The 2025 Website Accessibility Deadline: Are You Ready?

With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) set to be enforced in Ireland by 2025, websites and digital services must be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

This isn’t just about avoiding penalties; it’s about creating a better, more inclusive experience for all your users.

What Does the EAA Mean for Your Business?

The EAA introduces strict standards that both public and private websites must meet to ensure they are accessible to people with a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, and cognitive impairments.

Failing to comply could result in fines of up to €60,000 or imprisonment in severe cases.

Limited exemptions will be granted for small businesses or those where implementing these changes would impose an undue burden.

However, such exceptions will be rare and must be justified, and the majority of businesses are expected to comply with accessibility requirements.

Your website needs to be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. Some of the key requirements include –

• Keyboard navigation for those unable to use a mouse
• Screen reader compatibility to assist visually impaired users
• Text alternatives for images and other non-text elements
• Suitable colour contrast ratio for legibility
• Navigation that is consistent and clear
• Form labelling that is appropriate and descriptive
• Clear and simple language to cater to cognitive impairments

Why Should You Care?

Not only is this a legal requirement, but it’s also an opportunity. Around 1 in 7 people in Ireland live with some form of disability.

By making your site more accessible, you’re opening the door to a significant portion of the population who may otherwise struggle to use your website.

Accessibility isn’t just good ethics – it’s good business. Inclusive websites reach more customers, drive more engagement, and build stronger brand loyalty.

Steps to Ensure Compliance

1. Audit Your Current Site: The first step is identifying gaps in accessibility. This means testing for things like contrast ratios, keyboard navigation, and screen reader usability.
2. Follow WCAG 2.2 AA Guidelines: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the industry standard for digital accessibility. These guidelines ensure that your website is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust – essentially, easy to use for everyone.
3. Make Necessary Changes: Whether you need to tweak your existing site or build a new one, these changes can significantly improve user experience for all visitors, not just those with disabilities.
4. Train Your Team: Ensuring ongoing compliance isn’t a one-time task. Ongoing monitoring is essential, your team needs to be aware of accessibility principles and continue implementing them as they add new content and your site evolves.

The Time to Act Is Now

With the 2025 deadline fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get ahead. Don’t wait until it’s too late to make your website compliant.

At Friday, we can help you audit your current compliance or even build a new, fully accessible site from the ground up.

Accessibility isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about creating a better experience for all your users.

If you’re ready to future-proof your website, get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help you meet the 2025 requirements – while enhancing the user experience for everyone.