Informations on accessibility
We regularly receive inquiries in Web Support on the topic of accessibility, e.g.: Does my website have to be accessible? How can I make my existing and new content accessible? Does the Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG), which comes into force in June 2025, affect my websites?
We are taking this opportunity once again to provide you with the basic information.
Legal basis
The legal basis for the University of Münster’s obligation to provide its entire web offering in an accessible manner is EU Directive 2016/2102 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, published in the Official Journal of the European Union in December 2016. The directive was transposed into national law by EU member states in 2018. State laws and state-specific regulations govern online accessibility for the federal states and municipalities.
State laws and state-specific regulations govern online accessibility for the federal states and municipalities. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the relevant provisions are the North Rhine-Westphalia Disability Equality Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz Nordrhein-Westfalen, BGG NRW) and the North Rhine-Westphalia Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung Nordrhein-Westfalen, BITV NRW). Accordingly, the University of Münster must also ensure the accessibility of its websites.
This means, among other things:
- Public websites published after September 2018 must be designed to be accessible.
- PDF documents must also be provided in an accessible format. PDF documents created before September 2018 are exempt.
On 28 June 2025, the Accessibility Strengthening Act will come into force; digital accessibility will then also become a mandatory task for companies. For universities, this obligation has already been in place for several years.
Tips and help with implementation
The Web and Design Unit has compiled helpful information and sources on the intranet that can assist you in creating and revising your content.
Training
When providing PDF documents, particular care must be taken to ensure that the source file (usually MS Word) is already accessible. CIT offers Word training courses that also cover the topic of accessibility.
In addition, the digital accessibility competence center barrierefreiheit.nrw offers numerous training courses.
This message was part of the WWW multipliers newsletter.