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The A11y Path

This blog aims to cover: W3C Guidelines, Assistive Technologies (AT), European Accessibility (EN 301 549), and more.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA)

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#was #en301549 #journal

While reading resourses EN 301 549, I kept seeing the European Accessibility Act (EAA) pop up, especially in updates to the standard. So I paused to read about it a bit, and here's what I picked up:

What is EAA Is

The European Accessibility Act is an EU directive that aims to make certain products and services more accessible across Europe, The EAA doesn't cover just websites. The EAA covers transport apps, ATMs, e-books etc. It was adopted in 2019 and is supposed to be enforced across EU member states by 28 June 2025. 👀 (Yes, this year.)

What the EAA Covers

The EAA covers to a broad set of ICT-related areas, including:

  • Websites and mobile apps of private businesses

  • E-commerce platforms

  • E-books and e-readers

  • Banking services and terminals (like ATMs)

  • Ticket machines and check-in kiosks

  • Transport information services

  • Telecom services (like calls, messaging, 112 emergency access)

    How It Relates to EN 301 549

    The EAA is a legislation (Directive 2019/882) adopted by the EU to ensure accessibility of products and services for persons with disabilities across the EU.

    EN 301 549 is a harmonized European standard that outlines "Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services." It is developed by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation), and CENELEC. The standard's purpose is to provide a comprehensive set of accessibility criteria for a wide range of ICT, including hardware, software, web content, and documents.

    EN 301 549 is being updated to support the EAA, meaning new clauses and revisions are based on what the EAA demands.

    So EN 301 549 is the technical standard (the how), the EAA is the law (the why). The Act creates the legal requirement, and the standard provides the technical compliance path.

    So when the EAA says, products and services must be accessible it relies on EN 301 549 (or similar harmonized standards) to define what "accessible" means in practice.

    Why This Matters for WAS Prep

    Even though the WAS exam focuses more on web accessibility and EN 301 549 (not policy enforcement), understanding the EAA gives good context for why accessibility standards are expanding.

    Scope and Application of EN 301 549

    The scope of EN 301 549 is broad, it covers a diverse range of ICT. The standard details specific accessibility requirements for:

    • Hardware (Section 8): This includes general requirements, standard connections, colour considerations, speech output features (volume gain, magnetic coupling), stationary ICT physical accessibility (reach, clearance, visibility), and mechanically operable parts (numeric keys, operation force, tickets).
    • Software (Section 11): Accessibility for software is broken down into key principles mirroring the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):
      • Perceivable: Covering text alternatives, time-based media, adaptability, and distinguishability.
      • Operable: Focusing on keyboard accessibility, sufficient time, handling seizures and physical reactions, navigability, and input modalities.
      • Understandable: Addressing readability, predictability, and input assistance.
      • Robust: Primarily focusing on compatibility.
      • Interoperability with Assistive Technology: Including closed functionality, accessibility services, and documented accessibility usage.
      • User Preferences: Allowing users to control accessibility features.
      • Authoring Tools: Specific requirements for tools used to create accessible content.
    • Web Content (Section 9): The standard aligns heavily with WCAG 2.1, incorporating many of its success criteria. This is evident in the detailed tables mapping requirements to WCAG principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).
    • Non-web Documents (Section 10): Similar to web content, non-web documents downloadable from a web page are subject to accessibility requirements, also aligning with WCAG 2.1 success criteria.
    • ICT Providing Relay or Emergency Service Access (Section 13): Specific requirements are outlined for text, sign, lip-reading, captioned telephony, and speech-to-speech relay services, as well as access to emergency services.
    • Documentation and Support Services (Section 12): Accessible product documentation and support services are also included within the scope.

    Who Needs to Comply?

    Compliance with EN 301 549 has been mandatory for EU public sector websites and mobile applications since 2019 under the Web Accessibility Directive. With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) set to take effect in June 2025, the scope of compliance will expand to include most private-sector organizations operating within the EU. This means that even businesses outside Europe, if they offer digital products or services to EU consumers, will need to adhere to EN 301 549 standards.

    Global Adoption

    EN 301 549's influence extends beyond Europe. Countries like Australia and Canada have adopted versions of the standard. AS EN 301 549 and CAN/ASC - EN 301 549, respectively. Other nations, including Japan, India, and Kenya, are also developing accessibility standards inspired by EN 301 549,

    Next up: EN 301 549 itself, the tech standard that translates all this into concrete requirements (and tables 😅).