We've had a handful of calls recently from clients who sell to European customers, all asking roughly the same thing: "We got an email from our EU distributor about accessibility. Is this something we need to worry about?"
For some of them, yes.
What the European Accessibility Act is
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU law that requires certain products and services to be accessible to people with disabilities. For digital services, the requirements apply from 28 June 2025.
It covers things like:
- E-commerce websites and apps selling to consumers in the EU
- Banking and financial services
- E-books and e-reading software
- Transport ticketing and information
- Some communication services
The technical benchmark is the European standard EN 301 549, which in practice lines up closely with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA.
Does it apply to a company in India?
The law is about who you sell to, not where you're based. If your online store sells to consumers in the EU, or your SaaS product is offered to EU users in a covered category, it can apply to you.
There are exemptions. Microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover under €2 million) providing services are generally exempt. B2B-only services may fall outside some parts. We're developers, not lawyers, so if you're unsure, talk to someone who knows EU law. But don't assume you're automatically out of scope just because you're not in Europe.
What "accessible" means in practice
Most of the work is practical and not mysterious:
- All images that carry meaning have proper alternative text.
- The site can be used with a keyboard alone, with visible focus indicators.
- Text has enough contrast against its background.
- Forms have clear labels and error messages that explain what went wrong.
- Videos have captions.
- The page structure uses proper headings, so screen reader users can navigate.
- Nothing relies on colour alone to convey information.
How we approach an audit
- Automated scan. Tools like axe or Lighthouse catch maybe a third of issues: missing alt text, low contrast, missing labels.
- Manual keyboard test. We put the mouse away and try to complete key journeys, like browsing a product and checking out.
- Screen reader test. NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on iPhone.
- Prioritised fix list. Problems that block a purchase or form submission come first.
For a typical small e-commerce site, an audit and fixes take a few weeks. Sites built with accessibility in mind from the start need much less.
Even if it doesn't apply to you
Accessibility isn't only a European concern. India has its own rules under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, especially for government and public-facing services. And beyond the legal side, an estimated one in six people worldwide live with some form of disability. Many more have temporary issues, like a broken arm, or situational ones, like bright sunlight on a phone screen.
An accessible website is simply a website more people can use. That's a good reason on its own.
