Keeping Up with EAA Compliance: Proven Strategies for Long-Term Success

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) enforcement deadline has now passed, but accessibility work doesn’t end there. If your organisation serves customers in the European Union (EU), EAA compliance isn’t a box to tick; it’s an ongoing commitment.

June 28 marked the beginning of a longer accessibility journey, one that demands embracing inclusion as a continuous practice. The pressure to meet the deadline may be over, but the harder work begins now. So how can you keep your digital experiences aligned with EAA requirements for the long-term?

This blog explores how to sustain your EAA compliance strategy, so accessibility remains continuous, consistent, and built into the way your teams deliver digital products and services.

For deeper insight, access our recent webinar, Beyond the EAA Deadline: Why Digital Accessibility Is a Continuous Journey, Not a One-Time Fix.

Seven strategies for long-term EAA compliance

What the EAA deadline really signals is this: enforcement can happen at any time. That means the focus must shift from “‘did we make it?” to “are we building something that lasts?”

What matters now is establishing the workflows and practices that keep compliance consistent, even as your digital portfolio expands and evolves. The following seven strategies will help you reach that steady state.

1. Continuously monitor your accessibility performance.

Sustained EAA compliance depends on real-time visibility into the current state of your accessibility efforts. Even if you’re currently conformant with the Act’s requirements, new violations may be introduced the minute your site changes. With content and product updates happening constantly, how can you stay in control?

Continuous monitoring is key. Monitoring tools automatically scan your digital experiences at regularly scheduled intervals, helping you track changes in accessibility performance over time, identify new issues that emerge, and prioritise fixes before they create legal risk.

2. Build accessibility into every stage of delivery.

As many organisations learned in the months leading up to the EAA deadline, fixing issues in live digital experiences can be resource-intensive. Relying on this reactive approach is risky and unsustainable. By proactively embedding accessibility into design, development, and QA, you can prevent issues from slipping into production and reduce the cost of rework.

When accessibility becomes part of how teams deliver—not something they correct afterward—consistent compliance is far easier to maintain.

Equip designers, developers, and content authors with the right tools—design system guidance, software development kits (SDKs), and automated checks—to validate accessibility as they work. For example, solutions like Level CI embed automated accessibility testing directly into your CI pipeline, so developers can catch and fix issues before they reach production.

3. Align vendors and web partners to your accessibility expectations.

Your compliance posture is only as strong as the tools and services you rely on, so your accessibility expectations need to extend across your entire supply chain. That includes the tools you buy and the vendors who build or update your website. Set clear requirements and ask for solid evidence of conformance so third-party tech and outsourced development don’t create gaps you didn’t plan for.

Request clear, expert-validated proof of accessibility—such as a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®) report—to ensure third-party products support, rather than undermine, your compliance efforts.

4. Use AI to scale accessibility across your ecosystem.

As your digital ecosystem grows, keeping up with accessibility manually becomes harder. Releases move faster, products multiply, and the volume of change increases. AI-enabled tools can help you keep pace—spotting issues early, guiding teams toward the right fixes, and highlighting what really needs attention.

Integrating AI capabilities into your workflows expands your capacity without the need to expand your team. You find issues faster, reduce compliance risk, and shift accessibility from something you chase to something you stay ahead of.

5. Equip teams with role-specific training.

Everyone involved in shaping a digital experience has a part to play in accessibility—but their responsibilities differ. Designers make decisions that influence usability. Developers write the code that defines interaction. Content authors determine how information is structured and understood.

Role-specific training gives each group the clarity and skills they need to maintain compliance. If you’re wondering where to start, the Level Access Academy offers practical, hands-on learning that teams can apply immediately, with tailored paths that show them exactly how to incorporate accessibility into their day-to-day work.

6. Make accessibility a shared organisational mindset.

Policies set direction, but people create momentum. When teams across the business understand accessibility as part of their role—not a task handed off—programs are more resilient, and progress is more sustainable. This shared mindset is what turns EAA compliance from an obligation into a natural part of how your organization operates.

Start with visible signals: leaders modelling inclusive decisions, habits that build shared ownership, and peers who influence change across teams. Recognize progress, set clear expectations, and offer feedback that helps accessibility feel like part of everyday work. When accessibility becomes a habit instead of a checklist, staying aligned with the EAA becomes far easier.

7. Strengthen your program with specialist guidance.

Few enterprises manage accessibility entirely on their own. The EAA spans legal, technical, and operational domains, and expert support provides the perspective and direction needed to navigate it with confidence. The right partner will work with you to accelerate programme maturity, reduce risk, and help you stay ahead of evolving expectations.

Stay ahead of EAA compliance risks.

Keeping up with EAA compliance takes ongoing effort. Staying compliant in a fast-evolving regulatory landscape can be complex, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. With an expert partner by your side, maintaining accessibility becomes a sustainable part of delivery.

Level Access works with organizations in the U.K., Europe, North America, and other global markets to make accessibility achievable. With more than 25 years of expertise, we provide the tools, training, and guidance to help you stay compliant, confident, and ahead of evolving legal requirements. Contact our team today to get started.

Frequently asked questions

1. What happens if an organisation isn’t compliant with the EAA?

Consequences for non-compliance vary by country, but they generally include investigations, corrective actions, and potential penalties. In some regions, users can also report accessibility issues directly, which can trigger further review. The safest path is to keep accessibility active — monitoring regularly and fixing issues as they appear.

2. Do countries handle EAA compliance differently?

Yes. While the EAA sets the overall requirements, each country handles enforcement and reporting in its own way. In some regions, users are encouraged — or required — to report accessibility issues directly, which makes it even more important to address gaps early and keep compliance efforts active and ongoing.

3. Are there other standards organisations should be aware of besides the EAA?

Yes. Alongside the EAA requirements, organisations should be aware of EN 17161: Design for All. It’s a process-focused standard that encourages teams to build accessibility into the way they design, develop, and manage products and services.