EAA for healthcare: requirements, priorities, and audit checklist

Does EAA apply to healthcare sites?

The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) is the EU's prescriptive accessibility law that takes effect 28 June 2025, requiring covered products and services — banking, e-commerce, transport, audiovisual media, ebooks and computer hardware — to meet harmonised accessibility requirements derived from EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA.

Healthcare accessibility — the lay of the land

HHS's May 2024 final rule under Section 1557 explicitly requires healthcare entities receiving federal funding to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA for web content, mobile apps, and kiosks. Compounding this, HIPAA places privacy constraints on accessibility solutions (overlays cannot legally re-transmit patient health information).

Where EAA bites hardest in healthcare sites

• Patient portal logins without screen-reader-accessible MFA

• Telehealth video without captions or sign-language interpreter integration

• Symptom checkers built as inaccessible single-page apps

• PDF clinical forms not tagged for accessibility

• Appointment scheduling calendars unusable by keyboard

Remediation priorities

• Patient-portal login and account management

• Appointment scheduling and telehealth flows

• Clinical content (medication info, treatment guides)

• Provider directories and search

• Insurance forms and benefits explanations

How to comply with EAA on a Healthcare site

1. Confirm in-scope status: Determine whether your product/service falls under EAA scope and whether you sell into the EU. Confirm whether micro-enterprise exemption applies.

2. Map requirements to EN 301 549: The harmonised standard EN 301 549 incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA for web/mobile and adds requirements for hardware, software, documentation, and support.

3. Audit and remediate: Run combined automated + manual audit. Remediate at source. Prioritise authentication, payment, search and core transaction flows.

4. Publish an EAA accessibility statement: Per Article 13. Disclose conformance, exceptions claimed (disproportionate burden, fundamental alteration), and contact for complaints. Sample templates available from national bodies.

5. Maintain market surveillance readiness: Keep technical documentation, conformity assessments, and ACR/VPAT current. Be prepared for member-state authority requests.

Sources

• Directive (EU) 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act) — European Union
• EN 301 549 v3.2.1 — ETSI
• HHS Section 1557 Final Rule (Web Accessibility) — US HHS Office for Civil Rights