Accessibility statement
Mandatory notice by public bodies on how accessible their website is, with feedback contact and enforcement route.
TL;DR
An accessibility statement is a public document in which a public sector body states how far its website or mobile application meets the accessibility requirements. Art. 7(1) of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 requires it to explain non-accessible content with reasons and any alternatives, to describe and link to a feedback mechanism and to link to the enforcement procedure. Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 sets out the model statement. Germany regulates the statement for federal bodies in § 12b BGG and § 7 BITV 2.0, Austria for the federal level in § 4 WZG.
What is an accessibility statement?
An accessibility statement is the mandatory notice in which a public sector body states how accessible its website or mobile application is. Art. 7(1) of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 requires a detailed, comprehensive and clear statement in an accessible format that is updated regularly. The body responds adequately to notifications and requests within a reasonable period.
Section 1 of the Annex to Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 lists the mandatory content that every statement contains at a minimum (Art. 4(1) of Decision 2018/1523):
- Compliance status: fully, partially or not compliant. Fully compliant only if all requirements are met without exception.
- Non-accessible content: grouped by non-compliance, disproportionate burden (Art. 5 of Directive (EU) 2016/2102) and content outside the scope, plus any accessible alternatives.
- Preparation: date and method, for example self-assessment or assessment by a third party (Art. 3(1) and (2) of Decision 2018/1523).
- Feedback and contact details of the responsible unit.
- Enforcement procedure with a link and the contact details of the enforcement body (Art. 9(1) of Directive (EU) 2016/2102).
Section 2 of the Annex lists optional content, for example planned remedial measures with a timeframe or a link to an evaluation report. An outline template is given in the article Accessibility statement: mandatory content and template.
Germany and Austria compared
Germany
Federal public bodies publish the statement under § 12b(1) BGG. It names non-accessible parts, reasons and, where applicable, alternatives, offers an accessible electronic contact option and refers to the conciliation procedure under § 16 BGG, with a link to the conciliation body (§ 12b(2) BGG). Anyone who considers that a federal public body has infringed one of their rights under the BGG can apply for conciliation. The procedure is free of charge (§ 16(2) and (6) BGG). The body replies to notifications and requests within one month at the latest (§ 12b(4) BGG). § 7 BITV 2.0 requires an accessible and machine-readable format with access from the home page and every page (para. 1), a feedback mechanism that should be directly accessible from every page (para. 2), the mandatory content of Decision 2018/1523 (para. 4), an actual assessment (para. 5) and an update every year and after every significant change (para. 6). German state laws are not covered in this entry.
Austria
The WZG applies only to websites and mobile applications of the federal government and federally linked bodies (§ 2(1) WZG). They publish the statement in an accessible format and keep it up to date (§ 4(1) WZG). It must be reachable from the home page (§ 4(2) WZG). The body answers reports of barriers with its findings and measures within two months (§ 4(3) WZG). Complaints are examined by the competent body, the FFG where no ordinance applies, which issues recommendations if a complaint is justified (§ 5(1) no. 2 and (2) WZG). The Länder and municipalities are governed by the state laws, see Accessibility in municipalities: Austria's state laws.
Practical example
Non-accessible documents on the website belong in the statement, because § 2a(1) BITV 2.0 counts integrated documents as components of websites. A German federal authority with PDF forms, Word templates and PowerPoint presentations lists non-accessible files under non-accessible content and gives the reason and, where available, an accessible alternative (§ 12b(2) no. 1 BGG). BITV 2.0 has no cut-off exemption for older office files. For older content it only exempts archives that are not needed for active administrative procedures and have not been updated after 23 September 2019 (§ 2(2) no. 2 BITV 2.0). An Austrian federal body can mark office files published before 23 September 2018 and not needed for ongoing administrative procedures as out of scope (§ 2(3)(a) WZG, in line with Art. 1(4)(a) of Directive (EU) 2016/2102). It answers requests about such files within two months (§ 4(3) WZG). The fewer inaccessible files remain, the shorter the list: you can have accessible documents prepared. This entry is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does every non-accessible file have to be named individually?
How quickly must a body respond to reports of barriers?
How often must the statement be updated?
See also
- Disproportionate burden
- BITV 2.0 (German Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance)
- WZG (Austrian Web Accessibility Act)
- Web Accessibility Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2102)
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2016/2102 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, Art. 1 Abs. 4 lit. a, Art. 5, Art. 7 Abs. 1 und 2, Art. 9 Abs. 1, eur-lex.europa.eu
- Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 establishing a model accessibility statement, Erwägungsgrund 3, Art. 3 Abs. 1 und 2, Art. 4 Abs. 1, Anhang Abschnitt 1 und 2, eur-lex.europa.eu
- Web-Zugänglichkeits-Gesetz (WZG), consolidated version, § 2 Abs. 1 und Abs. 3 lit. a, § 4 Abs. 1 bis 3, § 5 Abs. 1 Z 2 und Abs. 2, ris.bka.gv.at
- Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz (BGG), § 12b Abs. 1, 2 und 4, § 16 Abs. 2 und 6, gesetze-im-internet.de
- Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung (BITV 2.0), § 2 Abs. 2 Nr. 2, § 2a Abs. 1, § 7 Abs. 1, 2, 4, 5 und 6, gesetze-im-internet.de