Accessibility is about more than compliance. It’s what allows people to participate fully in everyday life, from managing finances to accessing public transport or getting help in an emergency.

From 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will introduce new rules covering everything from websites and apps to ticket machines and telephony services. And while the UK isn’t part of the EU, these rules still apply to UK-based organisations that offer goods or services to customers in EU countries.

The good news? If you’re already designing with accessibility in mind, you’re likely doing much of what’s required already. The EAA isn’t about adding pressure. It’s about giving us all a push in the right direction.

Understanding the EAA: More than a legal update

If you or your organisation have already been working to current accessibility standards (like WCAG 2.2 or EN 301 549), the EAA won’t ask you to start from scratch. Instead, it reinforces what many teams are already doing, creating services that are inclusive, user-centred and designed to work for more people.

It also brings much-needed consistency. The EAA sets shared accessibility standards across all EU member states. That means fewer fragmented regulations, less duplication for businesses and better outcomes for people with access needs.

The law applies to a wide range of services and products, including:

  • Websites and mobile applications
  • Computers, smartphones and operating systems
  • Banking and e-commerce platforms
  • ATMs, ticketing and vending machines
  • Public transport services
  • Telephony equipment and TV hardware
  • Emergency services like the 112 phone line

These are the kinds of services that millions of people rely on to stay connected, informed and independent. If your organisation provides any of these in the EU — even from the UK — the EAA will apply. Preparing now means you can make changes gradually and with confidence.

From principles to practice: What the EAA actually means

The EAA isn’t just an ambition. It sets out clear expectations for how digital services should work for everyone. At its core are the POUR principles of accessibility:

  • Perceivable — content must be presented in ways that users can recognise and understand, whether through sight, sound or touch
  • Operable — all functionality must be usable without relying on interactions that not everyone can perform, like precise gestures or mouse use
  • Understandable — the way your service works, and the language it uses, must be clear, consistent and predictable
  • Robust — content must be built so that it works reliably across different browsers, devices and assistive technologies and strategies

These principles are not just technical criteria. They’re a way to frame inclusive design in practice. For example, ensuring colour contrast and font size supports people with low vision, or that forms can be navigated using a keyboard, not just a mouse. They mean providing alternative text for images, avoiding jargon and checking that content reads well with screen readers and if users zoom in.

Following POUR helps uncover and remove barriers before they exclude someone. The EAA puts these expectations into law, giving them the formal backing they’ve long deserved.

What you can do right now

If you’re unsure where to start, focus on understanding your current position and building a plan. The earlier you begin, the easier it is to adapt without stress or disruption.

Here are some steps you can start with:

  • Read the European Commission’s guidance
  • Speak to internal teams and clients about how the EAA might affect your services
  • Conduct an accessibility audit to identify risks or gaps
  • Prioritise improvements based on impact and feasibility
  • Embed accessibility into every stage of delivery from discovery to support

Most importantly, don’t treat compliance as a one-off milestone. Accessibility is an ongoing process and it’s always worth investing in.

Where Hippo can help

The EAA is coming, but it’s not something to fear. It’s an opportunity to do better, to bring more people into your services and to strengthen how your organisation delivers.

Wherever you are in your accessibility journey, this is a good moment to pause, reflect and move forward with confidence.

At Hippo, accessibility is part of how we work day to day. Our teams think about it from the very start, across all our professions, not just design. We’re always learning and always aiming to do better.

If your organisation is trying to understand the impact of the EAA, or where you stand more broadly with accessibility, we can help you make sense of it. That might mean reviewing existing services, running workshops or embedding accessibility more deeply into delivery.

We don’t believe accessibility should be something that sits on the side. It should be part of how services are built and it should feel achievable, not overwhelming.

Because designing with people, not just for them, is how we build services that work for everyone.