This summer, the Act for More Accessibility (BFSG, German only) came into effect in Germany. At its core, it’s about making sure as many people as possible can use digital services in a meaningful and comfortable way. At the same time, accessibility has now become a legal requirement for many websites.
Over the past year, we’ve reworked our website process to better handle accessibility requirements. Here are a few approaches we’ve gathered for project managers and website owners to help get started on the road to building an accessible website.
Quick note upfront: You’re not alone in this
Of course, we’d love to tell you that we’ve always gotten everything right. Unfortunately, that’s not true – in fact, last year we were a little embarrassed about some of our older websites. But we decided not to let that guilt push accessibility further down the to-do list. So here's a quick stat for motivation, covering 2022 to 2024:
Of the 7,230 tested German public sector websites, 9 were fully accessible. No offering fulfilled all WCAG criteria
By the way: public sector sites in Germany have actually been subject to the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (BGG, German only) for quite a while already – which has similar requirements as the BFSG. So: you’re not alone. Not exactly good news, but definitely another reason to get started.
Step 1: Shift your perspective
Most people running a website have some idea who uses it and how. Usage scenarios are a solid starting point for thinking about accessibility – as long as you extend them to include specific accessibility needs.
A practical tool here can be accessibility personas, which help open your mind to different scenarios. A good starting point are the Stories of Web Users from W3C, or the (slightly older) toolkit by the Accessibility Team at the UK Government Digital Service.
Check out the short videos from Tetralogical for a first impression of how websites are experienced with different assistive technologies – a tip from the Practical Accessibility online course by Sara Soueidan, which we highly recommend.
And of course, the best insights into working with assistive tech come from people who use it every day – maybe even folks on your own team. They can become crucial allies in the process, both as experts and as testers.
Step 2: Define the scope
So, what exactly needs to be done? In our experience, this is the point where external advice pays off the most. Unfortunately, accessibility doesn’t come “out of the box.” Quick-fix solutions like overlays or widgets often end up creating new barriers instead of removing them.
Some central questions to ask:
- Which of my products (or which parts of them) fall under BGG or BFSG – and which others should be improved anyway? This might not just be the website itself, but also linked PDFs, for example. A first overview of what the laws cover can be found on the BFSG website, here is also some helpful interpretation by a specialized lawyer (German only).
- Which people on the team are affected by the changes? Who creates website content or digital documents from templates – and needs the right training?
- Which other teams or service providers are involved – who’s handling content, design, or code and needs to be part of the process?
Step 3: Audit and action plan
Now it’s time to get practical: what exactly needs to be developed or fixed? The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define the success criteria for accessibility under BFSG. But interpreting them correctly takes some technical know-how.
Automated tests like the WAVE browser extension are a good way to get a first impression of a site’s weaknesses. They only cover part of the rules, though. We always recommend combining automated tests with manual testing using different assistive technologies (for example, the most common screen reader/browser combos). And again: involve testers who actually use assistive tech in their daily lives.
Based on an audit, you can create a clear action plan mapped to the WCAG criteria – identifying which criteria aren’t being met, and how to fix them. But we’ve found an iterative process often works best: instead of one big audit, fix issues as they’re found in each testing round – so they don’t pop up again later.
The team is ready, the mission is clear – time to get going. We’re excited you’re taking steps to make your digital offering more accessible to more people.
Need support at any stage? Drop us a line: info@diebrueder.com