Embracing accessibility: more than legal compliance

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is changing the digital landscape by introducing new accessibility standards. This has prompted designers, developers, and businesses to re-evaluate their current and future projects to ensure compliance with these regulations.

To fully understand and leverage the benefit of accessibility, we must look beyond mere legal compliance and embrace the role it plays in inclusive and responsible design.

Why is accessibility gaining more attention? ?

Though accessibility in digital solutions is hardly a novel topic, it's now on everyone's lips for three key reasons:

Legal requirements

The EAA, set to take effect in June 2025, introduces comprehensive accessibility standards that will impact a broad range of digital products and services, from e-commerce platforms to public sector websites. As a result, many companies are seeking guidance on navigating this new regulatory landscape.

Business value

The more accessible a product or service is, the wider its potential user base. The heightened focus on accessibility is gradually unveiling hidden barriers that have previously prevented significant segments of the population from engaging with certain solutions.

Ethical Responsibility

Responsible design goes beyond meeting legal obligations. Like the ethical considerations in AI use, accessibility should be pursued as a fundamental principle of empathy and inclusion in digital design. This is a core part of the 1508 ethos.

What does the EEA entail?

The EAA requires each EU country to pass national legislation enforcing accessibility standards based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Preparing for the EAA involves aligning digital solutions with the minimum standard of WCAG 2.1at level AA.

Risks of non-compliance

When a digital product or service fails to comply, a supervisory authority (in Denmark: the Danish Agency for Digitisation) can mandate changes within a set deadline. Continued non-compliance can result in suspension of sales or service offerings.

If a company chooses to view accessibility merely as a legal requirement, it might be tempted to take the risk of non-compliance and hope to remain unnoticed. The real consequences, however, go far beyond legal ramifications. By neglecting accessibility, businesses risk missing out on a potential audience as well as framing their brand as one that disregards inclusivity. In this context, legal penalties may be the least of a business's worries.

How to prepare yourselves

Getting started with accessibility can seem overwhelming. Breaking it down into clear, manageable steps will make the process more approachable. Here's how to start:

Get to know the requirements.

Familiarize yourself with the WCAG success criteria to grasp the scope of the task.

Audit your digital landscape.

Use automated and manual methods to identify gaps. Prioritise issues based on their impact on usability and compliance.

Strategise future development.

Embed accessibility as a core design principle by adapting process models and collaborating effectively with external designers and developers.

How can 1508 help you?

At 1508, responsible design is at the heart of everything we do. We are tapping into the core of our business when addressing the compliance of accessibility standards.

We have tailored services that help you get started on working with accessibility and responsible design:

Communicate?

We facilitate orientations and training in accessibility awareness, as well as consulting and sparring on specific accessibility issues with our clients in their projects.

Analyze and test?

We analyze and audit your existing design systems, products, and services with accessibility and design in mind. An audit consists of a thorough analysis as well as automated testing. We also review our own designs post-launch.

Design?

We take accessibility and inclusion into consideration whenever we design for both new and existing products or services.

Want to find out more? Get in touch: [email protected] or visit our website:

https://1508.dk