Does a website have an audio version so that a deaf person can use the service? Can the font size in an app be adjusted so as not to exclude people with visual impairments?
These are just two of the many questions web developers should ask themselves before creating online services, in order to make their offerings more inclusive. For those affected, these are essential questions for being able to access digital services. The legal framework for the public sector is set out in the Accessible Information Technology Regulation (BITV), which came into force two decades ago and was last amended in 2019.
But what is the situation within the public sector regarding the implementation of digital accessibility, and what hurdles still need to be overcome there? Why do these hurdles exist? How can they be resolved? This is the question addressed by Basanta Thapa from Public IT Competence Centre (ÖFIT) at Fraunhofer FOKUS in a short study.