If you’re not compliant with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) by the June 28, 2025 deadline, it’s possible you can face penalties, but you can mitigate your risk of penalty through the two T’s: transparency and taking action.
When we look through the language of the Directive, we see some threads of what the best course of action is in the event of non-compliance:
- take corrective measures
- inform the authorities
- giving details of the non-compliance
- keep a register
- provide all information and documentation
- cooperate with that authority
And, by the way, there will be many non-compliant entities who waited too long to start working on accessibility. This is a bad position to be in, but we can put ourselves in the best position going forward.
Next Steps
Here are steps you can take:
- Provide an accessibility statement (or other public document) with necessary information
- Prepare all necessary internal documentation
- Accurately portray where you stand currently
Also, outline:
- Progress made
- Steps taken
- Investments made (e.g., audits, remediation, training)
- Accessibility policy
Next, create a plan that shows the path to compliance.
- Be specific, include details
- State realistic timeline
- Name resources allocated to accessibility
- Internal reviews and policies to ensure progress
Record-Keeping
Maintaining records is essential to EAA compliance. For any efforts in furtherance of accessibility and compliance, keep records of your documents:
- Hiring third-party companies (e.g., Accessible.org)
- Meeting minutes on accessibility
- Internal processes for implementing accessibility
- Logs from consultation sessions with experts
- Progress made and milestones met
Don’t List
We mentioned the two T’s, take action and transparency, now let’s go over the three don’ts:
- Don’t ignore obligations and requirements
- Don’t misrepresent your compliance
- Don’t wait until a penalty to take action
Summary
You’ll be surprised how much progress you can make by taking immediate action. Although you can’t become EAA compliant in a week, you can set yourself up for success in a week by building a framework and path forward for compliance.
If member state monitoring authorities find that you’re non-compliant by the June 28, 2025 deadline, they move forward with a penalty, but you’ll be in a much better position if you’ve been proactive in working towards compliance vs. ignoring your obligations and requirements.
Do you need help becoming compliant with the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?
Accessible.org is my digital accessibility company with numerous resources to help you start working on EAA compliance. We also offer services and products to support your efforts.
We’d love to help you. Feel free to email me at kris@accessible.org or send us a message and we’ll be right with you.