Accessibility

Accessibility Statement

As an association that wants to enable digital participation, it is particularly important to us to make our website as barrier-free as possible We want to provide access to our information and services to everyone—regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive limitations.

What are the WCAG guidelines?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are internationally recognized guidelines for improving the accessibility of websites. They were developed by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed and help make web content accessible to all people, including those with disabilities.

The WCAG is based on four basic principles:

Perceptible - Content must be presented in such a way that it can be perceived by all users.
Operable - The website must be fully operable using a keyboard and assistive technologies.
Understandable - Content and navigation should be clear and simple.
Durable, - Content must work with different devices and assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers).

There are three levels of conformity:

Level A: basic requirements
Level AA: Recommended standard - mandatory for public bodies in many countries
Level AAA: Highest level - usually only partially feasible

WCAG 2.1 - Level AA

Our website is based on the guidelines of the WCAG 2.1 - Level AA, since they have the internationally recognized standard for digital accessibility This level ensures that our content is accessible and usable by as many people as possible – including those with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments.

As an organization dedicated to digital participation, it is a key concern for us to ensure that no one is excluded online. Level AA offers a balanced combination of technical feasibility and broad utility.

WCAG 2.1 - Level AA Checklist

This checklist contains the most important requirements of WCAG 2.1 at level AA that help make websites accessible to everyone.

1. Perceptible

All images and graphics have meaningful altattributes for screen readers. Decorative images have an empty alt="".
For videos and audio content, there are alternatives such as subtitles or transcripts.
The page structure is logical and has correct headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) are understandable.
Color is not used as the only means of conveying information.
The color contrast between text and background is at least 4.5:1 (for normal text) or 3:1 (for large text).
The text can be enlarged to 200% without assistive technology without losing content or functionality.

2. Operable

All functions can be operated via keyboard without getting stuck in a "keyboard trap."
There are no pure "mouse-over" effects that hide important information.
Animations or flashing content can be stopped and will not flash more than three times per second.
Each page has a meaningful <title>.
Links are clearly recognizable as such and their purpose is understandable (e.g. "More information about topic XY" instead of just "click here").

3. Understandable

The main language of the site is <html>-Day with the langattribute declared.
Forms have clearly labeled fields (<label>) and error messages are understandable and help with correction.
The navigation is consistent throughout the entire website.

4. Robust

The HTML code is valid to ensure compatibility with current and future assistive technologies.
Status messages (e.g. after submitting a form) are implemented in such a way that they can also be recognized by screen readers.

If you encounter any barriers on our website, please contact us. We will endeavor to address your concerns as quickly as possible.