European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an EU directive designed to ensure that products and services are accessible to people with disabilities across the European Union.

Its main goal is to harmonize accessibility requirements, making it easier for businesses to operate across the EU and for consumers with disabilities to access essential features and services

EAA guidelines will take effect from June 28, 2025 and are aimed towards publishers throughout the EU..

Vitec Visiolink is continuously improving accessibility in upcoming versions that will be released on both platforms. 

Which steps has Vitec Visiolink taken towards EAA Compliance.
 

Modular App & Web App 2.0

As a app platform provider, we're committed, in alliance with our customers, to support and deliver inclusive and accessible digital experiences.

Our Modular App and Desktop Web App 2.0 have been updated to meet further requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).

Based on external audits of both Modular App and Web App 2.0, we have identified and addressed minimum key requirements to achieve WCAG 2.1 minimum compliance.

Our generic development roadmap for both Modular App and Desktop Web App 2.0 will continuously work to implement relevant compliance enhancements with EAA requirements.

Overview of Initiatives supported from Modular App 1.0 & Web App 2.0
 

Modular App

• Screen Reader Support: 
  Full compatibility with VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android), with properly labeled buttons, icons, and dynamic content.
• Keyboard Navigation & Focus Management: 
  Ensuring a navigable interface regardless of input methods, from switch controls to externally attached keyboards, with usage of the app being fully possible regardless of which assistive technologies are used
• Color Contrast & Text Scaling: 
  Interface designs respect contrast ratio requirements and text scalling can be individual managed in Article View on both Modular App & WebApp for better readability. Be also aware on the bulit-in colorfilter contrast possibility on iOS that handle segregation on colors.

Web App 2.0

• Use of Semantic Landmarks: 
  We leverage ARIA landmarks (e.g., role="main", role="navigation", role="banner") to enhance navigation for screen reader users and ensure content is structured intuitively.
• Keyboard Accessibility: 
  Every interactive element is operable via keyboard, with visible focus indicators and logical tab sequences.
• Enhanced Visual Accessibility: 
  The interface implements system-level contrast adaptations and provides customizable text scaling capabilities in the Article View, ensuring optimal readability across both Modular App and WebApp platforms.
• Accessible Documentation & Support: 
  Help Page in WebApp 2.0 consist accessibility documentation to instruct users & stakeholdeers how to navigate WebApp 2.0 content.

What to do now - and how and when will changes take effect?

The accessibility improvements are now ready for use in Modular App 1.0. 

For WebApp 2.0, we will add these accessibility features in the next update coming at the end of June 2025.

WebApp 1.0 won't get these improvements, so we suggest upgrade to WebApp 2.0. Not sure which version you're using? Just ask your contact person - or email our support team at support@vitecvisiolink.com

Both Modular App 1.0 and WebApp 2.0 will keep getting accessibility updates to make them better for everyone.

Shared Responsibility

Achieving EAA compliance is a collaborative process between Vitec Visiolink and our customers.

We share the responsibility for implementing accessible design elements, including appropriate navigation structures, color schemes, contrast ratios, icon dimensions and related components

Delivering content in various formats can affect how content is exported and implemented in Vitec Visiolink solutions.

This includes requirements for image descriptions in XML and alt-text descriptions for navigational graphic elements. This also applies to In-App views, whether they contain iframes or iframe content in Article Views.

External content sources, including webpages and third-party integrations, require thorough accessibility evaluation prior to integration with Vitec Visiolink solutions. Please note that ensuring accessibility compliance for third-party components (webviews, integrations etc.) primarily falls under our customers' responsibility.

To achieve compliance, we strongly recommend conducting a comprehensive review of all webviews and integrations to meet the minimum requirements

Authentication and Consent Management

As provider of generic Login and Consent solutions, we maintain our commitment to meeting minimum compliance standards.

While third-party platform integrations fall outside our direct compliance scope, we recognize that interface interactions between external solutions and our platform may require additional accessibility considerations.

In such cases, we recommend our customers highlight and specify areas that require special attention. Please consult your Vitec Visiolink project team to ensure proper accessibility implementation.

Project Scope Phase

To ensure consistency, our product specifications and design files will target maintain baseline accessibility standards aligned with EAA Level 2 (AA) minimum requirements. 

Primarily in areas of text sizes, icon dimensions, color contrast, and other visual elements.

News Module App

Over the years, we have continuously worked to improve the accessibility of the platform. These efforts have gradually strengthened the overall user experience for individuals relying on assistive technologies.

Modular App, Web App 2.0, and News Module App share common services like E-paper reader (Spread View) and Article View 2.0. The News Module App platform will benefit from improvements made to these products and other shared components between Modular App and News Module App. 
These enhancements will positively impact News Module App's compliance.

While there are still areas that could benefit from refinement, significant progress has been made — particularly in ensuring that the app is navigable. 

Voice-over support is available throughout, and users can access key content and features through structured navigation, even if some elements may still require a bit of exploration.

There are minor inconsistencies, such as language differentiation and less informative system feedback in certain scenarios.

However, these do not prevent users from reaching their goals within the News Module App. Compared to earlier versions and previous solutions, the News Module App today offers a notably improved and accessible experience. 

Continuous Accessibility Development

Given our commitment to providing the best possible experience, we've chosen to focus our development efforts on the Modular App platform and Web App 2.0.

We will continuously enhance accessibility features for all end users in future releases, ensuring these capabilities evolve and improve over time.

If you have concerns about meeting compliance requirements with any of our platforms, we're open to discuss solutions. 

Further information:

Per Gylling
Product Manager  
per.gylling@vitecvisioink.com