Susanna Laurin (CPACC)
@susannalaurin.bsky.social
Managing Director of the Funka Foundation. IAAP Responsible to the EU. ETSI/CEN/CENELEC Joint Technical Body eAccessibility Chair.
Focusing on empowering end users of all abilities through accessibility research, policy, standards and hard work.
Focusing on empowering end users of all abilities through accessibility research, policy, standards and hard work.
Reposted by Susanna Laurin (CPACC)
A6: A big myth is that the #EAA only applies to websites—it doesn’t. It covers banking, transport, e-books, e-commerce, and more. Another myth? That accessibility is expensive. In truth, retrofits are costly—building access in from the start saves money and includes more people. #AXSChat
June 17, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Susanna Laurin (CPACC)
The depth of requirements in areas that go beyond the expertise and experience of small companies will be a challenge, especially if everything was done in house. #AXSChat
June 17, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The depth of requirements in areas that go beyond the expertise and experience of small companies will be a challenge, especially if everything was done in house. #AXSChat
Reposted by Susanna Laurin (CPACC)
Still another day before we can go total Midsummer mode ...
Hi everyone I hope that you are enjoying the almost midsummer sunshine and balmy weather. I am glad to be with you for #AXSChat with our guest @susannalaurin.bsky.social as we discuss the #EAA European Accessibility Act which comes into force this month.
June 17, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Still another day before we can go total Midsummer mode ...
Thanks @neilmilliken.bsky.social @akwyz.com @debraruh.bsky.social for making sure #AXSChat is alive and kicking! Many good interactions tonight. Now time for bed.
January 28, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Thanks @neilmilliken.bsky.social @akwyz.com @debraruh.bsky.social for making sure #AXSChat is alive and kicking! Many good interactions tonight. Now time for bed.
A6 The vendor needs to be able to have a discussion about pros and cons, prioritisation and how to handle tricky decisions where the best solutions is really expensive and the second best may exclude user groups etc. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
A6 The vendor needs to be able to have a discussion about pros and cons, prioritisation and how to handle tricky decisions where the best solutions is really expensive and the second best may exclude user groups etc. #AXSChat
A6 If references are used in the procurement process, I would spend a bit of time to talk to one or two of them, to get a feel of how the vendor see their role – as compliance specialists referencing the requirements or actual consultants? #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
A6 If references are used in the procurement process, I would spend a bit of time to talk to one or two of them, to get a feel of how the vendor see their role – as compliance specialists referencing the requirements or actual consultants? #AXSChat
A6 A common misconception is that all you need is technical staff who know accessibility. That can never be enough, as accessibility is just as much about design, UX and content creation. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
A6 A common misconception is that all you need is technical staff who know accessibility. That can never be enough, as accessibility is just as much about design, UX and content creation. #AXSChat
A6 Above all, vendors should have real, practical experience. It is not enough to know standards and legislation by heart – you need to have met enough users with various needs to understand the complexity of possible solutions. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:51 PM
A6 Above all, vendors should have real, practical experience. It is not enough to know standards and legislation by heart – you need to have met enough users with various needs to understand the complexity of possible solutions. #AXSChat
A5 Deciding what your goal is, is equally important. Do you aim for being the most user friendly and accessible provider in the world … or is the goal just not to get in trouble by breaking the law? If you can answer that question, it will be easier to find the right vendor. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:49 PM
A5 Deciding what your goal is, is equally important. Do you aim for being the most user friendly and accessible provider in the world … or is the goal just not to get in trouble by breaking the law? If you can answer that question, it will be easier to find the right vendor. #AXSChat
A5 The internal analysis will show some gaps needed to be filled, by training and recruiting, or by selecting a vendor that can complement the already existing competences. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:48 PM
A5 The internal analysis will show some gaps needed to be filled, by training and recruiting, or by selecting a vendor that can complement the already existing competences. #AXSChat
A5 Strategy, no matter the legal framework: I strongly believe in knowing where you are and where you are going, before you move into action. If you are new to accessibility, you need to look internally first, to understand the current status and what competences you have internally. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:47 PM
A5 Strategy, no matter the legal framework: I strongly believe in knowing where you are and where you are going, before you move into action. If you are new to accessibility, you need to look internally first, to understand the current status and what competences you have internally. #AXSChat
A5 We are still talking about the European Accessibility Act, right? Not my intention to be picky, but people tend to confuse it with the Web Accessibility Directive and if you call it the "EU Accessibility Directive" it is really a mix of apples and pears. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:46 PM
A5 We are still talking about the European Accessibility Act, right? Not my intention to be picky, but people tend to confuse it with the Web Accessibility Directive and if you call it the "EU Accessibility Directive" it is really a mix of apples and pears. #AXSChat
A4 Another important aspect is empowering people with disabilities by making it easy for users to report accessibility issues and provide suggestions. Introducing accessibility in school curricula to create awareness from a young age is an important but of course long-term strategy. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:36 PM
A4 Another important aspect is empowering people with disabilities by making it easy for users to report accessibility issues and provide suggestions. Introducing accessibility in school curricula to create awareness from a young age is an important but of course long-term strategy. #AXSChat
A4 Cross-sector collaboration can help: building alliances between public, private, and non-profit organisations to take advantage of resources and expertise. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:36 PM
A4 Cross-sector collaboration can help: building alliances between public, private, and non-profit organisations to take advantage of resources and expertise. #AXSChat
A4 I believe a series of actions must be taken to succeed. It seems like everyone agrees stakeholder involvement is important, but still it is rarely carried out. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A4 I believe a series of actions must be taken to succeed. It seems like everyone agrees stakeholder involvement is important, but still it is rarely carried out. #AXSChat
A3 More indirectly, accessibility testing and monitoring will also be more efficient with AI, leading (hopefully) to increased accessibility. NB there are also risks – we need humans to be clever when using and implementing AI. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A3 More indirectly, accessibility testing and monitoring will also be more efficient with AI, leading (hopefully) to increased accessibility. NB there are also risks – we need humans to be clever when using and implementing AI. #AXSChat
A3 Another positive impact is built-in personal preferences by default, instead of requiring the individual to re-program things to fit their needs. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:34 PM
A3 Another positive impact is built-in personal preferences by default, instead of requiring the individual to re-program things to fit their needs. #AXSChat
A3 There are great opportunities for personalised user experiences, where I get the information/interface exactly the way it suits me. We already see improvements in assistive technology being more precise using AI. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
A3 There are great opportunities for personalised user experiences, where I get the information/interface exactly the way it suits me. We already see improvements in assistive technology being more precise using AI. #AXSChat
A3 Accessibility is mainly about providing alternatives. AI can already turn speech into text and text into audio, it can describe (or rather guess) what an image is showing etc. As these functions improve and cover more languages, we will all benefit. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
A3 Accessibility is mainly about providing alternatives. AI can already turn speech into text and text into audio, it can describe (or rather guess) what an image is showing etc. As these functions improve and cover more languages, we will all benefit. #AXSChat
Reposted by Susanna Laurin (CPACC)
A2 The European Accessibility Act's global impact starts with sharing best practices, encouraging worldwide adoption, and showing businesses accessibility drives innovation. By making compliance attractive and inclusive, we transform standards into a global movement for disability rights. #AXSChat
Q2 The new European Accessibility Act (EAA) is reshaping accessibility efforts. How can we ensure this progress benefits the global disability community? #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:25 PM
A2 The European Accessibility Act's global impact starts with sharing best practices, encouraging worldwide adoption, and showing businesses accessibility drives innovation. By making compliance attractive and inclusive, we transform standards into a global movement for disability rights. #AXSChat
A2 It doesn’t really make business sense to develop and maintain two versions in parallel .... so the region with the toughest requirements will have an indirect impact also on other markets. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:13 PM
A2 It doesn’t really make business sense to develop and maintain two versions in parallel .... so the region with the toughest requirements will have an indirect impact also on other markets. #AXSChat
A2 When a company is obliged to meet accessibility requirements in the EU, chances are that they will implement the same version of their product/service to all their markets, rather than marketing one accessible to be sold in the EU and one inaccessible to be sold elsewhere. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:12 PM
A2 When a company is obliged to meet accessibility requirements in the EU, chances are that they will implement the same version of their product/service to all their markets, rather than marketing one accessible to be sold in the EU and one inaccessible to be sold elsewhere. #AXSChat
A2 The EAA is going to benefit people far beyond the EU, as companies who want to sell their products or services in scope of the directive are covered – no matter where they are headquartered. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
A2 The EAA is going to benefit people far beyond the EU, as companies who want to sell their products or services in scope of the directive are covered – no matter where they are headquartered. #AXSChat
A1 Organisations representing persons with disabilities may not always have the capacity to support all the requests they get and many of them struggle to make ends meet. That may not be the perfect supplier of technical assistance BUT they do of course represent a unique lived experience. #AXSChat
January 28, 2025 at 8:09 PM
A1 Organisations representing persons with disabilities may not always have the capacity to support all the requests they get and many of them struggle to make ends meet. That may not be the perfect supplier of technical assistance BUT they do of course represent a unique lived experience. #AXSChat