Guest blog by ReadSpeaker
Digital assessments may have started as a convenience, but today they are playing a key role in redefining equity in education, allowing all learners to participate, progress, and succeed.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has accelerated this shift, transforming accessibility from a compliance requirement into a catalyst for innovation in education. Universities, certification bodies, and professional testing organisations increasingly recognise that digital-assessment design, incorporating EAA compliance, can dramatically improve educational opportunities for all, ensuring no learner is excluded by unnecessary barriers.
And the motivation goes far beyond meeting legal requirements. It’s about unlocking the full potential of the next generation of learners.
At ReadSpeaker, we believe accessibility should be embedded into every stage of the learning and assessment journey. Together with Cirrus Assessment, we offer integrated solutions that empower educational institutions to deliver more engaging, fair, and effective digital exams for everyone.
In this article, we explore the evolving landscape of accessible assessments, the implications of the EAA, and practical strategies to help create digital exams that are both compliant and learner-centric.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) (Directive (EU) 2019/882), which became effective on June 28, 2025, sets out common accessibility requirements for a range of digital products and services. Its goal is to harmonise accessibility rules across the EU and ensure equitable access for people with disabilities. While not explicitly referenced, the EAA applies to many digital services used in education, including those that deliver assessments to learners. Organisations delivering digital exams in the EU are therefore expected to ensure their assessment experience is accessible in practice.
According to the AccessibleEU Centre, “This directive is a pivotal step towards making the European Union a more inclusive society, removing barriers and enabling all citizens to participate fully in the digital economy.”
What Does It Mean for Digital Assessments?
For education providers, the EAA’s impact is two-fold:
- Legal Obligation: Organisations delivering digital assessments to learners must ensure their services meet accessibility requirements, typically aligned with the POUR principles and standards such as WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Educational Equity: Institutions must ensure all students, including those with disabilities, can fully access and complete assessments without additional barriers.
Neglecting these requirements can create legal and reputational risks for organisations delivering assessments, and most critically, can lead to educational exclusion.
“When you build for accessibility, you often end up improving the experience for everyone,”
Fredrik Larsson Founder and COO, ReadSpeaker
Why Accessibility Matters
Assessments represent a pivotal milestone in a learner’s journey. Barriers here translate to missed opportunities, inaccurate performance outcomes, and reduced learner engagement. Accessibility removes these barriers by ensuring:
- Equal opportunities to demonstrate knowledge
- Reduced test anxiety through assistive technologies
- Improved engagement and performance for all learners, not just those with recognised disabilities
The results speak for themselves. Studies from institutions using accessibility tools, such as ReadSpeaker’s text-to-speech (TTS) technology, show improvements in:
- Learner confidence
- Retention rates
- Academic success, particularly among neurodiverse learners
- Course completion rates
This mirrors Cirrus Assessment’s commitment to “fair, valid, and accessible assessment experiences for every candidate, every time.”
What Does EAA Compliance Look Like in Practice?
EAA compliance is not a single technical fix or a one-time audit. It is a continuous, organisation-wide commitment to inclusive design, covering technology, content, processes, and people. For digital assessments, this means accessibility must be embedded across the full assessment lifecycle, from authoring and delivery to invigilation, grading, and review.
Institutions that succeed in meeting EAA requirements tend to shift from a “retrofit mindset” to a design-for-all approach, where accessibility is considered at the earliest stages of platform and assessment design rather than added later as an accommodation.
At its core, EAA compliance aligns with the POUR principles and WCAG 2.1–2.2 AA standards, but the practical implications differ depending on the role an organisation plays in the assessment ecosystem.
For EdTech and Assessment Platform Providers
For vendors building or delivering assessment technology, supporting EAA compliance means ensuring that accessibility is foundational, not optional. This includes:
- Accessible-by-design platforms: Interfaces must support keyboard-only navigation, logical focus order, adjustable contrast, resizable text, and screen-reader compatibility without breaking core functionality.
- Built-in alternative formats: Learners should be able to access content in multiple ways — such as audio via text-to-speech, enlarged or reflowable text, and clear visual hierarchies — without needing separate systems or individual requests.
- Assistive technology compatibility: Platforms must work seamlessly with common assistive tools, including screen readers, speech-recognition software, and browser-based accessibility features. Compatibility testing should be ongoing, not occasional.
- Clear, inclusive user experiences: Accessible design is not only technical. Plain language, consistent navigation, unambiguous instructions, and predictable interactions reduce cognitive load for all learners.
At ReadSpeaker, we have seen first-hand that those platforms that embed accessibility natively reduce both institutional risk and learner friction, while also simplifying compliance for customers.
For Higher Education Institutions and Professional Certification Bodies
For organisations delivering assessments, the EAA raises expectations beyond providing individual accommodations. Accessibility must be systemic, scalable, and equitable.
Higher Education Institutions
Universities and colleges should:
- Conduct regular accessibility audits of digital exams against WCAG 2.2 AA standards.
- Ensure assessment content (questions, media, documents) is accessible as well as the platform itself.
- Integrate tools like TTS directly into exams, rather than relying on external or ad-hoc solutions.
- Train academic staff, instructional designers, and exam administrators on inclusive assessment design.
This approach aligns with guidance from the AccessibleEU Centre, which emphasises that accessibility is a shared institutional responsibility — not just the domain of disability support services.
Professional, Finance, and Legal Certification Providers
In high-stakes testing environments, accessibility must coexist with security, validity, and regulatory compliance. This includes:
- Designing exams that are accessible by default, without compromising integrity.
- Offering features such as TTS, alternative navigation, and adjustable presentation while maintaining secure delivery.
- Ensuring accessibility features are consistent across test centres and remote environments.
- Documenting accessibility measures as part of quality assurance and regulatory reporting.
As EAA requirements take effect, professional testing organisations are likely to face increased scrutiny, not only on whether accessibility features exist, but on whether they are usable, reliable, and fairly applied.
From Compliance to Capability
One of the most significant shifts driven by the EAA is the move away from reactive accommodations toward proactive capability-building. Instead of asking, “How do we adapt this exam for a specific learner?”, organisations are encouraged to ask, “How do we design this assessment so it works for as many learners as possible from the start?”
This is where integrated solutions, such as ReadSpeaker’s TTS within the Cirrus Assessment platform, play a critical role. Embedded accessibility tools reduce dependency on external software, minimise technical failures during exams, and provide a consistent, equitable experience for all candidates.
“Accessibility can’t be an afterthought or outsourced. Everyone must be aware of their part in the chain.”
Miguel Ángel Valero Duboy, Vice Chair of the European Joint Technical Board on eAccessibility [source: https://www.readspeaker.com/blog/european-accessibility-act-2025/]
Text to Speech (TTS): A Cornerstone of Accessible Digital Exams
TTS is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’. It is fast becoming an essential tool for accessible digital assessment design.
How TTS enhances assessments:
- Removes Reading Barriers: supports learners with dyslexia, ADHD, or visual impairments.
- Improves Focus: reduces cognitive load by allowing auditory reinforcement.
- Supports Multilingual Learners: provides pronunciations in multiple languages.
- Flexible Testing: offers adjustable speed, voice types, and on-demand access without leaving the assessment environment.
“TTS levels the playing field, allowing knowledge — not reading speed or language fluency — to take centre stage.”
Cristina Gilbert, Cirrus Assessment
With ReadSpeaker integrated directly into the Cirrus Assessment platform, there’s no need for external downloads or workarounds. Everything is embedded and accessible in real-time, in a fully secure environment.
Actionable Checklist: Preparing for EAA Compliance
Institutional Readiness Checklist:
- Conduct an accessibility audit of current assessments
- Choose assessment platforms with embedded accessibility like Cirrus
- Implement TTS and other assistive features
- Train educators and examiners on accessible assessment delivery
- Establish a feedback loop with learners to improve accessibility continuously
- Plan for ongoing compliance monitoring, not just one-off adjustments
Future-Proofing Assessment: A Call to Action
The EAA implementation is a clear marker for educational transformation. But beyond compliance, it’s an opportunity to lead in inclusive education.
By partnering with Cirrus Assessment and ReadSpeaker, institutions can confidently deliver future-proof, inclusive digital exams. It’s about going beyond meeting legal obligations to enabling every learner to achieve their potential.
Leading Change with Accessible Assessments
Accessible assessments cannot just be a checkbox exercise. They are the gateway to educational fairness, integrity, and success in the digital age. With the EAA setting new standards, now is the time to act.
Find out more about ReadSpeaker and Cirrus or Contact ReadSpeaker directly
