Accessibility
European Accessibility Act, WCAG standards, and making your site usable for everyone.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) takes full effect on 28 June 2025, requiring businesses selling products or services online to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. In the Netherlands, the ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) is the enforcement authority. This is not just about public sector websites anymore, private businesses with a website are now in scope. Not meeting these requirements can result in enforcement actions, fines, and exclusion from public procurement.
Key facts
- •The EAA applies to all businesses selling products or services to consumers in the EU from 28 June 2025
- •In the Netherlands, the ACM can impose fines up to €900,000 or 1% of annual turnover
- •96.3% of the top 1 million websites have detectable accessibility errors (WebAIM 2024)
- •The most common issues are missing alt text, low contrast text, empty links, and missing form labels
- •Accessibility overlays and widgets do not make websites accessible, multiple lawsuits have confirmed this
What we check
- ✓Automated WCAG 2.1 AA testing with axe-core
- ✓Color contrast ratio verification
- ✓Alt text presence on all meaningful images
- ✓Keyboard navigation and focus management
- ✓Form label associations and ARIA attributes
Web accessibility: good vs. bad examples
Images without alt text
Product photos and banner images with empty or missing alt attributes. Screen readers announce these as "image" or skip them entirely, making the content inaccessible to visually impaired visitors. WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires text alternatives for all non-decorative images.
Descriptive alt text on images
Every meaningful image has alt text that describes its content: "Chef preparing pasta in restaurant kitchen" rather than "IMG_4521" or "photo". Decorative images use empty alt attributes (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
Low contrast text
Light grey text (#999) on a white background, or white text on a pastel-coloured banner. WCAG 2.1 AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Low contrast makes content unreadable for people with low vision.
Sufficient colour contrast
Body text uses dark colours (#1a1a1a or similar) on light backgrounds, meeting the 4.5:1 ratio. Buttons and links have distinct hover/focus states. Colour is never the only way to convey information (e.g. error states also use icons or text).
Form fields without labels
Contact or signup forms that use placeholder text as the only label. When a user starts typing, the placeholder disappears and they can no longer see what the field is for. Screen readers cannot identify unlabelled fields.
Properly labelled form fields
Every input field has a visible <label> element linked via the for/id attribute. Placeholder text is used as a hint, not a replacement. Required fields are marked with both visual and programmatic indicators.
Relying on an accessibility overlay
Installing a widget like AccessiBe or UserWay instead of fixing actual accessibility issues. Courts in the US and EU have ruled that overlays do not make websites accessible. They can actually make things worse by interfering with real assistive technology.
Native accessibility built into the design
Semantic HTML (headings, landmarks, lists), keyboard-navigable menus, visible focus indicators and skip-to-content links. These built-in features work with all assistive technologies without needing third-party plugins.
Images without alt text
Product photos and banner images with empty or missing alt attributes. Screen readers announce these as "image" or skip them entirely, making the content inaccessible to visually impaired visitors. WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires text alternatives for all non-decorative images.
Low contrast text
Light grey text (#999) on a white background, or white text on a pastel-coloured banner. WCAG 2.1 AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Low contrast makes content unreadable for people with low vision.
Form fields without labels
Contact or signup forms that use placeholder text as the only label. When a user starts typing, the placeholder disappears and they can no longer see what the field is for. Screen readers cannot identify unlabelled fields.
Relying on an accessibility overlay
Installing a widget like AccessiBe or UserWay instead of fixing actual accessibility issues. Courts in the US and EU have ruled that overlays do not make websites accessible. They can actually make things worse by interfering with real assistive technology.
Descriptive alt text on images
Every meaningful image has alt text that describes its content: "Chef preparing pasta in restaurant kitchen" rather than "IMG_4521" or "photo". Decorative images use empty alt attributes (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
Sufficient colour contrast
Body text uses dark colours (#1a1a1a or similar) on light backgrounds, meeting the 4.5:1 ratio. Buttons and links have distinct hover/focus states. Colour is never the only way to convey information (e.g. error states also use icons or text).
Properly labelled form fields
Every input field has a visible <label> element linked via the for/id attribute. Placeholder text is used as a hint, not a replacement. Required fields are marked with both visual and programmatic indicators.
Native accessibility built into the design
Semantic HTML (headings, landmarks, lists), keyboard-navigable menus, visible focus indicators and skip-to-content links. These built-in features work with all assistive technologies without needing third-party plugins.
Related guides
Accessibility Statement Template for UK Businesses (2026)
Accessibility statement template for UK private sector businesses. What to include, why it matters for Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustments, and a full sample text ready to adapt.
Does the European Accessibility Act Apply to Your Business?
The EAA became enforceable in June 2025. Find out if it applies to your business, what it requires and what happens if you don't comply.
EAA Penalties: What Happens If Your Website Isn't Accessible
The European Accessibility Act is enforceable. Here are the penalties for non-compliance and what enforcement looks like in practice.
EHRC Investigations of Websites: When and How They Trigger
How the EHRC investigates website accessibility under the Equality Act 2006. Section 21 unlawful-act notices, what triggers formal EHRC action, and how organisations should respond.
Equality Act Damages: How Vento Bands Set the Range for UK Accessibility Claims
How Equality Act 2010 damages work for UK website accessibility claims. Vento bands for injury to feelings, actual financial losses, and why most cases settle. No regulatory fines — this is civil damages.
WCAG 2.2 AA in UK Law: How the Standard Plays Into Equality Act Cases
WCAG 2.2 AA is not directly law for private UK businesses but is the benchmark courts and the EHRC use in Equality Act cases. How WCAG 2.2 differs from 2.1, what PSBAR 2018 mandates, and what failing specific WCAG criteria means in legal terms.
Website accessibility and the Equality Act 2010
The EAA does not apply in the UK. Website accessibility is governed by the Equality Act 2010 anticipatory duty. WCAG 2.1 AA as de facto benchmark, EHRC enforcement and public sector PSBAR 2018.
Website Accessibility Under the Equality Act 2010: What UK Businesses Owe
How the Equality Act 2010 applies to UK business websites. Section 20 reasonable adjustments, section 29 services duty, WCAG 2.2 AA as evidence of reasonableness, and how claims work.
5 quick accessibility wins for your UK small business website
Five concrete fixes that take hours, not weeks, to implement and align your site with WCAG 2.1 and the Equality Act 2010.
Accessibility Statement: What It Is and How to Write One
An accessibility statement shows your commitment to an accessible website. Here's what to include and a template you can use.
Restaurant Website Accessibility: Menu, Booking & Ordering
Your restaurant website menu, booking form and ordering system need to be accessible. Here's what to fix and how to do it.
Website Accessibility Overlays vs. Real Compliance
Accessibility overlays promise a one-click fix but don't deliver. Learn why they fail and what actually works.
Hotel Website Accessibility: Making Booking Work for Everyone
Hotel booking systems need to work for everyone. Here's how to make your hotel website accessible and meet EAA requirements.
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