This has been a landmark year for accessibility in publishing. With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into force in June 2025, accessibility has moved decisively from aspiration to obligation for many organisations. Across the industry, we have seen a significant shift: accessibility is no longer treated as a niche concern or a post-production fix, but increasingly as a core component of publishing strategy, workflows, and product quality. The work documented in this report reflects that turning point.
Throughout 2025, PAAG brought together publishers, vendors, and partners as they prepared for and responded to the EAA, sharing knowledge, practical guidance, and lived experience through our meetings, resources, and growing community. At the same time, we have been looking ahead. As we turn the corner into 2026, attention is already focused on the forthcoming updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the revised ADA Title II requirements due to come into effect in April 2026. For global publishers and platforms, this evolving legislative landscape reinforces the need for consistent, scalable, and genuinely inclusive approaches to accessibility across regions and formats.
What has been particularly encouraging this year is the level of collaboration and openness across the publishing ecosystem. PAAG’s community has continued to grow, bringing together publishers of all sizes, technology providers, accessibility specialists, and advocates. The contributions captured in this report—from charter signatories and allies alike—demonstrate both the progress made and the honesty with which challenges are being addressed. From advances in accessible EPUB production and metadata, to improvements in platforms, workflows, training, and governance, the industry is clearly learning and maturing.
Yet compliance alone is not the end goal. Accessibility is ultimately about readers: ensuring that people with print disabilities can discover, access, and use content with the same choice, and timeliness as everyone else. As we move into 2026, PAAG remains committed to supporting the transition from compliance-driven activity to accessibility as business-as-usual—embedded from authoring through to delivery, and communicated clearly to those who rely on it.
I would like to thank the PAAG Working Group, our charter signatories and allies, our speakers, partners, and the wider PAAG community for their continued commitment, generosity, and expertise. The progress captured in this report is the result of collective effort, and it provides a strong foundation for the work still ahead.
Stacy Scott
Chair of the Publishing Accessibility Action Group and Head of Accessibility at Taylor & Francis Group