eBay, Elsevier, Sony and Reach explain their approach to the EAA
Vayia Malamidou | 02 Jan 2025
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) aims to harmonise accessibility standards across the European Union (EU), ensuring equal access to digital products and services for over 100 million disabled people. At AbilityNet’s TechShare Pro 2024 conference, I hosted a panel titled "European Accessibility Act: Are You Ready?".
Ulrike Haltrich (Sony Europe), Mark Lapole (eBay), Michelle Jacques (Reach), and Mike Fooks (Elsevier) talked about how their organisations are addressing the EAA, including leadership challenges and sustainable practices for compliance. This blog offers highlights, insights and strategies for navigating these changes.
The relevance of the European Accessibility Act
The EAA marks a pivotal shift toward inclusive practices across industries in Europe with its accessibility requirements for certain products, such as TV equipment and e-readers, and for certain services, such as consumer banking and e-commerce. This directive serves as a catalyst for change, challenging organisations to integrate accessibility across their operations. 
Businesses form all over the world that operate within the European Union's internal market are preparing to comply with new accessibility legislation, bringing benefits to businesses and disabled people. The discussion revealed not only challenges but also the innovative solutions organisations are adopting to embed accessibility into their core processes.
1. Key highlights from the panel
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Many organisations of all sizes are actively preparing for the EAA by aligning their processes and standards with the new requirements. This includes coordinating activities across different regions and involving various teams such as legal, compliance, and product development.
Challenges and concerns of the EAA
One major concern is the varying transpositions of the EAA across different countries, which can lead to inconsistencies. The lack of finalised standards for certain areas, such as packaging and customer support, also poses challenges.
Collaboration and leadership
Effective collaboration between teams and strong leadership are crucial for successful implementation. The panellists emphasised the importance of raising awareness and fostering a culture of accessibility within organisations.
2. Insights and strategies
Each of the panellists shared unique insights and strategies from their current work.
Sony Europe's comprehensive strategy for the EAA
- Sony Europe is taking a comprehensive approach to the EAA.
- Ulrike emphasised the importance of involving various teams, including legal and compliance, to ensure alignment and a common understanding of the requirements. She highlighted the challenges of coordinating activities across different regions and the need for internal standards to harmonise interpretations and processes.
- Ulrike's approach to developing technical reports and guidelines for specific products, such as digital televisions, provided a practical example of addressing the complexities of the EAA.
eBay's transformative approach to the EAA
- eBay views the EAA as a significant driver for organisational change.
- Mark described the EAA as a catalyst for change, driving organisations to inspect and improve their accessibility practices. He focused on integrating accessibility into everyday workflows and making it a fundamental aspect of organisational culture, which resonated deeply with the audience.
- Mark's insights on the importance of collaboration and raising awareness within teams were valuable lessons in fostering a culture of accessibility. His strategy of leveraging regulatory and legal partners to support accessibility initiatives was a practical approach to ensuring compliance and driving change.
Reach plc's human-centred approach to the EAA
- Reach plc is focusing on the human element of accessibility.
- Michelle's focus on changing hearts and minds rather than leading with fear was a powerful reminder of the human element at the core of accessibility efforts. Her approach to fostering a positive and inclusive mindset within organisations was both practical and inspiring.
- Michelle emphasised creating a level playing field where everyone can work towards the same accessibility standards, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and collaboration. Her strategy of starting small and building an atomic network of advocates within the organisation was a practical tip for driving change.
Elsevier's customer-centric approach to the EAA
- Elsevier is turning challenges into opportunities for improvement.
- Mike's approach to "hugging our haters" and turning negative experiences into opportunities for improvement was a valuable lesson in transparency and customer engagement. He emphasised making public statements about learning from mistakes and involving customers in the process of improving accessibility as a practical strategy for building trust and credibility.
- Mike's insights into the challenges of aligning complex environments with new regulatory requirements and the importance of having a clear plan and structure for compliance were valuable lessons for any organisation preparing for the EAA.
3. Final thoughts
The European Accessibility Act is not just about compliance. It is a chance to redefine how organisations approach inclusion.
Panels like this remind us of the collective responsibility to ensure accessibility becomes second nature in our workflows. As June 2025 approaches, let’s embrace this as a shared opportunity to lead with empathy and innovation.
More EAA guidance