From June 28th, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will reshape how digital content is produced, structured, and shared. Videos, PDFs, ebooks, and downloadable documents are all within scope, and compliance is not optional.
For organisations preparing for 2025 and beyond, accessibility must be embedded into every digital asset. This means applying WCAG 2.2 standards not only to code but to media, formats, and file design from the ground up.
Accessibility applies to everything, not just websites
While most teams are familiar with accessible websites, many overlook other high-impact content types: from onboarding PDFs, product demo videos, digital brochures, to downloadable instructions. These assets often carry crucial information but fail accessibility checks due to missing metadata, poor structure, or absent alternatives.
Under the EAA, this content is now subject to scrutiny. Whether it is a video on your homepage or a brochure users download from a product page, accessibility requirements apply.
What WCAG 2.2 requires for media and documents
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 remain the gold standard for digital accessibility. They include specific criteria for non-web formats. Here is what needs attention:
- Audio descriptions for video: Any essential visual information must also be available in audio format, especially for users with visual impairments.
- Captions and transcripts: All videos must have accurate, synchronised captions. Transcripts should also be provided to support screen readers and users in sound-off environments.
- Readable structure in documents: PDFs and ebooks must use proper heading hierarchy, document titles, and tagged elements. This allows screen readers to navigate the content correctly.
- Keyboard navigability: All interactive elements in digital content, including embedded forms or presentations, must be usable without a mouse.
Neglecting these elements does not just risk non-compliance. It excludes large segments of users and weakens your overall customer experience.
Structuring PDFs and downloads with accessibility in mind
Accessible documents begin with intentional structure. Use real headings (not just bold text), add alt text to every image, and ensure tables are formatted with headers and summaries. This not only improves accessibility, but also your SEO rankings. For PDFs:
- Export from source files (e.g. Word, InDesign) with accessibility settings enabled.
- Add tags to define the reading order.
- Embed fonts and avoid scanned image text.
These practices are not time-consuming once embedded in your workflow, but may require upfront planning and ownership. For a truly innovative example of accessible PDFs, look at what our team delivered on Screen Ireland's digital brochure.
Make video and audio content truly inclusive
Multimedia assets are often the most visible and most inaccessible. Videos with burnt-in subtitles may seem compliant, but they do not support screen readers or multilingual access. Use separate caption files (e.g. .srt or .vtt) and ensure voiceovers describe meaningful visual elements.
Where possible, add an audio-described version of the video. For podcast content, publish a transcript alongside the audio. These practices are essential for users with auditory or visual disabilities and enhance the usability of content across the board.
Accessibility is digital maturity
The EAA is about making digital ecosystems usable by everyone. Teams that treat accessibility as foundational demonstrate stronger governance, better user focus, and greater digital maturity.
Embedding these practices today not only ensures compliance in 2025 but strengthens your digital credibility for the long term.
Want help assessing your documents and media against the EAA? AccessPoint’s team can help you build accessibility into your content workflows from the start. Get in touch with our expert team today.