Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 03.04.2025 
Digital spaces should be built for everyone. The European Accessibility Act comes into force on 28th June 2025, making digital accessibility the legal responsibility of all EU businesses.
16% of the world’s population have a disability – that’s an estimated 1.3 billion people. Each individual has varying needs which need to be accounted for when ensuring the accessibility of digital products.
While the Equality Act 2010 already requires all UK businesses to make reasonable adjustments for accessibility, the incoming European Accessibility Act is a significant shift that will affect all brands serving EU consumers.
June 2025 is closer than you think. Here is a quick breakdown of what you need to know.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act is a landmark piece of legislation that will become EU law in June 2025. Its goal is to create a unified standard of accessibility across the EU, ensuring digital products and services are accessible to everyone – regardless of ability. Any brands trading with European consumers will have to take action.
This will give as many disabled people as possible full access to digital and electronic facilities, including banking apps, ATMs and transport platforms.
The Act directly references the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – a useful framework that can help determine how much of a workup your website needs.
What does this mean for your brand?
Here is the bottom line: if you’re not designing with accessibility in mind, you’re leaving people out.
Inclusive design isn’t just ethical, it’s good business. By failing to embed accessibility into your digital experience, you’re not only risking legal action or reputational damage – you’re alienating a vast and often underserved audience.
Adding options to adjust text size and contrast, providing text alternatives and screen readers can help bridge this gap. This allows everyone to be a part of the conversation online.
Champion inclusivity with IDHL
Every website is different and there is no one-size-fits-all to making yours more accessible. The road ahead is filled with website audits, top-to-bottom redesigns and rethinking user journeys. This may seem like a lot to take in, but IDHL is here to guide you every step of the way.
We’ve developed a guide to accessibility to get you on the right track and ensure your business is prepared for June 2025. It’s your go-to guide for understanding the upcoming European Accessibility Act and what it means for your brand.
IDHL are finalists at the UK Digital Excellence Awards 2025 and have been shortlisted for both Stand Out B2B Website of the Year and Stand Out eCommerce Website of the Year.
