In part one, I made the business case clear that the European Accessibility Act is about to rewrite the rules of digital engagement across the EU. However, awareness alone won’t shield you from six-figure penalties or steadily losing customers to more inclusive competitors.
What you need now is a precise plan.
In this follow-up, I’ll unpack the execution, including the audits, quick wins, team upskilling, and continuous monitoring that transform accessibility compliance from a one‑off project into a competitive advantage baked into every sprint.
The six‑step accessibility compliance
Web accessibility compliance requires more than a quick scan of your homepage. Below is a six‑step process that turns compliance into an organization‑wide habit.
1. Audit what you already have
Start with a baseline and automate the low‑hanging fruit. Use an online accessibility checker to flag missing alt‑text, improper heading order, and contrast failures. Follow up with manual walkthroughs on keyboards and screen readers to catch the subtleties no robot can detect. Then, the defects against real user journeys should be documented so stakeholders see context as well as error codes.
2. Fix the obvious, high‑impact issues first
Most audits reveal that a handful of patterns (poor contrast, empty form labels, focus‑order traps, for example) cause the majority of barriers.
Because these issues often sit in shared templates or components, one fix can uplift hundreds of pages. Removing them early delivers immediate wins to users and momentum to the project team.
3. Bake accessibility into every design and code decision
Retrofitting is expensive; native accessibility is economical. Update your design system with accessible color palettes, annotated wireframes, and documented keyboard behavior for each component.
In development, prioritize semantic HTML over divitis and classitis, use ARIA roles sparingly and purposefully, and expose visible focus indicators. Make linting rules and pull‑request templates that veto non‑compliant code before it ever reaches staging.
4. Upskill your people
Run workshops for UX designers on color contrast tools and inclusive copywriting. Train developers to test with NVDA or VoiceOver (for macOS). You can also coach QA engineers to include keyboard navigation in their definition of “done.”
The learning curve flattens quickly once teams experience the benefits firsthand. Remember, accessibility is a shared literacy.
5. Monitor, document, and iterate
Publish an accessibility compliance statement that outlines progress and forthcoming improvements; it signals transparency to customers and regulators alike. Embed automated scans into nightly builds, set thresholds, and fail the pipeline if regressions appear. Treat accessibility metrics, including contrast ratio defects, unlabeled controls, and heading hierarchy depth, the same way you track performance budgets.
6. Call in specialist support when needed
An accredited accessibility partner can perform deep audits, assistive‑technology user testing, and staff coaching in a fraction of the time it takes most organizations to develop in‑house expertise.
External validation also adds credibility if regulators ever question your due diligence efforts.
Testing Methods That Work in the Real World
A robust programme combines three complementary approaches:
- Automated scanning catches around 30-40% of WCAG failures and delivers rapid feedback during day‑to‑day development.
- Manual expert review fills the gap. Keyboard testing ensures that every interactive path is reachable without a mouse. Focus‑visible states confirm users never lose their place. Screen‑reader walkthroughs validate that icons, graphs, and dynamic regions announce the correct information in the right order.
- User testing with assistive technology provides the gold standard. Entrusting your prototype or beta release to people who rely on screen readers, alternative input devices, or magnification software will uncover blockers that no internal checklist predicts.
The European Accessibility Act timeline
Leaving accessibility compliance until 2026 risks years of rolling fines and reputational damage. Large enterprises often need eighteen months or more to retrofit a complex estate
Conversely, early movers reap measurable upside. Accessible design reduces bounce rates, increases average visit duration, and improves conversion because friction points disappear. Clean semantic code shrinks page weight and boosts Core Web Vitals.
A transparent commitment to inclusion enhances employer brand and helps win public‑sector tenders that increasingly mandate proof of compliance.
Lead the market and act now
Accessibility has traveled the same path as data privacy: once dismissed as a niche concern, it is now cemented in law and public expectation. The European Accessibility Act gives organizations a clear deadline and a clear standard to uphold.
Those who adapt using accessibility solutions have the potential to tap into a global market worth an estimated €2 trillion in spending power and demonstrate a brand ethos grounded in empathy and innovation.
Ready to take the next step into web inclusivity? Find out more about how our accessibility services ensure your content can be experienced by everyone, regardless of their language, culture, or ability.
Written by Suzy Beech
