BITV-Checkliste für Webredakteure

All images should be provided with alternative text that provides an accurate description of the image for users with visual impairments. The alternative text makes the content and function of graphics accessible to visually impaired people, as it can be read aloud by a screen reader, for example. How is this implemented?

In the editor of the content management system (CMS), there is an input field called "Alternative text" or "Alternative text". Use this field to describe the image with words. Caution: do not confuse the Alt attribute with the Title attribute. The Title attribute is used for supplementary information that is displayed when the mouse pointer is stopped over the image. These are also relevant for sighted people and do not replace the Alt attribute.

Web editors must also ensure that videos and audio content on the website are accessible and meet the requirements of the Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV).

They should ensure that videos have subtitles and audio content is made accessible through transcriptions so that users with hearing impairments can understand the content. Subtitles should also have an appropriate contrasting color to be easily visible to all users. Audio descriptions of videos and movies are important for users with visual impairments to better understand the visual content. Audio descriptions should provide a concise description of the visual content. Care should be taken not to omit textual content that is displayed in the video itself from the description.

How is it implemented? You have the option to hire your video or audio producer for suitable alternatives, involve a professional service provider or create your own alternative.

People who cannot perceive a visual structure of a website, for example because they have a visual impairment, rely on screen readers to navigate the web.

Since they cannot visually grasp headings, paragraphs, tables, or lists, the web page must alternatively be structured in a semantically correct manner using appropriate HTML tags.

If the content is tagged correctly, screen reader users can interpret this structure.

How is this implemented? Text content should be clearly structured using HTML elements. However, web editors usually do not need to type HTML because the editor of the content management system (CMS) has buttons that automatically store the HTLM syntax. Text elements such as headings can be marked and tagged with the appropriate buttons. However, if your editor does not support a particular function, you can enter the corresponding HTML tags yourself in the HTML view of the editor.

The following text contents are distinguished and must be structured by HTML tags:

• Headings Syntax: <h1>...</h1>
• Paragraphs Syntax: <p>...</p>
• Lists Syntax: <ul>...</ul> or Syntax: <ol>...</ol>
• Quotes Syntax: <blockquote>...</blockquote>
• Foreign language text Syntax: <span lang="en">...</span>
• Tables Syntax Heading: <th>...</th> Syntax cell:<td>...</td>
• ...

Visually impaired or blind people often use links to move from page to page. So, if your link texts are meaningful, users can easily decide whether they want to follow the link or not. Screen readers also have the ability to list all links on the page. This makes it easier for users to get an overview.

How is this implemented?

If your editor of the content management system (CMS) does not allow you to directly integrate a link including link text, you can enter HTML code in the HTML view of the editor to link to the desired page.

• Link target: The page the link should lead to
• Link text: the text that will be displayed as a link
• This is what the full HTML code looks like: <a href="link target">link text</a>.

Here, it is important to note that the target page is enclosed in quotes, but the link text is not.

Documents provided on the website, such as PDFs or other file types, should be designed to be accessible so that they can be read by users with different abilities. This means, for example, that the documents should contain a suitable reading order and alternative text for images.

How is this implemented?

Basically, you should make sure that documents offered are barrier-free. This is often not the case with PDF documents in particular, because they are not structured in such a way that they can be easily read by screen readers and other assistive technologies for people with impairments. To ensure that PDF documents are accessible according to PDF/UA conformance, they should be created in such a way that they can be interpreted by assistive technologies. This includes, among other things, describing images and graphics that are relevant to the content (with the exception of decorative graphics) and marking headings accordingly.

After the PDF has been created, the document must then be postponed.

You can check your PDF documents for accessibility using the free PDF Accessibility Checker tool, for example. This allows you to quickly determine whether the PDF document contains barriers. For deeper analysis, however, you need more know-how or support from experts.

The color contrast between text and background should be chosen so that the text is easy to read and can be easily recognized by people with visual impairments. In some cases, colors are used to convey information, for example through different colored curves in a graphic. This information is not accessible to blind or color-impaired users.

Furthermore, good contrasts are not only helpful for visually impaired people, but everyone benefits from being able to quickly and easily grasp information through sufficient contrasts.

How is this implemented?

On the one hand, make sure that information is not only conveyed through colors and, on the other hand, that there is sufficient contrast between foreground and background everywhere. You can check the quality of contrasts using the free tool Colour Contrast Analyser. The contrast ratio between foreground and background should be above 4.5:1.

According to the requirements of BITV, web editors must use easily understandable texts for the web presence that are accessible to all users, including people with learning difficulties or cognitive impairments.

How is this implemented?

Key requirements include:

• Short and clear sentences
• Consequential structure of the text in terms of content
• Use of simple and familiar words
• Avoidance of abbreviations and foreign words
• Structuring of the text by paragraphs, headings and lists
• Support of the text by pictures and graphics.

Overall, the implementation of easy-to-understand language is about preparing information in such a way that it is understandable to all users, regardless of their level of education or linguistic competence.

By following these principles and techniques, one can ensure that web content is accessible and usable by all users.