The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive aimed at improving trade between EU member states by ensuring that products and services—including digital books and online content—are accessible to everyone. The Act will come into effect on June 28, 2025, marking a significant step towards a more inclusive and barrier-free society.
This new law ensures that digital books and online content will be accessible to all readers, including people with disabilities.
By making digital books more adaptable, interactive, and user-friendly, the EAA is opening up new opportunities for publishers to reach a broader audience, increase engagement, and enhance the reading experience for all!
What does this mean for Publishers?
A new era for Digital Publishing is approaching: the new EAA encourages innovation and inclusivity in publishing.
By adopting these changes, publishers can create books that:
- Offer flexible text options, allowing readers to adjust font size and style to meet their individual needs.
- Include helpful image descriptions (alt text) so that readers with blind and vision impairment can fully enjoy the content.
- Provide clear and structured navigation, making books easier to browse and interact with.
- Use metadata to highlight accessibility features, helping readers make informed choices about their books.
- Ensure compatibility with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, text-to-speech tools, and alternative input devices.
By integrating these features, publishers can enhance the quality of their digital books while making them accessible to a wider range of readers. This creates a more inclusive literary landscape, ensuring that books are truly for everyone.
Accessibility in publishing means more people can enjoy stories, gain knowledge, and participate fully in culture and education—a step toward a more equal society.
Our Commitment
At PAGE Project, we firmly believe everyone has the right to enjoy books and participate in cultural life. Many young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), learning difficulties, or fewer opportunities still face significant barriers to accessing literature, this is why PAGE is committed to creating solutions that empower PIDD readers by offering tailored tools and activities that make books and cultural participation truly accessible.
We take a structured approach to accessibility through four key phases:
- Research, by conducting focus groups and surveys with PIDD, their families, and publishing professionals to understand accessibility needs.
- Publishing Accessible Books: we will organize a literary contest in each partner country!
These books will be translated into multiple project languages to promote inclusive literature across Europe. - Cultural Activities: we will develop a toolkit for organizing book clubs and writing workshops specifically designed for PIDD. These activities stimulate creativity, encourage engagement with literature, and serve as a testing ground for accessible books and the PAGE app.
- Development of the PAGE App: we are designing the PAGE app, which will include a simplified language vocabulary, interactive features, and assistive tools. The app will be tested and refined based on feedback from PIDD during cultural activities.
Thanks to the European Accessibility Act and the innovations of the PAGE Project, the publishing industry in Europe is moving toward a more inclusive and sustainable future.
By making books more accessible, adaptable, and inclusive, publishers can connect with a wider audience, create more engaging reading experiences, and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive literary culture.
At PAGE, we are excited to be part of this transformation. Our mission is to bridge the accessibility gap in publishing and ensure that no one is excluded from the joy of reading.
Through research, publishing, cultural activities, and technology, we are helping to build a future where literature is truly for all.
Together, we can create a more open, diverse, and inclusive publishing industry.