Companies unprepared for European Accessibility Act as June deadline looms

An accessible website should be a basic requirement for businesses, allowing the largest number of people to access a company’s content and services. With technology as an enabler, it also makes good business sense. After all, why would any organization want to hinder customer access? However, many websites are not fully accessible, and when the European Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into effect on June 28, this will be an issue for compliance managers across Europe – and beyond.

Despite having several years of warning, only a quarter of affected businesses are fully prepared to meet the EAA’s provisions, leaving three-quarters at risk of “significant” fines, according to research by customer relationship management tech firm Storyblok. Only 19.5% of the 200 European organizations it interviewed had started working towards compliance, with almost the same number (18.5%) not aware of the act at all.

While many businesses are aware of issues for partially sighted and blind people accessing digital services, those with other conditions also struggle. People with dyslexia may have difficulties processing dense text, while other neurodiverse people may find loud sounds and visual effects overwhelming. Flashing images can trigger epilepsy, and rapid scrolling or text navigation that jumps from page to page can be difficult for those with physical disabilities or reading problems.