How to Choose a Web Development Partner That Takes Accessibility Seriously
The European Accessibility Act is not optional. By June 2025, businesses across the EU must ensure their digital products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. But here is the uncomfortable truth: most web development agencies still treat accessibility as an afterthought — a checklist to run after the site is built, not a principle baked into the development process.
If you are looking for a web development partner to build or redesign your website, accessibility should be one of your top selection criteria. Here is how to evaluate whether an agency truly understands it.
Red Flags: Signs an Agency Does Not Take Accessibility Seriously
Before we cover what to look for, let us talk about what should make you walk away.
- "We will add accessibility at the end." Accessibility retrofitting is expensive, incomplete, and fragile. It must be built in from the start.
- "We use an overlay widget." Overlay tools do not fix underlying accessibility issues. They are a band-aid, and regulators and advocacy groups have been clear about their limitations.
- "Our templates are accessible." A template might have good markup, but accessibility depends on content, interactions, and context — not just HTML structure.
- "We pass all automated tests." Automated tools catch roughly 30% of accessibility issues. The rest requires manual testing and human judgment.
What to Look For in a Development Partner
1. They talk about WCAG levels, not just "accessibility"
A serious partner will discuss WCAG 2.1 conformance levels (A, AA, AAA) and recommend the right target for your project. For EAA compliance, Level AA is generally the minimum. If they cannot explain the difference between levels, they are not ready.
2. They test with real assistive technology
Screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, voice control — an agency that understands accessibility tests with the tools their users actually use, not just automated scanners.
3. They have a process, not just a promise
Ask for their accessibility workflow. When do they test? Who reviews? How do they handle issues found post-launch? A good partner has answers to all of these.
4. They build semantic HTML first
The foundation of web accessibility is semantic HTML: proper heading hierarchy, meaningful link text, form labels, ARIA attributes where needed. If the agency leads with visual design frameworks and treats markup as an implementation detail, accessibility will suffer.
5. They understand the legal landscape
The EAA, EN 301 549, WCAG — these are interconnected standards. Your development partner should understand how they relate and what your specific obligations are based on your industry and geography.
A Case Study in Getting It Right
We work closely with TechsOn, a Portuguese web development studio that builds accessibility into every project from day one. Their approach is straightforward: semantic HTML first, automated testing in CI/CD, manual testing with screen readers before every release, and ongoing monitoring through tools like EAAPass.
What makes this work is not special technology — it is process discipline. Every pull request gets an accessibility review. Every new component gets keyboard and screen reader testing. Every deployment gets a lighthouse audit. The result is websites that are not just compliant, but genuinely usable by everyone.
This is not the only way to do it, but it illustrates the principle: accessibility is a development practice, not a feature you bolt on.
Questions to Ask Before Signing
Use these questions in your next agency evaluation:
- What WCAG conformance level do you target by default?
- How do you test for accessibility during development?
- Can you show me an accessibility statement from a recent project?
- What is your process for handling accessibility issues found after launch?
- Do you provide ongoing accessibility monitoring?
If an agency cannot answer these confidently, they are not ready to build an EAA-compliant website.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Non-compliance with the EAA can result in fines, legal action, and reputational damage. But the real cost is more fundamental: an inaccessible website excludes up to 15% of the population. That is not just a compliance risk — it is a business risk and an ethical failure.
Choose a partner who understands this. Your users — all of them — deserve better.
How EAAPass Can Help
Whether you are evaluating a new agency or auditing your current site, EAAPass provides automated accessibility auditing against WCAG 2.1 and EAA requirements. Run a free scan to see where you stand, then share the results with your development partner as a starting point for improvement.