EN 17161 Accessibility: Strategic Organisational Design for All

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Accessibility isn’t just about meeting technical standards like EN 301 549. To build truly inclusive services, organisations need a strategic framework that embeds accessibility into planning, design, governance, and delivery.

That’s where EN 17161 accessibility (also known as Design for All) comes in.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

  • What it covers and why it matters

  • How it supports the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

  • The differences compared with EN 301 549

  • Why involving disabled people early is essential

  • The long-term benefits for organisations adopting a Design for All approach

Older man with red glasses and headphones around his neck working intently at a computer in a modern office setting.
Inclusive design in action

What is EN 17161 Accessibility?

When people talk about the European Accessibility Act, most of the focus lands on EN 301 549, the technical standard that sets out what accessible products and services should do.

But there’s another, often overlooked, standard that’s just as important: EN 17161 (Design for All).

  • EN 301 549 is about outputs: what you must deliver.

  • EN 17161 is about process: how you integrate accessibility into your organisation.

It provides the strategic backbone for embedding accessibility into every stage of your accessibility workflows and efficiency processes.

Design for All: A roadmap for accessibility-first organisations

EN 17161: Design for All is a harmonised European standard that helps organisations embed accessibility into business operations, from leadership and policy to design and delivery.

Where EN 301 549 checks what you’ve built, EN 17161 shapes how you build it. When an organisation focuses on processes and culture, it converts accessibility from a reactive compliance exercise into a proactive, strategic advantage.

What does EN 17161 cover?

Design for All is built around a familiar management framework (similar to ISO 9001) and breaks down accessibility into five key areas:

  1. Leadership and governance

    • Clear policies and visible commitment from the top.

    • Measurable accessibility goals and proper funding.

  2. Planning and improvement

    • Anticipate barriers before they occur.

    • Define risks, opportunities, and objectives with measurable tracking.

  3. Design and development

    • Embed accessibility from concept through delivery.

    • Identify excluded users and apply design for accessibility principles from day one.

  4. End-to-end user experience

    • Extend accessibility to the whole journey: help content, packaging, support, and supplier interactions.

  5. Inclusion of disabled people

    • Require direct involvement of disabled users in research, design, and testing.

If you’re familiar with the UK’s British Standard BS 8878 or the international ISO 30071-1, you’ll recognise the same Design for All principles here: embedding accessibility into “business as usual” processes.

How is this different from EN 301 549?

While both are essential, they serve different purposes:

EN 301 549

  • Defines what must be accessible (websites, apps, documents, kiosks).

  • Focuses on technical compliance

  • Output-driven: checks products and services.

EN 17161

  • Defines how organisations embed accessibility into governance, planning, and culture.

  • Focuses on management processes.

  • Process-driven: shapes organisational behaviour.

Key questions EN 17161 asks of you are:

  • Do you have an accessibility policy?

  • Are your teams aware and trained on what to do?

  • Do your suppliers follow the same standards?

  • Are users with disabilities part of your research process?

So EN 301 549 helps you meet legal standards. While EN 17161 ensures you keep meeting them.

Together, they give organisations a fuller picture of accessibility maturity, not just checking boxes, but building sustainable inclusion.

Real user involvement, not just theory

One of the most important requirements of EN 17161 is involving disabled people early and often.

  • Not just feedback after launch.

  • Not separate research “on the side.”

  • But genuine inclusion from discovery, through prototyping, to live testing.

To meet the standard, organisations should:

  • Map who is (and isn’t) using your products.

  • Test prototypes with assistive technology users.

  • Involve disabled participants across multiple design and development stages.

See our guide on Embedding accessibility into your Definition of Done.

At Arc Inclusion, we’ve seen how embedding lived experience leads to:

  • Better services for everyone (not just disabled users).

  • Reduced rework and technical debt.

  • More confident teams building with accessibility from day one.

Why adopt EN 17161?

If you operate in or sell to the EU, EN 17161 isn’t optional, it’s strategic.

Here’s what it enables:

  • Build once, fix less: accessibility embedded in pipelines reduces costly rework.

  • Stay accessible under the EAA: structured governance proves sustained accessibility.

  • Future-proof your organisation: continuous improvement, not one-off sprints.

  • Include more users: accessible services reach more people, boosting usability and trust.

Or as we say: stop mopping the floor, fix the leak.

How Arc Inclusion can help

At Arc Inclusion, we don’t just fix accessibility problems, we empower you to prevent them.

We offer:

  • End-to-end accessibility programmes

  • Staff training and role-based accessibility tools

  • Design system assessments & documentation

  • Accessibility leadership development & coaching

  • Inclusive design and policy support

  • Inclusive culture diagnostics & change management

  • Audit and monitoring frameworks aligned with WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, and EN 17161

If you’re navigating the European Accessibility Act or strengthening accessibility governance, let’s talk.

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Discover how we’ve helped organisations overcome accessibility challenges and achieve success.

FAQs

EN 17161 is a European standard known as Design for All. It provides a management framework to embed accessibility into organisational processes, not just technical outputs.

  • EN 301 549 defines what must be accessible (websites, apps, docs).

  • EN 17161 defines how organisations embed accessibility into governance, planning, and design.

It moves organisations from reactive fixes to proactive accessibility, supporting EAA compliance and long-term capability. Our accessibility leadership development programmes help organisations put these principles into practice.

Yes. EN 17161 complements EN 301 549 by focusing on processes and governance, and aligns with international standards such as ISO 30071-1 ensuring sustainable compliance.

It requires organisations to involve disabled users in research, design, and testing from the start, ensuring lived experience drives inclusive solutions. Check out our guide on inclusive user testing which shows you how to bring diverse participants into every stage to build more inclusive products.

See more FAQs

Website accessibility monitoring is the fundamental process of scanning your website to detect any issues that could prevent users with disabilities from using it. Automated web accessibility monitoring tools continuously check for accessibility issues across your site, providing instant alerts for new and updated content, as well as your overall site health.

 

They track compliance with standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and show you how accessible your site is, where it should be, and what improvements should be made to deliver a better experience for all users.

 

In addition to measuring your compliance, they also provide a clear picture of your progress over time, so you can track the impact of your improvements and maintain ongoing accessibility.

The two main types are automated and manual monitoring. Together, they provide you with a comprehensive view of how accessible your site is and where improvements are needed.

 

  • Automated monitoring uses specialised web accessibility monitoring tools to scan your website for non-compliant features and common issues, such as missing alt text, poor colour contrast, or keyword navigability issues. These tools can also provide instant alerts for when site elements present accessibility risks and site health reports so you can prioritise any issues.

  • Manual monitoring is where accessibility experts and testers come in to review your site as a real user would, often using assistive technologies like screen readers. They will usually check how easy it is to navigate through pages, interact with content, and understand messages or instructions. The aim is to identify any areas which may present barriers for individuals with disabilities.

Accessibility monitoring is crucial for ensuring that everyone can use and experience your site in the same way, regardless of ability. It is also essential for staying compliant with standards like WCAG and with laws like The European Accessibility Act 2025.

 

Without regular monitoring, accessibility issues can easily appear when new pages are added, content is updated, or designs are changed.

 

Continuous website accessibility monitoring gives you a framework to:

  • Stay compliant

  • Improve user experience

  • Respond to issues quickly

  • Track progress over time

Accessibility monitoring should be integrated into your process rather than a one-time check. Websites can change frequently, with new pages, designs, and content changes, but each update can introduce accessibility issues.

 

Continuous monitoring, both manual and through an automated website monitor, is recommended to catch any issues as soon as they appear, particularly after any big changes, such as adding interactive elements, redesigns, and when legal or accessibility guidelines are updated.

 

Even without significant changes, monitoring should be a consistent part of your organisations website maintenance.

 

The more you test the better, but for those looking for an exact amount, ideally once a month is a good starting point to catch any emerging issues.

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