Ready for the European Accessibility Act? Why Document Accessibility Can’t Wait

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which comes into force on June 28^th 2025, is a step forward in a long process of recognising the rights and needs of disabled people. Designed to ensure that key products and services are accessible to all, the EAA will place legally binding accessibility obligations on businesses operating in the EU.

Critically, these requirements extend to every user interaction – be that websites, mobile apps, self-service terminals, or, notably, the accessibility of digital documents. For instance, customer-facing PDFs, invoices, contracts, and user guides must be compatible with screen readers, use structured tagging, and follow clear visual hierarchies to support users with visual, cognitive, or motor impairments.

But for many businesses, getting their documents organised, audited, and aligned with EAA criteria is a daunting task. This is especially true when files are scattered across departments, formats, and legacy systems. Without a unified platform, there's no clear way to ensure consistency, auditability, or that documents are delivered in one accessible, compliant piece – and at the speed customers expect.

With the deadline fast approaching, businesses must act now. Not only so that they can avoid potential penalties, but so they can demonstrate a genuine commitment to inclusion, helping those with disabilities to access the information they need, whenever they need it.

Compliance as a competitive advantage

UK organisations typically align with global standards outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards ensure that digital services, including websites and mobile apps, are accessible to everyone. Ultimately, the WCAG requires that users are able to recognise and interact with a service through the senses that are available to them.

In addition to the WCAG, UK-based companies will now also need to consider the impact of the EAA. As a significant and far-reaching piece of legislation, the EAA applies to manufacturers, their authorised representatives, importers, distributors, and service providers, across both the public and private sectors. Even though the UK is no longer in the EU, the rules still matter for any UK-based company that serve EU customers. That means thousands of organisations here in the UK need to make sure their services meet these new accessibility standards.

If they don’t, organisations could face huge financial ramifications. The act mandates that penalties are “effective, proportionate, and dissuasive”, meaning they’re likely to be tough enough to make businesses take notice. Meanwhile, with public awareness growing fast, any failures in accessibility can quickly become a reputational risk – pushing customers to take their business elsewhere.

There’s also the chance that individuals or advocacy groups will bring legal actions against individuals if they fail to adhere to the standards. Accessibility failures can quickly become public, especially if they impact vulnerable groups. This can lead to lost customer trust, impacting brands’ bottom-lines as customers turn to their competitors.

But meeting these standards isn’t just about regulatory compliance. It’s a commercial imperative. Globally, those with disabilities hold almost £1 trillion of the world’s annual disposable income. However, a recent survey of the top one million websites found nearly 96% had detectable failures in adherence to the WCAG.

Why accessible documents are core to EAA compliance

As the EAA comes into force, it’s essential for organisations to embed accessibility across all functions. Central to this are documents, which form the backbone of customer communication. From contracts to bills and policy updates, these materials must be accessible to meet the EAA’s standards.

To comply, documents must be machine-readable, structured with proper headings, and include alternative text for images. They must also be available in formats like audio, braille, or large print to meet diverse needs. Users must be able to request and receive accessible versions of documents immediately, including critical communications like billing notices and service confirmations.

Beyond static content, all customer communication processes, including support and complaints handling, must also meet accessibility standards. This applies to PDFs, printed letters, and email attachments, ensuring they’re accessible to people with visual, cognitive, or hearing impairments. The EAA also encourages multichannel support, allowing users to access information in their preferred format.

Employing the right strategies

Theres a multitude of communication software out there that is capable of creating accessible documents, yet many businesses fail to fully take advantage of this capability. The key to seamless compliance lies in integrating accessibility early in the document lifecycle. Embedding accessibility from the outset ensures companies are better protected and reduces potential risks of non-compliance.

Customer Communications Management (CCM) tools can create documents that are accessible from the beginning, whilst tracking and fully auditing communication trails and document changes through an automated approval process. This functionality offers proof of document standardisation upon delivery, alleviating concerns if documents are altered externally. For regulatory bodies, this clear audit trail serves as critical evidence that documents adhere to required standards.

With the EAA in place, if a customer requests a document from previous years, it must be made accessible immediately. Given that most businesses store numerous archived documents for each customer, retrofitting accessibility to these records can seem overwhelming. But the right CCM tools can be used to make altering even archived documents into an accessible format quick and easy. These tools can even index these documents based on text content and legal significance, allowing them to be retrieved quickly by whoever needs them, whenever they need them.

Having one centralised system to manage and access all customer documents can significantly streamline compliance with these requirements. These platforms can consolidate and centralise communications from multiple sources, allowing businesses to manage and access documents in a single location. This helps ensure documents are delivered in the right format and through the channel preferred by the recipient. For example, a customer who has visual impairments can request to receive a billing notice in braille, while another might prefer an audio version or large-print document.

Mind the accessibility gap

As the EAA deadline looms, closing the accessibility gap is no longer optional – it’s essential. According to Forrester, customer-obsessed organisations, that prioritise customer needs, including accessibility, reported 41% faster revenue growth, 49% faster profit growth, and 51% better customer retention compared to non-customer-obsessed organisations. Prioritising the tools now that are needed for document accessibility, can help businesses prepare for the EAA – whilst reaching more customers, building trust, and maintaining a competitive advantage.

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