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<span style="font-family: "Atkinson Hyperlegible Next", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 117.6%; color: rgb(26, 7, 60);">The
</span><a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019L0882" rel="noreferrer noopener" tabindex="0" style="font-family: "Atkinson Hyperlegible Next", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 117.6%;">European
Accessibility Act</a><span style="font-family: "Atkinson Hyperlegible Next", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 117.6%; color: rgb(26, 7, 60);"> (EAA) goes into effect today (6/28/2025); should you care? </span><br>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The act applies to all economic providers (public or private) providing products or services, or offering to provide products or services, in the European Union - including organizations based outside the
EU when conducting business within the EU market. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Beyond considering if your organization offers covered services or products in the EU the - tools and strategies being used to implement the EAA can be a valuable resource to support and inform our efforts
outside the EU. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The EAA establishes and harmonizes standards for a wide range of products and services including consumer electronics (TVs, smartphones, computers, gaming consoles, etc.), ticketing and vending machines as
well as websites and mobile apps. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The EAA's web accessibility standard anchors to WCAG 2.2 instead of 2.1 but overall the approach is similar to the ADA Title II regulations here in the US. For example,
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(252, 252, 252);">third-party digital content and software. Embedded tools or plugins used on organizations' website are in scope.
"<i>We recommend that organizations make accessibility a requirement during the procurement process and request documented proof of accessibility (e.g., a completed VPAT report) from vendors prior to making a purchase.</i>” Jon Avila </span></div>
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An interesting and promising difference is the mandate for accessibility statements that go well beyond the notice statements typically found on US websites used to mitigate risk. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In essence, the accessibility
statement serves as both a public declaration of an organization's engagement with accessibility and a map of access features and barriers (see summary description below)</span></div>
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Since Accessibility Statments must be public-facing documents detailing how services meet accessibility requirements Given the global economy, I am hopeful that this requirement for companies doing business in the EU will accelerate the trend in vendors providing
reliable conformance reports (VPATs). </div>
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"The l<i>egal framework gives us permission to dream</i>" Lizzie Kiama</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Key aspects of an EAA accessibility statement: </b></span></div>
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Compliance Status: <span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Clearly state whether the service is fully, partially, or not compliant with accessibility standards. </span></div>
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Non-accessible Content: <span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">If there are any parts of the service that are not accessible, these should be listed for transparency.</span></div>
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Preparation and Review: <span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Include information about when the statement was prepared, how accessibility was assessed. </span></div>
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Feedback Mechanism: <span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Provide a way for users to report accessibility issues or request accessible alternatives, along with contact information for responsible personnel. </span></div>
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