Upcoming Website Accessibility Requirements – June 2025
From June 28th, 2025, a new EU-wide law, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), will come into effect. This legislation requires that all websites, apps, and digital services meet a minimum of WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards, ensuring they are usable for individuals with a wide range of disabilities.
The EAA applies to all businesses operating in the EU, including those in Ireland. While microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees and less than €2 million annual turnover) may receive some leniency, non-compliance could lead to enforcement actions, including fines and legal repercussions.
You can read more about the legislation here: NDA – European Accessibility Act
At OSD Digital Agency, we are actively supporting our clients in preparing for these changes.
We offer assistance in two key stages:
1 Accessibility Review
We’ll perform a review of your website homepage and internal page to assess its current compliance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA guidelines and identify key areas for improvement and will check on areas such as examples below:
- Colour and Contrast
- Missing or Inaccurate Labels
- Non-text Content Without Alternative Text
- Sensory-Only Cues and Navigation Barriers
- ARIA, Structural, and Code Quality Issues
- Skip-to-Content
- Keyboard Navigation
2 Implementation Plan – Two Phases
Phase One
Address common accessibility issues across your site’s global elements such as headers, footers, navigation, branding colours and templates—delivering benefits across all pages.
Phase Two
Conduct a more in-depth, page-by-page analysis to ensure compliance at a detailed level, including forms, branding, content, media, and functionality.
Accessibility Statement Page
The Accessibility Statement page will be updated to reflect the current status of the site and listing any exclusions, etc.
Exclusions
OSD will endeavor to update the source code output from the website to be WCAG 2.2 AA compliant where possible and OSD will list out any exclusions that may apply and if any options on these can be checked further and/or Accessibility Statement updated to reflect any exclusions.
Benefits of Accessibility Compliance
- Improving the website to meet WCAG 2.2AA standards delivers benefits for both visitors and the clients team:
- Inclusive Experience – Ensures that people of all abilities, including those using assistive technologies (screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice input), can engage with the client services.
- Legal & Ethical Responsibility – Aligns the website with accessibility legislation and best practice guidelines, reducing the risk of non-compliance issues.
- Wider Audience Reach – Makes the site usable for a broader audience, including older visitors and those on mobile devices with varying network conditions.
- Improved Usability & SEO – Accessibility improvements often enhance overall site usability and search engine optimisation (SEO), helping more people discover Cape Clear Ferries online.
- Reputation & Leadership – Demonstrates commitment to inclusivity and leadership in the community, reinforcing its mission and values.
OSD build websites with accessibility in mind, so your site may already meet some of these requirements. However, with the new legislation approaching, now is a great time to confirm compliance and address any gaps.
If you would like us to review your website and provide a proposal, please get in touch with the team at OSD.