Laws and guidelines - Papenmeier Consulting

Inclusion Agreements

A folder with a disability rights label and a paragraph symbol

According to § 83 of the German Social Code (SGB) – Book Nine (IX), companies are expected to adopt a binding inclusion agreement together with the representative body for severely disabled employees, which defines the design of accessible workplaces. This is intended to simplify and promote the integration of people with disabilities.

However, many companies do not give inclusion agreements the attention they deserve, making it more difficult for the representative body to drive inclusion forward within the organization. Additionally, there are still some companies that have not yet adopted an inclusion agreement.

For more information, please click here.

To help change this, you can find an example of how to structure your inclusion agreement at the following link:

Template for an Inclusion Agreement (PDF) from the information platform einfach-teilhaben.de

Procurement Guidelines for Public Services

Two blue binders with EU flags and labels "Verordnungen" and "Richtlinien" are placed on paper with diagrams and a pen.

EN 301 549 is a European procurement directive for public services. The standard defines minimum requirements that information and communication technology (ICT) products must meet in terms of accessibility. These minimum requirements are intended to ensure that websites, software, and other IT products are made more accessible.

Public services are therefore required to implement only accessible IT products. EN 301 549 is the first European standard to address accessibility in information and communication technology. The standard is expected to be transposed into German law soon.

For more information, please click here.

Principles of Software Ergonomics

DIN EN ISO 9241 is an international standard that describes human-system interaction. It serves as a guideline for designing software and interactive systems to ensure a high level of accessibility. The goal is to increase effectiveness and efficiency, which should lead to greater user satisfaction. Accessibility and usability must therefore always be considered together.

To optimize accessibility in human-system interaction, the following approaches should be taken into account:

Applying a user-centered approach during development
Following context-based design processes
Considering options for individual customization
Providing instructions and training tailored to the individual user

The international standard also includes guidelines to ensure smooth interaction between software and assistive technologies.

Software developers can save significant development costs by assigning high priority to accessibility from the outset and incorporating it into the development process. This helps avoid costly revisions and customer dissatisfaction. Software developers should not overlook the social and legal aspects of accessible software, as lost contracts and damage to reputation are difficult to reverse..

WCAG 2.0 – the USA is a pioneer in IT accessibility.

The Golden Gate Bridge with its orange towers and cables spans the gentle blue sky.

The United States of America is a pioneer in the field of IT accessibility. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) created the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a comprehensive framework aimed at improving the accessibility of websites.

The first version of the WCAG was published as early as 1999. Following these guidelines is intended to make web applications more accessible and usable for people with disabilities.

As part of the WCAG, the W3C developed four key principles: Perceivability, Operability, Understandability, and Robustness. These principles have been incorporated into regulations such as the aforementioned BITV. Twelve defined guidelines serve as targets that developers should work toward in order to achieve the highest possible level of accessibility.

In addition, testable success criteria have been established to measure compliance with the implemented guidelines. There are three levels of conformance. However, it is important to note that even the highest conformance level does not guarantee full accessibility for individuals with all types, degrees, or combinations of impairments.

For more information, please click here.

BITV 2.0 - Only one building block of accessibility

A computer keyboard featuring a blue key for accessibility

The Ordinance on the Creation of Barrier-Free Information Technology was issued on the basis of Section 12 BGG. It specifies the design guidelines for information provided by public authorities. This includes websites, intranet sites and graphical program interfaces.

The BITV is intended to ensure unrestricted access to information for people with disabilities. This should lead to increased self-determination and thus promote equal opportunities and quality of life.

The regulation sets out the following four principles that must be fulfilled by the information offered by public services:

Perceptibility – “Information and components of the user interfaces must be presented in such a way that they can be perceived by the users.”
Example: To ensure that images can also be perceived by blind people, descriptive alternative texts must be stored for the images. This enables screen readers to interpret the images and read them out to the blind user.
Operability – “User interface components and navigation must be operable.”
Example: Every element, such as input fields, must be reachable and fully operable via the keyboard.
Understandability – “Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.”
Example: Input fields should include clear labels or hints so that users can fill them in without confusion.
Robustness – “Content must be robust enough that it can be reliably interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.”
Example: The software must be compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers so that a blind user can fully use all its features.

Each principle contains specific requirements and conditions, which are divided into Priority I (must be fulfilled) and Priority II (should be taken into account). The “Robustness” principle only has requirements and conditions with priority I.

Many market providers who test for accessibility only test according to BITV 2.0, although this is only one component of accessibility. With over 30 years of experience in the field of workplace equipment for the blind and visually impaired, we have unique expertise that cannot be found in laws and regulations.

You can find more Information here.

BGG - Accessible IT is a legal obligation

A judge's gavel and books with the text BGG are placed side by side.

The Disability Equality Act (BGG) was passed by the Federal Council in 2002. Similar to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the BGG aims to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities and at the same time promote their participation in social life.

Public authorities in particular are required to actively shape the targets and take measures to remove barriers. This also includes ensuring the accessibility and usability of information systems and information sources.

In practice, this means that blind people, for example, can perceive the same information as sighted people without assistance. Section 12 explicitly states that public bodies must make their websites and graphical program interfaces accessible.

To ensure your accessibility, Papenmeier Consulting prepares customized reports that take into account all requirements in accordance with the latest legislation and go beyond this.

Further information can be found here.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The flag of the United Nations waves in the wind against a blue sky

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the General Assembly in 2006 and aims to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities.

The UN Convention is an important step towards counteracting the injustice that still prevails worldwide towards people with disabilities. In Germany, the agreement came into force in 2009 and is intended to help promote inclusion in the country.

The convention strengthens general human rights and thus promotes equal participation in social life without discrimination. It also aims to increase individual autonomy and independence. This naturally includes unrestricted access to information. To ensure this, IT accessibility is essential.

Further information can be found here.

IT accessibility quickly explained

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

BGG – Barrier-free IT is a legal obligation

BITV 2.0 – Only one building block of accessibility

WCAG 2.0 – USA is a pioneer in IT accessibility

Principles of software ergonomics

Procurement guidelines for public services

Inclusion agreements