Accessibility - Why the topic is so important now
by Lena Albrecht
6 November 2020
Since 23 September 2020, a new EU directive on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications has applied to public sector institutions. The aim is to give as many users as possible access to digital content. What does the directive say, what are the deadlines and what exactly do you need to do now? We explain - step by step.
Equality and accessibility on the web
We have already explored the question of why many website operators and digital agencies pay so little attention to equality and accessibility on the web in our Insight article "Borderless web - accessibility for all". Although there is an awareness of the general concerns of the Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV), there is often a lack of clarity about the specific requirements and tasks involved in its implementation.
Who is affected?
Since 23 September at the latest, it has been clear that many website operators are obliged to publish an accessibility statement on their website. They must also ensure that their digital offerings fulfil as many accessibility requirements as possible. This applies to institutions from the public sector; agencies that receive contracts from the public sector must also comply with the directive accordingly - for example when (re)launching a website. NGOs and public broadcasters are not affected by this.
Get rid of the barriers!
The background to this is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which specify how a website should be designed to be accessible to all. These were drawn up by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The WCAG set of rules includes the so-called WAI guidelines for the design of accessible websites, which primarily concerns editors and developers.
The 4 principles of WCAG 2.1 are: Perceptibility, robustness, comprehensibility and usability. Conformance level AA (e.g. zoomability + contrast) should always be achievable for all website operators.
What exactly these principles mean is described in 13 guidelines based on so-called measures. How these are to be implemented is defined in 78 success criteria. These are in turn divided into three levels.
What content does the directive apply to?
- Websites
- Apps and electronic administrative processes
- PDFs
- Videos and graphics
- Time-based media
When it comes to electronic administrative processes, Germany is generally stricter than the EU directive stipulates. In addition to the EU Web Accessibility Directive, BITV 2.0 also requires apps to be accessible.
What deadlines do I have to meet?
Since 23 September 2020, website operators have been required to provide an accessibility statement. You should also note a few other deadlines that are relevant for designing an accessible future:
- Electronic administrative procedures/apps only have to have published the declaration by 23/06/2021
- The first results monitoring report must be sent to the Commission by 23/12/2021
- The Commission will review the application of the Directive by 23/06/2022
What must my accessibility declaration contain?
The legal basis for the accessibility statement is the Disability Equality Act (BGG) and the Accessible Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0). The accessibility statement must be accessible from the homepage and every page of a website - the footer of a website is suitable for this purpose, for example. For mobile applications, the declaration must be published where the application can be downloaded.
Within the declaration, you are obliged to assess the WCAG conformity of your website. Section 7 paragraph 5 of BITV 2.0 states this:
To prepare the accessibility statement, you must assess the extent to which your website or mobile application complies with the requirements set out in Section 3 (1) to (3) (BITV 2.0).
Compliance with the standards can be assessed either by self-assessment or, for example, by an independent BITV test carried out by the BITV Test Association, i.e. by external providers. We have already discussed the categorisation of conformity in our Insight article "Borderless network".
Contact option and regular updates
The declaration should also include a contact to provide feedback on accessibility and draw attention to any shortcomings. In accordance with Section 16 BGG, reference should also be made to an arbitration centre tasked with resolving conflicts between people with disabilities and federal public bodies. The declaration must be updated annually and whenever significant changes are made. It must also state which parts of the website or app are not yet fully accessible and why. Essential information on the core content of the website must be made available in German sign language and plain language.
An example: mehr-zukunft.info/barrierefreiheit
Who controls the specifications?
This is carried out by the Federal Monitoring Centre for Accessibility of Information Technology (BFIT). In the case of public bodies in the federal states, the monitoring centres of the federal states take on this task. The state authorities then report to the BFIT, which in turn reports to the EU. If organisations do not comply with the accessibility requirements, the individual member states can impose fines.
Support is available from the Federal Centre for Accessibility. WCAG 2.1 also offers assistance with a series of best practices in the area of accessibility.
Checklist - What you should consider when designing your accessible website
Development
Strict separation of content, structure and design: For easy updating of content without having to adapt the design afterwards.
Scalability: The content should still be easy to read and recognise even when enlarged by 200%. All current browsers offer the option of enlarging the display using keyboard shortcuts (ctrl + or - ).
Responsiveness: The website should be easy to read on all end devices.
Navigation: Should be intuitive, easy to find and consistent.
Observe contrast ratio: Ensure there is sufficient contrast between the foreground and background and take colour vision deficiencies such as red-green deficiency into account when choosing colours.
Content
Easy-to-understand language : The sentence structure should be easy to understand. Technical terms used must be explained.
Good readability of texts: This includes, among other things, an appropriate font size and sufficient line spacing, which aids readability.
Use a meaningful structure: Headings should be used correctly in order to infer the content.
Text alternatives / image descriptions: As people with visual impairments or blind people cannot perceive your website visually or can only perceive it to a limited extent, it should be possible to provide voice output of the content. Attributes (alt tags) for images and forms should therefore always be filled in.
It is crucial for digital agencies and online editorial teams to communicate the relevance of accessibility early enough and to think about it, maintain it continuously and, last but not least, test it again and again. This will ensure that more people find out about your offers and services.