We believe that everyone, especially those with disabilities, should be able to access the online world
An estimated 16.1 million people in the UK had a disability in 2022/23, according to the very latest figures available from the UK government – representing almost one-in-four (24%) of the total population.1
The likelihood of someone being classed as having a disability rises with age. According to the statistics, 11% of children were disabled, compared to 23% of working age adults and 45% of adults over the current state pension age of 66. Of those, at least one-in-five have a long term illness, impairment or disability.2
Awareness of disabilities, coupled with the desire for a fairer, more inclusive society have seen significant shifts in attitudes over the years, with legislation governing accessibility playing a major role.
Next year marks another milestone in that shift with the introduction of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
The Act mandates that key products and services sold or provided within the EU meet standardised accessibility requirements, promoting inclusivity and removing barriers that affect people with disabilities.
So, why could this be important to your business?
1 House of Commons Library 2 Department for Work and Pensions
The EAA and Brexit explained
Generally speaking, businesses in the UK are not directly subject to the Act since the UK is no longer part of the European Union after Brexit. However, the Act can still impact UK businesses in specific situations.
The most obvious is those firms trading within the EU. If your business sells products or provides services to consumers or organisations within the EU, you will need to ensure they comply with the EAA’s accessibility standards.
Likewise, companies offering digital services to EU customers must also ensure their platforms and offerings meet the EAA’s requirements for accessibility.
However, it’s important to stress that while the EAA might not directly impact your business, it sets best practice standards that businesses and organisations should strive for – more of which we’ll come to later.
What does the EAA apply to and how?
As the UK government statistics (above) illustrate, disabilities affect all age ranges, which highlights the need for clear communications and the ability to participate in the economy for everyone.
The European Accessibility Act covers the following products and services3.
Products
- Computers and operating systems.
- Smartphones and other communication devices.
- TV equipment related to digital television services.
- ATMs and payment terminals such as card payment machines in supermarkets.
- E-readers.
- Ticketing and check-in machines.
3 European Commission
Services
- Phone services.
- Banking services.
- E-commerce.
- Websites, mobile services, electronic tickets and all sources of information for air, bus, rail and waterborne transport services.
- E-books.
- Access to audio-visual media services (AVMS).
The European Commission website states:
“The Act uses functional EU accessibility requirements. It does not impose detailed technical restrictions to make products and services accessible. This allows room for innovation and flexibility.
“For instance, the interface of products can be rendered accessible through an alternative to speech for communication, flexible magnification, volume adjustment, or other. Further, the Act requires websites to display information about the accessibility features of services. Users must be able to consult a website’s content and structure and to navigate through webpages, also when using assistive devices.”
Setting best practice standards – why it’s good to comply
Brexit might mean your business or organisation isn’t directly impacted by the EAA, but there are other good reasons to consider the standards being set by the Act. Here’s why.
UK accessibility regulations – the UK has its own accessibility regulations, including the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which both enforce similar requirements. The UK could, in the future, choose to align with the EAA.
Global accessibility standards – you could choose to align with the EAA’s requirements voluntarily, to ensure consistency in your accessibility offerings across different markets. Aligning with global or European accessibility standards could help your business remain competitive and avoid potential exclusion from European markets in the future.
The good news is…
Regardless of where your business trades, the good news is that here at Cornerstone, UK and global accessibility standards are standard in all our website builds, while all future sites we build will comply with all standards – EAA included, just in case that alignment with the EU takes place.
Our benchmark is the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), widely acknowledged as the global standard for website accessibility.
We believe that everyone, especially those with disabilities, should be able to access the online world.
For example, W3C takes account of those who are blind or partially sighted, who use screen readers and keyboard navigation as essential tools for browsing and engaging with website content.
Some people with cognitive or motor disabilities that hinder normal physical functions, might rely on voice commands, while some who are deaf or hard-of-hearing interpret audio content through closed captions and/or descriptive transcripts.
We can help
Employing best practice accessibility standards in the way we do, means all websites we create are already compliant with new legislation.
But if your site is already operational and you are worried about its inclusivity credentials, we can conduct a full audit and advise you on – and implement – any necessary enhancements that come to light.
June 28, 2025, marks the deadline for businesses to comply with the accessibility standards, after which the rules will be fully enforceable. If you need help complying to the new EAA directive, get in touch
