The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is reshaping how digital products and services are designed and delivered across the EU. Enforced to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities, the EAA sets specific accessibility requirements for a wide range of industries including banking, e-commerce, telecom, and transport. As the compliance deadline of June 28, 2025, approaches, organizations must urgently address accessibility gaps. This is where EAA Accessibility Testing and Digital Accessibility Remediation Services come into play.
In this blog, we explore best practices for EAA accessibility testing and how businesses can adopt a structured, efficient, and legally sound approach to compliance.
Understanding the EAA: What’s at Stake?
The EAA mandates that digital interfaces—websites, mobile apps, ATMs, e-readers, and more—must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR), aligning closely with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
Failure to comply can lead to:
- Legal consequences and penalties
- Reputational damage
- Lost market access across EU countries
- Missed opportunities to engage a broader customer base, including the aging population and people with disabilities
Hence, proactive accessibility testing and remediation are no longer optional—they are business-critical.
EAA Accessibility Testing: What It Involves
Accessibility testing ensures that digital platforms are usable by people with a range of disabilities including visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments. For EAA compliance, the testing process typically involves:
- Manual Audits using screen readers and assistive technologies
- Automated Scanning for quick identification of WCAG violations
- User Testing with people with disabilities
- Code-level Review to trace accessibility issues to the source
Best Practices for EAA Accessibility Testing
Here are the top best practices to help your organization align with EAA standards effectively:
1. Begin with a Comprehensive Accessibility Audit
Start by performing a full audit of your digital platforms. Use both automated and manual techniques to assess compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.
Tip: Automated tools like Axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse are helpful for detecting common issues, but they only catch about 30–40% of accessibility errors. Manual testing is essential to capture more nuanced usability barriers.
2. Integrate Accessibility into the Development Lifecycle
Accessibility should not be a bolt-on after product launch. Embedded accessibility testing in the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) from the start.
- During design: Ensure UI/UX designs follow accessibility principles
- During development: Implement semantic HTML, ARIA labels, and keyboard-friendly navigation
- During testing: Use assistive technologies to simulate real-world usage
Pro Tip: Use a shift-left testing approach to reduce late-stage remediation costs.
3. Engage with Real Users for Testing
Automated tools and expert reviews are vital, but nothing replaces testing with real users who have disabilities. Their feedback uncovers practical issues that are often missed otherwise.
For example:
- Can a visually impaired user easily complete an e-commerce checkout?
- Can a hearing-impaired person navigate a video tutorial with captions and transcripts?
4. Prioritize Critical User Journeys
To make the testing effort manageable, prioritize high-impact pages and user journeys such as login, registration, checkout, and search functionality.
Focus areas:
- Form fields and error messages
- Interactive elements like sliders, modals, and accordions
- Multimedia content
- PDF documents
5. Implement Digital Accessibility Remediation Services
After identifying accessibility gaps, remediation is the next step. Digital accessibility remediation services help fix issues in:
- Code (HTML, CSS, JS)
- Content (text alternatives, headings, labels)
- Design (contrast ratios, focus indicators)
Choose a remediation partner who understands both technical standards and user experience. They should offer:
- Customized remediation plans
- Expert developers trained in accessibility
- Continuous monitoring and maintenance support
6. Documentation and Compliance Reporting
Maintain detailed documentation of your testing and remediation efforts. This includes:
- Accessibility audit reports
- WCAG conformance statements
- User testing summaries
- Remediation logs
Proper documentation not only aids internal tracking but is also essential during external audits or when responding to legal challenges.
7. Train Your Teams on Accessibility
Sustainable compliance requires a culture of accessibility. Train developers, designers, content creators, and QA engineers on:
- Accessibility fundamentals
- Tools and techniques for accessible development
- Their roles in ensuring digital inclusion
This minimizes future violations and reduces reliance on costly rework.
Future-Proofing with Continuous Monitoring
Accessibility is not a one-time effort. With evolving content, software updates, and changing regulations, it’s crucial to adopt ongoing monitoring.
Set up:
- Periodic accessibility scans
- User feedback loops
- Scheduled manual audits
This ensures that your platforms remain compliant with the EAA and future-proof against new legislative developments.
Final Thoughts
The EAA is ushering in a new era of digital inclusion across Europe. Organizations that act now will not only avoid legal risks but also unlock the potential of wider customer engagement and brand loyalty.
By adopting best practices in EAA accessibility testing and partnering with expert digital accessibility remediation services, businesses can confidently meet compliance requirements—and more importantly, create equitable digital experiences for all users.
Need help with EAA compliance?
Talk to our accessibility experts today and discover how our Digital Accessibility Remediation Services can transform your digital assets into inclusive, compliant platforms.
