The Goethe-Institut e.V. endeavours to make its websites and mobile applications accessible under the requirements of EN 301 549 (according to § 3 “Standards to be applied” of the Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung - BITV 2.0, this European standard is regarded as a guideline for the accessibility of websites). According to § 3 paragraph 2 BITV 2.0, accessibility can be assumed if the conformity of the websites to harmonized accessibility guidelines is established.
This declaration on accessibility applies to the websites of the Goethe-Institut at www.goethe.de (as of: 10.02.2025).
State of compatibility with requirements
The requirements are specified in §3 BITV 2.0. In particular, the criteria in Chapter 9 of EN 301 549 v2.1.2 (corresponds to the success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines/WCAG 2.1 at conformity level AA) must be met.
The websites on www.goethe.de are only partly compatible with the BITV 2.0 owing to the following incompatibilities.
Non-accessible content
The websites on www.goethe.de are partially compatible with EN 301 549 due to the following incompatibilities. Incompatibility with § 3 paragraph 2 BITV 2.0. Specifically, the following success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 are not met:
- 1.2.1 Pure audio and pure video (recorded) [Level A]
- 1.2.2 Subtitles (recorded) [Level A]
- 1.4.10 Automatic line-break (Reflow) [Umbruch. Or “wraps”?] [Level AA]
- 2.2.2 Pause, stop, hide [Level A]
- 4.1.1 Syntax analysis [level A]
- 4.1.2 Name, role, value [Level A]
- 4.1.3 Status messages [Level AA]
- In addition, PDF files do not have tags.
A test report with corresponding documentation was sent to the Goethe-Institut e.V.
Preparation of this declaration on accessibility
This declaration was prepared on 16 July 2021.
It is based on an actual evaluation of a selection of pages on the websites on www.goethe.de (conformity test according to WCAG 2.1) by Hellbusch Accessibility Consulting.
The declaration was last checked on 12th January 2025.
Arbitration
The Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities has an arbitration board in accordance with Section 16 BGG. The arbitration board has the task of resolving conflicts between people with disabilities and public authorities of the federal government.
You can engage the arbitration board if you are not satisfied with the answers from the previously mentioned contact options. This is not about finding winners or losers. The aim is rather to find a solution to a problem jointly and out of court with the help of the arbitration board.
The arbitration procedure is free of charge. You also don’t need legal assistance.
You can find all information about the arbitration procedure on the website of the arbitration board. There you can read how an arbitration procedure works and how you submit the application for arbitration. You can also submit the application in German Plain Language or German Sign Language.
You can reach the arbitration board at the following address:
Schlichtungsstelle nach dem Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz
bei dem Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für die Belange von Menschen mit Behinderungen [i.e. Arbitration board according to the Disability Equality Act at the Federal Government Commissioner for the Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities]
Mauerstrasse 53
10117 Berlin
Telephone: +49 30 18527-2805
Fax: +49 30 18527-2901
E-mail: info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de
Internet: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de
Enforcement Proceedings
As part of an enforcement procedure, you can submit an online
application to the enforcement body to check compliance with accessibility requirements (German only).
Feedback
Have you encountered any challenges in accessing the content on www.goethe.de? Do you have inquiries regarding the website's accessibility? We invite you to contact us with your feedback or questions, as your input is important to us. Please feel free to write us at barrierefreiheit@goethe.de
Please note: Contact your
local Goethe-Institut, if you need information on German courses
