Digital Accessibility Law in Ireland: Navigating the European Framework
As of June 2025, businesses across Ireland and the European Union will enter a new regulatory era under the European Accessibility Act (EAA). For digital service providers, this isn’t a distant bureaucratic concern, it’s a legal and ethical inflection point that demands immediate attention. Accessibility is no longer a ‘nice to have’ it is a binding requirement for many private-sector operators whose products and services are delivered through websites, mobile apps, and digital platforms.
The European Accessibility Act: A Legal Imperative
The European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) was adopted to harmonise accessibility requirements across EU member states, reducing fragmentation and ensuring consistent rights for people with disabilities. Unlike the earlier Web Accessibility Directive, which focused exclusively on the public sector, the EAA expands the scope to include private enterprises offering certain services—banking, transport, e-commerce, telecommunications, e-books, and more.
All affected entities must ensure that their digital interfaces—websites, mobile applications, self-service terminals—comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA by 28 July 2025. The legislation has already been transposed into Irish law, and compliance will be enforceable under domestic regulatory frameworks, with penalties for non-adherence.
Ireland’s National Approach
Ireland has adopted the provisions of the EAA through the Disability Act 2005, the Equal Status Acts, and updates to consumer protection legislation. The National Disability Authority (NDA) plays a central advisory role, while enforcement responsibilities will vary depending on the sector, ComReg, for example, will oversee telecommunications, while the CCPC may be involved in e-commerce compliance.
Crucially, the Irish Government has encouraged proactive preparation. Fáilte Ireland’s “Digital that Delivers” initiative exemplifies this: businesses that previously participated in this programme and now require WCAG 2.2 AA-level upgrades are eligible for further supports under the Digital Accessibility Scheme
What This Means for Irish Businesses
For Irish SMEs, particularly those in tourism, retail, and hospitality, compliance is more than a checkbox exercise. It requires re-evaluating website architecture, navigation systems, content structures, and media formats. Accessible design isn’t just about users with screen readers. It involves ensuring visual clarity, keyboard navigation, logical heading structures, sufficient colour contrast, and descriptive alternative text for images.
It’s important to note that the responsibility lies with the website owner, not the developer. While a competent web development partner can implement accessibility features, legal accountability sits with the business or service provider. Businesses commissioning new websites or upgrading existing ones should ensure that accessibility is written into the project scope, with formal testing and conformance audits as standard deliverables.
Tools and Assessment
Testing for compliance can be done using a suite of automated tools (e.g. Axe, WAVE, Lighthouse), but these only catch a subset of issues. Manual testing—using screen readers like NVDA or VoiceOver, and assessing keyboard-only navigation—is essential for meeting WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.
Additionally, users may consider accessibility-focused plugins designed to introduce ARIA landmarks, keyboard navigation fixes, and semantic enhancements into the otherwise visually-led builder interface. However, no plugin guarantees full compliance; human-centred evaluation remains indispensable.
Beyond Compliance: Accessibility as a Strategic Asset
Digital accessibility is not just a legal obligation, it is a strategic differentiator. An accessible website expands your potential market, enhances SEO performance, and reflects a brand’s integrity. In a country like Ireland, where nearly one in seven people live with some form of disability, accessibility must be woven into the fabric of digital strategy, not relegated to a post-launch concern.
As the June 2025 deadline approaches, now is the moment to act. For forward-thinking Irish businesses, digital accessibility is an opportunity to lead not merely comply.