European Accessibility Act – Everything You Need to Know
In an era where inclusivity is a fundamental expectation, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) stands as the key directive for fostering accessible digital experiences across the EU. This session delves into the Act’s requirements and explores how AI can empower teams to meet compliance efficiently and effectively. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of:
- The EAA’s scope, timeline, and implications for digital products and services.
- Practical steps for integrating accessibility into QA processes without overwhelming teams.
- How AI-driven tools simplify accessibility testing, automate compliance checks, and enhance user experience while requiring strategic human oversight.
- POUR as part of WCAG for ensuring robust and inclusive design.
With actionable strategies and a focus on cross-functional collaboration, this session equips professionals to align their practices with the EAA while driving innovation and inclusivity. Whether you're a developer, designer, QA specialist, or project manager, you’ll leave with tools and insights to champion accessibility within your organization.
Helge
Does Adobe.com or Microsoft.com need to be compliant? (Not Banking/online Shop)
skalli07
Yes, they are global technology leaders, and their websites and digital products must be usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Microsoft.com and Adobe must follow WCAG to meet legal obligations, support inclusivity, and ensure all users can access their products and services.
Radu Cotescu
We have specialised people handling that, some of them who are directly interested in a great accessible experience.
skalli07
besides that, due to US regulations regarding WCAG are active since many years :) EU was just to slow to unterstand
Ive
Is it planned in the future for non commerce websites to be affected by the act?
Rogier
Is there a difference in scope between B2C and B2B sites?
anselm
B2B is not considered as far as I know
anselm
What should we do with menus, which aria should we use? And why quite no web page using a fully correct aria menu definition?
Gustav Svensson
Is there a recommended testing process or plugin to find problems? I find for example Lighthouse lacking.
anselm
Axe Core ( lighthouse) we using playwright with it
skalli07
We used in our project: - https://wave.webaim.org/ - silktide is my fav plugin for chrome https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/silktide-accessibility-ch/mpobacholfblmnpnfbiomjkecoojakah
Helge
Does the act also apply to not publicly accessible content ? Think of Apps like adobe analytics
Piotr
How would you recommend to enforce accessibility in CMS? The responsibility is mixed, we made accessible components, but they ca be used wrongly by authors, for example set dark font on the banner with dark image
Radu Cotescu
Using my former Adobe Core Components Project lead hat, I think it's wrong for the authors to be able to make styling decisions. That's something a designer together with a UI/UX/accessibility specialist should do. Any options available to the authors should be aligned to the accessibility best practices.