On June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) turns into enforceable—–an vital step ahead for accessibility within the EU and all over the world. It units a brand new bar for digital accessibility and incapacity rights, enabling disabled individuals to completely take part in society and the financial system. Accelerating know-how and innovation will make it simpler for everybody, together with 110+ million disabled individuals throughout the EU. Microsoft has supported the EAA since its introduction in December 2015.
The EAA is a catalyst for advancing the accessibility of digital services all through the European Single Market. It harmonizes accessibility necessities throughout Member States and establishes a powerful framework for future insurance policies, together with AI and accessibility. It requires digital services, from banking apps to e-readers, to be accessible and it brings readability and consistency of expertise throughout the EU market.
Our approach to the EAA
Accessibility is a journey that now we have been dedicated to for over 30 years. We view accessibility as a basic proper, core to Microsoft’s mission to empower each individual. It serves a crucially vital perform, making know-how accessible, and simpler to make use of for everybody.
We’re dedicated to creating positive that our services adjust to the European Accessibility Act and are grateful to the a whole lot of engineers throughout the corporate who’ve prioritized this work over the past three years. We invested in accessibility in a few of our main merchandise, together with Home windows, Groups, and Outlook, collaborating with policymakers, accessibility professionals, and neighborhood members to ship on EAA necessities.
The EAA is a brand new, complicated regulatory framework that’s nonetheless evolving. The continuing transposition and harmonization of associated requirements will decide the steps all of us have to take. We are going to consistently consider our merchandise, providers, and knowledge makes use of as understanding and regulatory interpretation of the EAA evolve.
Regulation driving innovation
Our work on the EAA has yielded new options, which we’re proud to announce immediately:
- We made it simpler to seek out, study, and use accessibility options with broadened and standardized help documentation on www.microsoft.com/accessibility.
- Unboxing merchandise is simpler, extra welcoming for all, and higher for the planet. Our strategy is detailed within the ‘creating accessible packaging’ toolkit.
- We’re excited to launch enhanced help for builders to add closed captions and audio descriptions for app and sport trailers, making content material accessible to everybody.
The EAA has evolved and has additionally formed implementation of AI–pushed accessibility in lots of our options, together with Copilot and Immersive Reader. The EAA’s necessities will proceed to be a guidepost for the accessibility of future AI innovation.
Serving to customers put together for the EAA
We’re dedicated to serving to organizations succeed by offering the know-how and instruments they should thrive within the AI financial system. We begin with Microsoft as Buyer Zero, then we share our learnings with others. We’re launching this immediately on a brand new website: aka.ms/EAAOverview. It includes:
1. Getting Began with the EAA
If you’re questioning the place to start, begin with our Overview of the EAA. It breaks down which services are in scope and easy methods to put together. Immediately, we’re launching trade guides for retail, transport, finance, media & telco, and authorities, full of sensible ideas that will help you flip accessibility right into a enterprise benefit.
2. Microsoft’s Method
We’ve realized rather a lot on our journey. A number of the instruments and frameworks that helped us embrace:
- Inclusive Design: Begin early. Our Inclusive Design Framework helps you cut back rework, enhance usability, and construct merchandise that work for everybody.
- Horizon Mannequin: Helps you propose for long-term progress by investing in individuals, accessible tech, and innovation.
- Accessibility Insights: Our free, open-source device, Accessibility Insights, helps groups discover and repair accessibility points quick. It integrates with GitHub and Azure Boards and helps three versatile testing modes.
Prepared to take the subsequent step? You’ll be able to construct your personal Copilot agent, designed inclusively from the beginning, and use Accessibility Insights to catch points early. And in the event you or your clients want help, our Incapacity Reply Desk is right here to assist with accessibility questions, troubleshooting, and product steering.
Trying ahead
June 28 is a beginning line, not the end line. This foundational laws is an vital step for compliance and a catalyst for the subsequent technology of accessible know-how innovation. We sit up for studying and partnering with you on the journey. We’re proud to host an occasion with our companion, the European Incapacity Discussion board, in Brussels for the European Accessibility Summit 2025 14 October 2025 (in individual and digital). Be a part of us and register now.
We’re committed to persevering with to drive conversations on accessibility and incapacity rights with coverage makers, regulators, trade friends, and the incapacity neighborhood all year long, viewing the EAA as an important step towards reimagining how know-how can serve everybody, in all places.
