Inclusive Web Starts Here
Achieve EU Accessibility Act conformance in real time with automated, AI-driven adjustments and expert guidance
Barrier-Free with AI
As of June 28, 2025, all digital products and services—including websites, apps, and online platforms—are legally required to meet strict accessibility standards to ensure equal access for everyone.
Discover what you need to know today—from key compliance requirements to best practices—and see how modern, AI-driven tools can streamline implementation, automate checks, and guide your team every step of the way.
👉 Tip: This site is powered by an intelligent digital assistant that can answer your questions, highlight accessibility fixes, and guide you in real time—just click the icon in the bottom right corner to begin.
EU Accessibility Act
The EU Accessibility Act, officially Directive (EU) 2019/882, was adopted to ensure equal access to digital products and services across the European Union.
As of June 28, 2025, its requirements are mandatory—even in Germany. The goal is to eliminate digital barriers and enable people with disabilities to use digital offerings without restriction.
The directive covers a wide range of digital products and services, including:
• Websites and mobile applications
• Online shops and e-commerce platforms
• Banking services and payment systems
• E-books and e-readers
• Self-service terminals such as ticket and ATM machines
The Accessibility Act is particularly aimed at companies that provide their digital offerings in the EU - regardless of whether they are based in an EU country.
Further Information
Explore the official legislation and detailed implementation guidance on the topics below.
Official EU legislation setting mandatory accessibility requirements for digital products and services across member states. Learn more on the European Commission site.
Deep dive into how member states—including Germany—transposed the EAA into national law, practical compliance steps, and best-practice guidance.
BFSG
The German Barrierefreiheisstärkungsgesetz Act (BFSG) is Germany’s implementation of the EU Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882). It was introduced to legally enforce digital accessibility at the national level—and applies not only to public bodies but explicitly to private companies.
Since June 28, 2025, its requirements apply to a wide range of digital offerings.
The BFSG is mandatory for:
• Companies with B2C business models
• Financial service providers and banks
• Education providers, especially in e-learning
• Operators of online shops and digital sales platforms
The goal of the law is to enable people with disabilities to have equal access to digital products and services—whether navigating websites, using apps, or making digital payments.
Violations of the BFSG can have serious consequences:
• Warnings from consumer protection associations
• Fines
• Reputation damage due to lack of digital inclusion
Companies that fail to act now risk not only legal penalties but also the loss of customer segments and trust.
German BFSG
Learn everything you need to know about the BFSG and how to comply with its requirements.
The Barrier-Free Strengthening Act (BFSG) is Germany’s implementation of EU Directive 2019/882. Here you can find the full legal text and official information.
Practical guidance for businesses on implementation steps, required actions, and best practices for accessible digital offerings.
Screen Readers
Digital accessibility means websites, apps, and digital tools are usable by everyone—regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments.
Content must be reliably read by screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver, including headings, links, form fields, and more.
The entire site must be usable without a mouse: tab navigation, logical focus order, and visible focus indicators are required.
Text and controls must remain legible—even for users with visual impairments or color blindness—through high contrast and flexible font sizes.
Graphics and images must include descriptive alt text so their meaning is conveyed even without visual perception.
A clear semantic structure (e.g. h1–h6, nav, main, form) helps assistive technologies interpret content correctly.
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the internationally recognized minimum for digital accessibility—mandatory for compliance.
5 Steps
As of June 28, 2025, new legal requirements for accessible digital offerings apply in the EU and Germany. To remain compliant and improve user experience, companies must take action now.
Here are the key steps at a glance:
1. Conduct an Inventory: Start with a technical analysis of your website—e.g., using tools like WAVE, Google Lighthouse, or axe. These will reveal initial barriers in contrast, semantics, focus management, or keyboard operability.
2. Obtain Legal Advice: Work with legal or data protection experts to determine if and how your products or services fall under the BFSG or EU Directive 2019/882.
3. Create a Technical Accessibility Concept: Plan measures such as semantically clean HTML, correct ARIA roles, focus management, and sufficient color contrasts. Accessibility must be built into your code.
4. Improve Content & User Guidance: Revise text, images, navigation, and forms—ensure simple language, alt text, clear button labels, and logical page structures. Tip: For additional support with user guidance, employ smart assistance systems like Knowlet AI. Knowlet accompanies your visitors with contextual help, guided navigation, and clear explanations—especially where screen readers alone fall short.
5. Establish Accessibility as an Ongoing Process: Digital accessibility is not a one-off task. Schedule regular audits, manual tests, and user feedback sessions. Tools like Knowlet help you understand user behavior and address barriers more quickly.
TESTING OPTIONS
Technical tools, manual tests, and expert audits reveal initial findings—but real inclusion prioritizes the user experience.
Use tools like WAVE, Google Lighthouse, or axe to automatically detect initial technical barriers in contrast, semantics, and focus management.
Test keyboard-only navigation and screen reader use (e.g., NVDA or VoiceOver) to verify real accessibility.
For complex systems, a professional accessibility audit by specialized agencies provides in-depth insights.
True inclusion starts with guiding users. Knowlet AI provides contextual help and guided navigation in real time.
DIGITAL ASSISTANCE
Digital accessibility doesn’t stop at code and contrast values—it begins with how people navigate a website and interact securely.
This is where modern technologies come in: Artificial Intelligence (AI) can strategically enhance accessibility and actively guide users through digital offerings.
Intelligent assistance systems offer concrete benefits such as:
• Context-sensitive help for complex content
• Guided navigation for users with cognitive impairments
• Speech assistance or explanatory tooltips in forms and menus
• Situational feedback when users hesitate or can’t find a function
Such technologies support not only people with disabilities but also improve usability for everyone—especially in stressful, mobile, or linguistically challenging scenarios.
💡 Tools like Knowlet AI can be integrated directly into websites as lightweight assistance systems.
They accompany users with context-aware support in real time—particularly where screen readers and traditional accessibility standards fall short.
This site uses Knowlet AI for active user assistance. Try it out directly here on the page.
If your website or app fails to meet the legal requirements, you may face legal, financial, and reputational consequences:
Since the EU Accessibility Act—and Germany’s BFSG—took effect on June 28, 2025, compliance is no longer optional but a legal requirement for many businesses.
Yes—if you offer digital products or services to consumers (B2C). This includes online shops, apps, e-books, customer portals, or booking systems.
Only micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and under €2 million annual revenue are exempt—but they too benefit from wider reach, better usability, and lower bounce rates.
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines—an international standard for implementing accessible digital content. Version 2.1 Level AA is the required reference in the EU and covers:
💡 Note: Assistive systems like Knowlet AI can further improve comprehension and discoverability with contextual explanations, tooltips, and guided navigation.
The deadline has already passed: since June 28, 2025, affected companies must comply with the requirements.
But remember: it’s better to start now than react too late—implementation can take weeks or months, depending on your site’s size, technology, and content.
Absolutely—and it’s often advisable. Accessibility experts, specialized agencies, or certified auditors can assist with:
Yes—you get not only technical standards but also smart assistance:
Our built-in AI assistant, Knowlet, helps you navigate, understand content, and find what you need—especially when screen readers or keyboard navigation alone fall short. Open the assistant at the bottom right to try it out.
EU Accessibility Act & national law compliance guide. From EAA to German BFSG - expert insights, tools & AI solutions for digital inclusion.