The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities preserves, researches and makes accessible cultural heritage for the present and the future. The Academy advises the public and policymakers on societal questions of the future and, through its diverse events, offers a forum for dialogue between science and the public. The Academy is therefore committed to making its website and mobile application accessible. The declaration on digital accessibility is required by the Berlin Act on Barrier-Free Information and Communication Technology (BIKTG Bln). The technical requirements for accessibility derive from the BITV 2.0. 

This declaration on digital accessibility applies to this website and its mobile application.

The Ordinance on the Creation of Barrier-Free Information Technology under the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance – BITV 2.0) sets out the requirements for the accessible design of websites and other graphical program interfaces, such as apps. The aim of the BITV 2.0 is to design websites and other graphical interfaces technically so that people with disabilities can use them without restriction. In particular, in addition to adopting internationally recognized standards for accessible web content, the needs of deaf, hearing-impaired, learning-disabled and intellectually disabled people are to be taken into account.

Here you can give us feedback and report barriers.
 

When was the accessibility statement created?

This statement was created on 15.04.2020. This statement was revised on 18.07.2024, 03.01.2025 and 22.12.2025.

The statements in this declaration were last reviewed on 22.12.2025.

The review of digital accessibility was carried out by means of a self-assessment based on an audit report from the following body: Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery, Monitoring Body for Accessibility of Public Bodies of the State of Berlin (Monitoring Body for Digital Accessibility), Competence Center for Digital Accessibility.

How accessible is this website?

This website is not accessible. Almost none of the requirements of the BITV 2.0 are met.

Which areas are not accessible?

Sub-areas that are not compatible with the BITV 2.0 and are not accessible:

1. Barrier: Keyboard operation and menu navigation
   1. Description
      Not all elements of the page can be reached and/or operated with the keyboard. The menu is not fully operable with the keyboard (Requirement 9.2.1.1 Keyboard of EN 301 549) or closable, and submenus are likewise not reachable or operable with the keyboard. The visible keyboard focus is partially missing.
   2. Measures
      All operating elements must be reachable and operable with the keyboard. Correct use and correct implementation of the tabindex is also important. A clearly visible focus must be ensured for both keyboard and mouse navigation.
   3. Timeline
      First adjustments through programming, autumn 2025
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
2. Barrier: Incorrect/missing alternative texts for images and operating elements
   1. Description
      Many images and operating elements have insufficient, incorrect or no alternative text. This includes linked images without meaningful alternative text (essentially a file path), unlabeled and English-labeled buttons in the carousel, as well as images with an empty alt text but a title attribute.
   2. Measures
      A meaningful and unambiguous alternative text should be added for every image and operating element. Operating elements must also always be implemented correctly.
   3. Timeline
      Establishing the foundations through programming, autumn 2025
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
3. Barrier: Media library
   1. Description
      The videos and audio content provided do not have any of the required alternatives, e.g. subtitles, audio description or text transcript. For video or audio content, the requirements of WCAG guideline 1.2 Time-based Media, or the requirements under Sections 9 – Web, 10 – Documents or 11 – Software 1.2.x, as well as the requirements of Section 7 – ICT with Video Capabilities of EN 301 549, must be fully implemented.
   2. Measures
      Provision of subtitles, text transcripts and, where necessary, further alternatives such as audio description.
   3. Timeline
      Solution by editorial team by summer 2026
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
4. Barrier: Information and relationships, headings and labels (labels, form fields)
   1. Description
      The information and relationships of elements or texts on the website are incorrect or not implemented. Headings or heading markup for structuring content are missing. The website has, in places, an insufficient or incorrect heading hierarchy, or headings are not marked up as such or are incorrect (skipped levels).
   2. Measures
      Review whether the content is structured by a meaningful heading structure, that each heading is marked up according to its hierarchy, and that there are no empty headings.
   3. Timeline
      Establishing the foundations through programming, autumn 2025; labels and form fields by 2026
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
5. Barrier: Meaningful sequence
   1. Description
      Certain page elements are arranged illogically or cannot be matched in the reading order when using a screen reader or keyboard navigation. For example, the menus at the top of the page are, in contrast to the visual presentation and page logic, swapped for screen readers or keyboard use.
   2. Measures
      Review whether the reading order is always the same and logically comprehensible for all users. All elements and areas must always be logically connected and comprehensible. Visually hidden areas or elements must also be hidden for the screen reader. The state of the menu must be recognizable to screen reader users.
   3. Timeline
      Analysis autumn 2025, implementation through programming 2026?
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
6. Barrier: Contrast (minimum)
   1. Description: The website exhibits various contrast errors.
   2. Measures
      Ensure that all text elements in normal typeface have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between foreground and background color. Large text as well as operating elements and borders must have a minimum contrast of 3:1. Review whether foreground and background color are always defined in the CSS of the respective elements. Ensure that foreground and background color can be changed in the browser by users without causing problems or being prevented. Cookie banners used must also meet these requirements.
   3. Timeline
      Elimination of programming-related problems, 2025
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
7. Barrier: Presentation (changing text size and mobile view)
   1. Description
      Enlarging the text causes content to be cut off and/or disappear; for example, the text below the menu on the homepage is obscured. In the mobile view, content is cut off.
   2. Measures
      Ensure that enlarging the text by up to 200% (browser zoom function, browser text-only zoom function, or a special mechanism) does not result in the loss of content or functions. Optimization of the mobile view. In addition, increase text spacing and use color and similar visual emphasis for content.
   3. Timeline
      Solution by editorial team and programming by summer 2026?
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
8. Barrier: Bypass blocks
   1. Description
      Areas and content cannot be (sufficiently well) skipped due to missing skip links and insufficient semantic HTML.
   2. Measures
      Ensure that page areas can always be skipped by various mechanisms. Skip links must be located at the top of the page and become visible when focused. The logical page structure must be mapped with regions. Page areas must also be recognizable to screen reader users.
   3. Timeline
      Solution through programming by summer 2026?
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
9. Barrier: Page titles
   1. Description
      Page titles are too long, partially missing, incomplete, or ambiguous.
   2. Measures
      Adjust page titles so that they are always present, meaningful and not too long. The page title must always contain information about both the website itself and the respective subpage.
   3. Timeline
      Solution by editorial team, ongoing
   4. Accessible alternative
      (to follow)
10. Barrier: Links (in context)
    1. Description
       Links are not meaningful or are incorrect (both links without text and linked images without alt text); linking to search results as a spelled-out URL is extremely unfavorable, page pagers are not implemented as readable links.
    2. Measures
       Ensure that links in context are always meaningful, unambiguous and implemented in compliance with standards. This also includes a notice for external links. The use of the title attribute should be avoided as far as possible; instead, the visible link text should be made unambiguous.
    3. Timeline
       Establishing the foundations through programming, autumn 2025
    4. Accessible alternative
       (to follow)
11. Barrier: PDF
    1. Description
       Published PDFs do not comply with the PDF/UA standard.
    2. Measures
       Adoption of the PDF/UA standard.
    3. Timeline
       Solution by editorial team, ongoing
    4. Accessible alternative
       (to follow)
12. Barrier: Sign language
    1. Description
       The mandatory information in sign language is missing (to be provided according to BITV 2.0 requirements).
    2. Measures
       Explanation of the essential content of the website, description of the navigation and the essential content of the accessibility statement. Review and creation of the required content. Links to the information in German Sign Language must be directly accessible from the homepage and must comply with the requirements of BITV 2.0 (including Annex 2).
    3. Timeline
       Solution by editorial team, ongoing
    4. Accessible alternative
       (to follow)

Feedback mechanism / Report barriers

Would you like information on the implementation of accessibility or to report existing barriers? Is there something on our website or mobile application that you cannot adequately perceive, operate or understand? Do you need information in an accessible format? Then please let us know.

Contact details of the responsible persons at the public body:

Arbitration Body

Arbitration procedure:

If you do not receive a response or are wholly or partly dissatisfied with the response, you can contact the Arbitration Body for the Federal Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. The Arbitration Body will review your case and attempt to reach a solution through an arbitration procedure.

You can reach the Arbitration Body at this address:

Arbitration Body under the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, at the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities
Mauerstraße 53
10117 Berlin
Phone: 030 18 527 2805
info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de 
www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de 

You can submit an application to the Arbitration Body to initiate an arbitration procedure. The application can be submitted by filling out an online form, in writing by post, by email, or recorded in person at the Arbitration Body's office.

Contact with the State Commissioner for Digital Accessibility (enforcement procedure)

If your contact with the public body was unsuccessful, you did not receive a response within one month, or the response was inadequate, you can contact the State Commissioner for Digital Accessibility and pursue an enforcement procedure.
Please always contact the responsible public body first!

• Link to the contact form 
• Further information on the State Commissioner for Digital Accessibility