June 2025 marked a pivotal moment for digital accessibility across the European Union as the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force.
For organisations with an online presence, compliance therefore became an ongoing obligation — not simply a one-off check.
Why ongoing accessibility mattered
While a website might initially have been accessible, small changes over time could have eroded that compliance. Minor oversights such as missing alt text, improper heading hierarchy or insufficient colour contrast all accumulated, potentially pushing the site out of step with the required standards.
By embedding accessibility checks early into content-update and design workflows, teams are able to catch problems before they escalate.
The role of AI and automation
Using AI-powered tools helps in two key ways:
- Detection – Automation flags elements that may breach accessibility standards (for example, images without alt text or heading structure issues). This means you spot issues early rather than after their impact has grown.
- Guidance – Integrating alerts and suggestions into your content management system (CMS) allows authors and editors to receive actionable feedback at the point of change, reducing guesswork. 
This approach helps weave accessibility into daily workflows rather than treating it as a separate audit process.
Why technology alone isn't enough
Although automation plays a crucial role, it cannot fully replace human judgement and lived experience.
Genuine accessibility also demands:
- Human-led audits — Regular reviews by experts to validate how your site performs in real-life conditions.
- User feedback — Particularly from people with disabilities, to ensure that your website isn’t merely compliant on paper, but genuinely usable. 
By combining the power of automation with human oversight, you raise the bar from “just compliant” to “truly inclusive”.
Why this matters for UX
Accessibility is more than a legal requirement. It’s part of delivering a better user experience. When you make your website inclusive, you open it up to more users, improve usability for everyone, and build brand credibility.
With the EAA now raising the minimum standard, you can position your accessibility strategy as a competitive advantage rather than a compliance burden.
Making accessibility sustainable for your organisation
To keep your website compliant and user-friendly long-term:
- Integrate AI tools into your content-update and design workflow so issues are addressed routinely.
- Provide training or built-in guidance to your internal teams so content editors are aware of accessibility best practice.
- Schedule periodic audits and engage real users with disabilities to validate how your site performs in practice.
- Choose a partner or platform that treats accessibility as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
By doing so, you can make accessibility seamless, simple and sustainable for your organisation — ahead of the curve, rather than reacting to a regulatory checklist.
Ready to strengthen your organisation’s accessibility strategy?
If you’d like support with accessibility audits, AI-driven compliance tools or improving the user experience of your website, get in touch with us today — we’d be happy to help.