Accessibility statement

Gerleu aims to make this portal usable by as many readers as possible, including readers who rely on assistive technology. This statement describes the standards we target, our self-assessment, and how to tell us about a barrier.

Legal framework

The German Act on Strengthening Accessibility for Products and Services (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG) implements European accessibility requirements for certain products and services. Where the BFSG bears on a service like ours, the relevant technical benchmark is the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which in turn points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. We treat the BFSG, EN 301 549 and the guidelines as the framework for our work.

Conformance target

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1, at level AA, together with the web provisions of EN 301 549. This is a target we pursue continuously rather than a claim of perfection. The sections below describe how far we have come and where limits remain.

Measures we have taken

The site is built from standard semantic elements, so headings, lists, tables and form controls carry their meaning to assistive technology. Every image has a text alternative, and decorative elements are marked so they are skipped. Colour is never the only means of conveying information; our state changes are also expressed through text or position. The layout reflows to a single column on narrow screens, and text remains readable when enlarged. We use no motion that cannot be ignored, and no element flashes in a way that could cause discomfort.

Contrast has been checked against the level AA threshold for normal text, and our interactive elements can be reached and operated from a keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator on each one. The site carries no remote fonts, scripts or images, which also means it behaves predictably when a reader blocks third-party content.

Self-assessment

We assess the site ourselves rather than through an external audit. Our review covers the semantic structure, the keyboard path through every page, the contrast of text and controls, the text alternatives on images, the labelling of forms, and the behaviour of the layout at large text sizes. The current self-assessment finds the site largely aligned with the target, with the limitations noted below.

Known limitations

Two limits deserve mention. First, the navigation panel is presented as a ranked table, and while it is marked up so its rows are understandable, some readers may find a plain list easier; we continue to refine its structure. Second, the model forms on our legal pages are offered as plain text with underscores, which is workable but not ideal for readers using a screen reader; we will replace them with properly labelled fields in a later revision.

Feedback and enforcement

If you meet a barrier, write to [email protected] and describe the page and the difficulty. We aim to reply within a reasonable period and to remove the barrier where we can. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may turn to the market surveillance authority responsible for the BFSG, or the Federal Agency for Accessibility (Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit), which advises on the law and on routes for complaint.