If you’re a business leader here in the US, you’re focused on growth, innovation, and serving your customers. The last thing you might expect to impact your strategy is a piece of legislation from across the Atlantic. But a new directive, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), is set to do just that, and it presents a significant opportunity for companies ready to lead.
The EAA, which becomes fully enforceable on June 28, 2025, is more than just a regional regulation. We think this is a catalyst that will redefine digital accessibility worldwide, you just need to be able to turn this global shift into a competitive advantage
Market Access is Not Optional
First, let’s be clear: if your company sells products or offers services online to any customer in an EU country, the EAA applies to you, regardless of where you are headquartered.
This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a condition of doing business. EU authorities will have the power to restrict, penalise, or even block non-compliant services from the market. For any American business with a European footprint, or ambitions for one, compliance isn’t just a legal checkbox. It’s a matter of market access.
Global Efficiency is Smart Business
So, what does compliance look like? The EAA demands that digital platforms (including e-commerce sites to mobile banking apps and streaming services) are perceivable, operable, and understandable for people with disabilities.
Faced with this, a global product manager has two choices: build and maintain dozens of different versions of their product to meet various regional standards, or create one single, highly accessible “global version” that meets the highest standard everywhere.
The smart choice is obvious. It’s far more efficient to build accessibility into the core of your product once. This “build once, deploy everywhere” strategy is cost-effective and ensures a consistent, high-quality experience for all users all over the world. The EAA, by harmonising rules across Europe, is pushing companies toward this smarter, unified approach.
Turning Compliance into a US Advantage
This is where the conversation shifts from a European requirement to a powerful American advantage. Once your company invests in that robust, globally-compliant accessibility framework to satisfy the EAA, the most difficult and expensive work is done. The infrastructure to support captions, audio descriptions, and sign language interpretation is now built into the core of your product.
At that point, the decision to integrate American Sign Language for your primary US market is no longer a question of building something from scratch. It’s a low-cost, high-impact strategic move. It allows you to leverage an investment forced by European law to better serve your customers and employees at home.
We’ve seen this exact playbook before. Remember when the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) transformed data privacy from a niche issue into a global business standard? US companies didn’t just change their policies for Europe; the successful ones adopted that high standard everywhere. The EAA is doing the same for accessibility. Companies that embrace this shift will not only secure their European business but will also emerge as leaders in accessibility and inclusion right here in the United States.
What This Means For You
This new global benchmark presents a clear opportunity. It’s a chance to get ahead of the curve, strengthen your brand, and connect with a wider audience that values and expects true access. It’s a chance to ensure that Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals (customers, partners, or employees) are fully included.
Is your organisation ready to turn this global shift into a local advantage? Let’s start a conversation about how strategic accessibility can open new doors for your business and better serve your entire community.
