Unlocking Email Accessibility for All: What the European Accessibility Act (EAA) Means for Your Campaigns

Would you ever willingly alienate 25 percent of your marketing audience? 

Of course not. But if your content isn’t built on a foundation of accessibility, that’s exactly what might happen. 

According to recent studies, one in four people in the US and UK now live with some type of disability—whether it be visual, auditory, motor, speech, or cognitive.  

This group may struggle to understand and engage with standard emails and digital experiences—including emails. 

With these numbers in mind, making your emails and other digital content accessible isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart business move. Inclusive experiences ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to connect with your brand. 

With accessibility regulations tightening worldwide, marketers can no longer afford to treat accessibility as an afterthought.  

Let’s discuss the latest accessibility developments and how marketers can start making their campaigns accessible to all.  

Introducing the EAA 

Accessibility just got a major upgrade in the European Union. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has protected people with disabilities from discrimination since 1990. But more recently, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which takes full effect on June 28, 2025, requires EU businesses with more than ten employees to make their products and services (including digital marketing materials) accessible to everyone. 

This applies to emails, websites, apps, and other marketing channels, and may require adaptive features like alt text for images, captions and transcripts for video and audio, and keyboard accessibility. 

Here’s what marketers should know: 

• Compliance with the EAA is mandatory. Businesses operating in the EU or selling to EU consumers must meet accessibility requirements or risk penalties.  

• Fines for non-compliance vary by country and can reach up to €250,000, along with enforced corrections of violations. 

• Marketers who haven’t already should begin accessibility training to audit their existing materials, implement best practices, and leverage accessibility tools. 

• Accessibility isn’t a one-time fix. Marketing teams must continuously monitor and update their digital materials to ensure ongoing compliance—especially as laws change. 

Under the EAA, businesses serving EU customers must comply with the act, including adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for digital content.  

The EAA mandates at least “Level AA” compliance, which sets definitive web accessibility standards.  

The good news is that compliance offers significant benefits, including broader audience reach, improved customer experience, and greater competitive advantage. We observed a similar trend when Europe implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): When established best practices like more robust consent, greater transparency, and increased choice became law, marketing performance improved across the board! 

Want to learn more about implementing accessibility on a technical level? Annex 2 of the EAA provides granular guidance around the expectations created by the new law and helpful examples. The Data & Marketing Association also published an excellent article about the importance of web accessibility.  

Where should email marketers begin?  

Unfortunately, many marketing programs fall short on accessibility. Research from the Email Markup Consortium reveals that over 60 percent of reviewed emails have “critical” accessibility issues, such as blocked content that prevents people with disabilities from accessing essential features. For more insights, we recommend reviewing their list of the ten most common email accessibility issues.  

On the plus side, this means there are plenty of quick wins for marketers looking to prioritize accessibility! 

What can you focus on now? Start by prioritizing screen reader compatibility, which relies on page elements to navigate and read content. Visually impaired consumers increasingly depend on smart speakers to access content that might otherwise be inaccessible. 

Here are some key considerations: 

• Use descriptive text: Provide meaningful alt-text for images and descriptive link text to aid screen readers. 

• Limit reliance on images and emojis: Avoid “all image” emails and excessive emojis. Screen readers can’t interpret them, and they can be challenging to read on smaller screens. AI summarizers may also miss key content and leave audiences confused. 

• Structure your content logically: Ensure your content flows in a clear order across devices. Use headers to help screen readers understand the hierarchy of information. 

• Incorporate screen reader testing: Make screen reader compatibility a standard part of your email QA process. 

• Use responsive design: Ensure emails render correctly across all devices and for recipients of varying abilities. 

• Support dark mode: Optimize emails for dark mode, which uses darker color palettes to reduce eye strain in low-light environments. 

• Increase font size: Use media queries to set a minimum font size of 16 pixels for handheld devices, including legal content in footers. 

• Make buttons and links accessible: Ensure they are large enough to click easily, accommodating subscribers with limited mouse precision. 

This is just the start! For more in-depth accessibility tips, check out these resources. 

• 2025 Guide to Creating Accessible Emails (Litmus)  

• Email Marketer’s Guide to Coding for Accessibility (Litmus)  

• WCAG Color Contrast Checker (Accessible Web) 

• Alt Text: What to Write (NN Group) 

How Validity can help: From best practices to better results 

Many core accessibility principles align with established email best practices. Accessible content is naturally more structured, readable, and user-friendly, enhancing the subscriber experience.  

Accessibility also supports existing marketing trends like mobile-first design and minimalism. Together, these benefits lead to improved engagement and stronger performance for your email programs. 

However, we know trying to master accessibility on your own can be difficult. 

That’s why Validity offers a range of solutions providing email senders with everything they need to create marketing emails that are inclusive of all subscribers. 

Litmus comes with a built-in accessibility checker, scanning every email for 40+ accessibility areas and providing detailed reports and guidance on any issues found. In addition, Litmus’ Email Builder checks your code as you work to ensure compliance, visual impairment filters offer four color vision deficiency options, and NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) integration helps screen readers accurately transcribe your messages by identifying the language used to draft the email. 

BriteVerify ensures email programs capture accurate email addresses, offering a safeguard for new subscribers who may struggle with keyboard input. 

Sender Certification maximizes inbox placement, helping subscribers who find it difficult to navigate multiple folders, including spam or junk folders. 

Learn more about Validity’s solutions here.