Susanna Laurin (CPACC)

A6: A big myth is that the #EAA only applies to websites—it doesn’t. It covers banking, transport, e-books, e-commerce, and more. Another myth? That accessibility is expensive. In truth, retrofits are costly—building access in from the start saves money and includes more people. #AXSChat

Indeed. And that is exactly what we (or rather, upcoming generations) need. How do we make it happen? #AXSChat

Human Factor TC / EN 301 549 · GitLab Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (select "Wiki" in the side menu for an overview)

Q6 Myth C: “If we fullfil WCAG, we are all fine“. Not true. The Annexes of #EAA have all requirements. The EN standards, where EN301549 is the main one, will cover the technical specifications. Current status of the review: labs.etsi.org/rep/HF/en301... #AXSChat

Q6 Myth B: “EAA is an extension of WAD“. It is not. This is a different legislation. Scope, enforcement and reporting differ from WAD. #AXSChat

Q6 Myth A: “The grace periods – I don’t need to comply until 2023!” Nope. Except for some very specific cases, the deadline is 28 June 2025. #AXSChat

Agree! Should be compulsory from primary school onwards. #AXSChat

Q5 Good question. I am not even close to being an expert on this, but I would think that “common requirements across the EU“ is a good driver. #AXSChat

To me this is taking ownership of EAA in the EU. We don't have to replicate the bad habits of the US. We can do accessibility another way. #AXSChat

I make sure to always have at least one ship ready to set off from the dock 😀 the bonus of having a boat builder in the family.

The depth of requirements in areas that go beyond the expertise and experience of small companies will be a challenge, especially if everything was done in house. #AXSChat

talking about packaging, i love how in europe medicines always have #braille in packaging (name, strength as min) #axschat

Q4 Education and training are key. One of the biggest issues in the EU (and possibly elsewhere) is that we keep letting new generations of content managers, designers and developers finish higher education without touching accessibility. This needs to change! #AXSChat

Q3 The accessibility community should be sure before providing advice. A lot of BS around #EAA. In my view, threats are not the way forward. Focus on ”maximising foreseeable use“ of products and services. That is a stronger driver than ”do this or risk a penalty”. #AXSChat

Q3 Governments: if you mean the competent authorities in charge of surveilling EAA compliance, they can (and should) do quite a lot when it comes to information and support. #AXSChat

Q2: Also understanding the #EAA in general can be complicated enough. #AXSChat

Q2 What I hear is understanding requirements on packaging, instructions, understandability and customer service are the most difficult ones. #AXSChat

Still another day before we can go total Midsummer mode ...

Q1 It really depends - some are very well prepared. The focus of our community should probably be organisations who are not. Supporting them. #AXSChat

Thanks @neilmilliken.bsky.social @akwyz.com @debraruh.bsky.social for making sure #AXSChat is alive and kicking! Many good interactions tonight. Now time for bed.

A6 The vendor needs to be able to have a discussion about pros and cons, prioritisation and how to handle tricky decisions where the best solutions is really expensive and the second best may exclude user groups etc. #AXSChat

A6 If references are used in the procurement process, I would spend a bit of time to talk to one or two of them, to get a feel of how the vendor see their role – as compliance specialists referencing the requirements or actual consultants? #AXSChat

A6 Agree A6 The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) provides professional certification of accessibility specialist. That (or a possible equivalent) should be a basic requirement to look for. #AXSChat

A6 A common misconception is that all you need is technical staff who know accessibility. That can never be enough, as accessibility is just as much about design, UX and content creation. #AXSChat

A6 Above all, vendors should have real, practical experience. It is not enough to know standards and legislation by heart – you need to have met enough users with various needs to understand the complexity of possible solutions. #AXSChat

A5 Deciding what your goal is, is equally important. Do you aim for being the most user friendly and accessible provider in the world … or is the goal just not to get in trouble by breaking the law? If you can answer that question, it will be easier to find the right vendor. #AXSChat

A5 The internal analysis will show some gaps needed to be filled, by training and recruiting, or by selecting a vendor that can complement the already existing competences. #AXSChat

A5 Strategy, no matter the legal framework: I strongly believe in knowing where you are and where you are going, before you move into action. If you are new to accessibility, you need to look internally first, to understand the current status and what competences you have internally. #AXSChat

A5 We are still talking about the European Accessibility Act, right? Not my intention to be picky, but people tend to confuse it with the Web Accessibility Directive and if you call it the "EU Accessibility Directive" it is really a mix of apples and pears. #AXSChat

A1 Agree. But it is not always the case. As a not-for-profit we can also say STOP without any business considerations. We can be difficult, question things etc. I believe independent stakeholders are quite important in an industry-driven market. #AXSChat

... and if people understand its limitations. It always boils down to people. #AXSChat