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AccessibilityWCAGCompliance

Web accessibility: the pragmatic guide to compliance

WCAG 2.2, European Accessibility Act. What you need to do concretely to make your site accessible in 2026.

By AgencyJanuary 05, 20262 min read

Since June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act makes accessibility mandatory for many commercial European sites. In 2026, compliance is no longer optional.

Who's concerned?

  • E-commerce sites
  • Online banking services
  • Transport and ticketing platforms
  • Public services (already covered by RGAA in France)

Small businesses (< 10 employees and < €2M revenue) are exempt, but nothing stops them from being accessible.

The standards

  • WCAG 2.2: international standard (3 levels: A, AA, AAA). Target = AA.
  • EN 301 549: European harmonized standard.
  • RGAA 4.1: French public-sector implementation.

The 10 rules covering 80% of cases

  1. All images have a relevant alt (or alt="" if decorative)
  2. Colors meet a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 minimum (AA)
  3. The whole site is keyboard-navigable (Tab, Enter, Space, arrows)
  4. Focus is visible (clear outline on interactive elements)
  5. Forms have explicit labels and descriptive errors
  6. Heading hierarchy is clean (single H1, then H2, H3…)
  7. Links and buttons have clear labels (no "click here")
  8. Videos have captions and/or transcription
  9. The site works without JavaScript for critical content
  10. Animations can be disabled (prefers-reduced-motion)

Hands typing on a computer keyboard, accessible navigation

Tools to audit

  • axe DevTools (Chrome/Firefox extension): quick and precise scan
  • WAVE (WebAIM): visual report on the page
  • Lighthouse Accessibility tab: included in Chrome DevTools
  • VoiceOver (Mac) / NVDA (Windows): real testing with a screen reader

Dev best practices

  • Use proper semantic tags (<nav>, <main>, <article>, <button> over <div>)
  • Respect DOM order (no CSS order tricks breaking logic)
  • Test with keyboard regularly, not just before launch
  • Write automated a11y tests (jest-axe, Playwright)

A non-compliant site may face:

  • Administrative sanction up to €25,000 (France, DGCCRF)
  • Summary legal action to force compliance
  • Reputation damage (public report)

The accessibility statement

Mandatory for all sites concerned: a public document (dedicated page) stating:

  • The compliance level achieved
  • Non-compliant content and exemptions
  • A contact to report an accessibility issue
  • Recourse with the Defender of Rights

Conclusion

Accessibility isn't a luxury — it's a quality and legal standard. An accessible site also ranks better (Google favors accessible sites) and converts more (improved UX for everyone).

Need an accessibility audit? Contact us.

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