Can you imagine waking up one day and being unable to access essential services for your daily life? Withdrawing money, making a transfer, buying a transportation ticket, using a mobile application, or purchasing a product online are common gestures that, for many people with disabilities, can still become an obstacle course. Precisely to change this reality, a year ago the European Accessibility Act began to be implemented throughout the European Union. Since then, products and services such as e-commerce platforms, smartphones, e-books, audiovisual services, or information and ticket sales systems must meet common accessibility requirements.
This first anniversary marks a change of stage. The preparation period has ended. Accessibility can no longer be addressed as a one-off project, a future improvement, or a matter reserved for technical departments. It must be part of the ordinary functioning of companies, administrations, and service providers.
Complying with the law requires starting with a specific question: can all people use the products and services we offer with autonomy, safety, and dignity? The answer does not solely depend on whether a website passes a technical review. An accessible website must allow completing a purchase, contracting a product, or requesting information without barriers. A banking application must work with screen readers and support different forms of interaction. A self-service terminal must be usable by people with different physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities.
"Accessibility is not achieved once and for all. A platform can be accessible today and stop being so after an update"
Accessibility is not achieved once and for all. A platform can be accessible today and stop being so after an update. A new form, an added functionality, or a change in the payment process can introduce obstacles that did not exist before. That is why it must be integrated into the entire life cycle of products and services, from design and contracting to development, testing, maintenance, and updates.
This forces a shift from isolated actions to a true organizational culture. Companies need clear responsibilities, resources, training, and internal procedures to detect and correct problems. Technology and product teams must consider it from the beginning, avoiding later, more costly adaptations. And the customer service staff must be prepared to respond adequately to the needs of people with disabilities.
Public administrations have an equivalent responsibility. They must not only ensure the accessibility of their services but also use public procurement as a tool to drive change. Every tender that incorporates verifiable requirements from the outset raises market standards and prevents public resources from funding new barriers.
"Complying with the law requires starting with a specific question: can all people use the products and services we offer with autonomy, safety, and dignity?"
Although the law is already in effect, there are still transition periods that will mark the next steps. The next major milestone will arrive in 2027, with the obligation to ensure accessible reception of communications directed to the European emergency number 112. That any person can contact emergency services through appropriate channels is an essential condition for safety, autonomy, and equality.
Then comes 2030, when the transitional period planned for certain products and services that were already legally used before the application of the regulation will end. This horizon should serve to plan from now on the renewal of equipment, contracts, and processes.
Transition periods allow for an orderly adaptation, but they cannot become an excuse to wait until the last moment. Delaying decisions increases costs, complicates the transformation of complex systems, and prolongs barriers that we already know how to avoid. Anticipating facilitates compliance and avoids having to redo complete products in a short time.
"The next major milestone will arrive in 2027, with the obligation to ensure accessible reception of communications directed to the European emergency number 112"
From AccessibleEU we work with accessibility indicators from the 27 Member States to identify progress, detect differences, and direct resources towards areas that need greater push. This measurement is essential to achieve a homogeneous application in Europe and provide companies with comparable criteria for the entire internal market. But the data must be complemented with the real experience of people with disabilities, whose participation is essential in the design, testing, and evaluation of any solution.
A year later, the message must be unequivocal. Companies and administrations must act now, review their products and services, train their teams, measure their progress, and anticipate the milestones of 2027 and 2030.
Accessibility is already part of the rules of the European market. The real challenge is to ensure that it also becomes part of the everyday experience of all people.