compliance, and UK companies operating in the EU must ensure their products and services meet these expectations. Failure to comply with the European Accessibility Act could result in significant penalties, which vary across different European countries.
What can you do?
Preparing for the new European Accessibility Act may seem overwhelming, but taking proactive steps now will set you up for success. We've outlined key considerations and practical actions to help you navigate these changes with confidence. By addressing them early, you'll not only ensure compliance but also create more inclusive, user-friendly experiences for everyone.
Develop your organisation's Accessibility Programme.
Start with a clear plan. You might not have all the answers yet about how accessibility affects your business or digital estate—and that’s okay. This is your chance to learn, bring your teams on the journey, and build a solid foundation for a more inclusive and compliant organisation.
1. Educate yourself and your teams
Assign one team member from each discipline to take the lead on accessibility within their area, ensuring that learning is relevant to their specific roles. These individuals will coordinate training and development for their respective teams, making accessibility an integral part of their workflow.
Since accessibility impacts designers, developers and content designers differently, these leads can start by:
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Familiarising themselves with WCAG 2.2 criteria across different levels (A, AA, AAA).
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Exploring assistive technologies like screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver), keyboard navigation, and color contrast checkers.
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Hands-on experiments, such as testing an existing product without a mouse or using a screen reader to better understand real-world accessibility challenges.
By embedding practical learning into daily tasks, these team leads can help drive accessibility improvements in a way that feels natural and sustainable for the whole organisation.
2. Build an accessible culture
As your team members take the lead in accessibility, they naturally become Accessibility Champions, advocates who drive awareness and change within your organisation. These champions can co-host team show-and-tells, sharing their learnings and real-world examples to help embed accessibility into everyday conversations.
By regularly showcasing insights and best practices, accessibility becomes a natural part of your organisation’s vocabulary and culture. When these champions advocate for accessibility in meetings, design discussions, and development cycles, it shifts from being an afterthought to a core part of how your team thinks and works.
3. Consider the WCAG level for you
First you need to consider what WCAG level you and your organisation can work towards. The levels are
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A - basic and must achieve. The minimum requirements to make content accessible to some users with disabilities.
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AA - Recommended standard. The widely accepted industry standard for accessibility compliance, balancing usability and feasibility.
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AAA - Highest level. The most inclusive level, ensuring an optimal experience for people with disabilities, but you need to consider if content criteria is achievable.
Level AA is the recommended standard and should be the minimum you work to. We love organisations to work towards AAA but we try to be honest that compliance is harder due to the level of content and brand colours. I always give the example that BSL needs to be present in all video pre-recorded content. That is an additional cost that not evevery one will be able to achieve.
The EAA aligns with WCAG 2.1 criteria, but we encourage everyone to adopt WCAG 2.2 now. WCAG 2.2 introduces only nine new success criteria, so if you're enhancing accessibility, we recommend incorporating them into your improvements from the start.
4. Conduct accessibility audits
Accessibility isn’t a one-time task, it’s an ongoing process. Websites and products evolve, and with them, new accessibility barriers can emerge. Regular audits, testing, and iteration ensure you stay compliant with changing regulations, improve usability, and create inclusive experiences for all users. By testing your website, you can see how accessible it truly is, while accessibility audits help identify areas for improvement. Keeping accessibility at the core of your design and development process ensures your digital services remain user-friendly, compliant, and future-proof.
How can we help?
Everything we've outlined above reflects the journey we've been on since 2018. We've been busy building robust, accessible digital products and services that help our clients reach all users. Accessibility isn’t just something we implement; it’s at the core of how we work. We are constantly learning, evolving, and upskilling our team to stay ahead of best practices and new regulations.
We can guide you through this accessibility journey by offering:
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Strategic Accessibility Planning - We can develop a 3 or 5 year accessibility roadmap, tailored to your organisation’s needs. This includes a full assessment of your digital estate, identifying the best approach to improve accessibility across all platforms.
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Team Training & Upskilling - We provide hands-on training to ensure every team member understands their role in accessibility. We can help your internal design, development and content teams to ensure they know what accessibility means in their roles
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Accessibility Audits & Implementation Support - We conduct accessibility audits of your digital services or products. Our audits result in a clear, actionable list of improvements, which your team or ours can help implement.