The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is now enforceable, bringing clear expectations for any organization offering digital services or devices within the European Union (EU).
Teams that manage websites, mobile apps, or self-service kiosks for services such as e-commerce, public transport, and banking are responsible for making those experiences accessible and usable for people with disabilities.
The EAA aims to ensure that digital interactions are accessible to everyone, including people with cognitive, motor, or sensory disabilities, as well as those using assistive technologies.
The benefits go beyond just compliance. Accessible design also helps people pushing strollers, older adults, or multilingual users. It’s about making things easier for more people in more situations.
Web Accessibility Testing Tools Aren’t Enough
For websites, the EAA guidance aligns with EN 301 549, which references the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Automated tools are useful for identifying some WCAG issues, but they don’t tell the whole story.
A web accessibility testing tool is extremely valuable, especially during the development process. Still, many issues (like poor keyboard navigation or screen reader confusion) require manual review and usability testing to identify and improve the user experience.
Procurement teams in both public and private sectors are already asking vendors to prove conformance. If your digital platform isn’t accessible, you could be excluded from major contracts.
Accessibility Audits Help Identify Barriers; Remediation Brings You Closer to Conformance
Accessibility audits help you understand where your digital products fall short. They can act as a roadmap, but it’s up to you to follow it.
It’s the remediation, or the actual fixing of accessibility barriers, that improves the accessibility of your websites and apps, supporting people with disabilities while aligning with standards like EN 301 549. Acting on those findings brings you closer to meeting requirements and creates a better user experience for everyone.
Most companies are focused on their websites and apps. But kiosks? They’re often the last to be tested, even though they can often be the first customer touch point.
What the EAA Means for Self-Service Kiosk Devices
Organizations offering self-service technology, such as websites, apps, and kiosks, across various sectors, including fast food, transit, healthcare, or finance, must evaluate kiosk accessibility more holistically.
The EAA requires that your kiosks meet accessibility standards not only at the software level but also in their real-world functionality. That includes their physical placement, user interface (UI) design, and interactive features.
If your kiosk screen isn’t readable by a screen reader, or if someone using a wheelchair can’t reach the controls, that’s a barrier. And under the EAA, those barriers are not acceptable.
How to Make Your Self-Serve Kiosks Accessible
Too often, accessibility is treated as an afterthought in kiosk design. Only addressed after deployment, when fixes are expensive and disruptive. We’ve worked with clients who discovered critical usability gaps after users with disabilities reported issues directly. That’s avoidable.
Your kiosk should work for people who are blind, have low vision, have limited reach, strength, or dexterity, or navigate content in different ways. That includes:
- Speech output of all content shown onscreen.
- Tactile navigation cues and alternatives to touchscreen navigation.
- Logical screen layout that supports efficient task completion.
- Accessible instructions for using the kiosk, including its accessibility features.
Automated tools won’t catch most of these. And often, automated accessibility tools are optimized for web accessibility rather than kiosk accessibility, where there are subtle but significant differences in what is needed to ensure an accessible user experience for people with disabilities. You need real-world testing guided by experts.
Whether you need to evaluate an existing platform or build accessibility into a new one, we’ll meet you where you are and help you get where you need to be.
Staying EAA-Compliant Starts with a Plan
Whether you’re deploying a new kiosk system or updating your website, we’re here to help you build accessibility into your process or fix the gaps before they create risk. Our team provides:
- Expert-led accessibility audits.
- Usability testing with people with disabilities.
- JAWS screen reader compatibility with self-service kiosk devices.
- Accessibility testing and monitoring via the ARC platform.
- Long-term accessibility strategy support.
Contact us today to assess your kiosks, test your websites and apps, or explore how our services can support your accessibility and compliance goals. The sooner your digital tools are usable by everyone, the better they work for everyone.
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