Introduction: Why accessibility is crucial
Accessibility means digital participation for everyone – regardless of disability or impairment. In Austria, about 760,000 people live with a registered disability (8.3% of the population). However, according to the report "People with Disabilities in Austria" by the Ministry of Social Affairs, 25% of the Austrian population between 15 and 89 years are restricted in everyday activities due to health reasons. For those over 74, this figure is even 59.4%. Across Europe, this amounts to over 100 million people.
These figures represent not only a social responsibility but also significant market potential. Websites that exclude 10–20% of potential users are giving away reach, turnover, and reputation.
Accessible websites reach more users, rank better in search engines, and demonstrate social responsibility. An investment with a measurable ROI.
Table of Contents
Problems & Solutions
Common barriers and fixes
Added value for all users
Accessibility fundamentally improves the user experience:
- Clearer structure: Semantic HTML and logical navigation help all users
- More comprehensible content: Clear and unambiguous labelling of links and headings makes content quicker to grasp
- Higher contrasts: Better readability even in suboptimal lighting conditions
- Flexible media consumption: Subtitles and transcripts for videos enable consumption in noisy or quiet environments
- Mobile optimisation: Touch-friendly elements work universally
- SEO benefits: Search engines prefer structured, accessible content
Google rewards accessible websites with better visibility. Accessibility is not an additional feature – it is modern web development.
Legal foundations in Austria
The legal landscape has fundamentally changed. What was long considered a "nice-to-have" is now a legal obligation with concrete consequences.
Chronology of legal developments
Disability Equality Act (BGStG)
Web Accessibility Act (WZG)
Accessibility Act (BaFG)
Decision tree: Who is affected?
Legal requirements by organisation type
For companies with ≥10 employees or ≥EUR 2 million in turnover, the grace period ends on 28 June 2025. Around 70,000 companies in Austria are affected.
Enforcement and consequences
Public sector
The FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency) randomly monitors public websites and reports to the EU Commission every three years.
Complaints procedure:
- Citizens can submit complaints about non-accessible government websites
- The FFG investigates and demands improvements
- In case of non-compliance: Further legal steps are possible
In practice, improvements are made cooperatively – the goal is improvement, not punishment.
Private sector (from 2025)
The new monitoring body of the Social Ministry Service (an independent authority, subordinate agency of the BMSGPK) can issue administrative fines for the first time:
| Company size | Max. fine according to §36 BaFG |
|---|---|
| Micro-enterprises (< 10 employees, < EUR 2 million) | Exempt |
| Small enterprises (10–49 employees) | up to EUR 20,000 |
| Medium-sized enterprises (50–249 employees) | up to EUR 40,000 |
| Large enterprises (≥ 250 employees) | up to EUR 80,000 |
Affected individuals can direct complaints to the monitoring body of the Social Ministry Service. This body investigates, issues official decisions if necessary, and can determine fines. Important: Continued failure to rectify the situation threatens repeated fines – paying once is not enough. Legal recourse: Appeal to the Federal Administrative Court.
Important: The authorities focus on cooperation. Those who act proactively have nothing to fear. Ignoring it, however, is becoming increasingly expensive.
Added value of accessibility for companies
Accessibility is not a compliance exercise – but a strategic investment with a measurable return.
Quantifiable advantages
Larger target audience
10–20% of Austrians have a disability. In addition, there are older people with declining eyesight or motor skills. Accessible websites open up new customer segments.
Better UX for everyone
Clear structures, distinct contrasts, plain language – all users appreciate this. Accessibility correlates directly with general usability.
SEO optimisation
Semantic HTML, alt texts, structured content – ranking factors that search engines reward. Accessibility pays off in visibility.
Business Case
According to EY Austria, accessibility holds "potential for greater participation and for new markets". Accessible online shops demonstrably increase conversion rates.
Further advantages:
- Image & CSR: Social responsibility as a competitive advantage in employer branding
- Innovation driver: Accessibility promotes user-centric, modern design
- Legal certainty: Prevention is cheaper than fines and retrofitting
Important aspects of web accessibility
Structure before design: Headings and semantics
Headings are not just visual decoration – they form the semantic structure that screen readers use for navigation.
Texts are only formatted visually (bold, 18pt) instead of being marked up as genuine <h1>, <h2> elements. For assistive technologies, the page remains structureless.
Best Practice:
- Use CMS format templates (Heading 1, 2, 3) instead of manual size changes
- Keep the hierarchy logical: H1 → H2 → H3 (do not skip levels)
- Use semantic HTML elements according to their purpose
Principle: Content structure before visual design. CSS can adjust the appearance at any time – the semantic foundation must be correct.
Understanding screen readers
Screen readers convert screen content into synthetic speech or Braille output. For blind people, they are the window to the web.
How it works:
- Captures text and HTML structure
- Output acoustically (speech synthesis) or tactilely (Braille display)
- Navigation via headings, links, landmarks
Recommendation: YouTube video "Internetseiten vorlesen lassen? Wir erklären den Screenreader!" for a practical insight into screen reader navigation.
Consequence: Everything visual must be available as text. Icons need labels, images need alt texts, buttons need meaningful descriptions.
Practical implementation
Correctly tagging language changes
Screen readers use language profiles for correct pronunciation. English terms in German texts are read out incorrectly without a language change tag.
Example: "Tag" is pronounced in German as "Tahg" instead of the English "tag".
Solution: <span lang="en">Tag</span> for language change in HTML. Note: Anglicised words like "Download" do not need to be marked up – unnecessary markup momentarily alters the screen reader's phonetic speech.
Do not mark up every foreign word – this makes the output clunky. Focus on entire paragraphs or critical terms where comprehension problems would otherwise arise.
Alternative texts for images and videos
Images without alt text are "blank spaces" for screen readers – a loss of information for blind people.
Alt text Best Practices:
<!-- Informative image: Describes the content -->
<img src="produkt.jpg" alt="Red sports car model XYZ, side view" />
<!-- Logo: Describes the company -->
<img src="logo.svg" alt="Webconsulting GmbH Logo" />
<!-- Linked image: Describes the link destination (not the image!) -->
<a href="/kontakt">
<img src="brief-icon.svg" alt="To the contact form" />
</a>
<!-- Decorative image: Empty alt text -->
<img src="decoration.svg" alt="" />Important rule for links: If an image is linked and has no accompanying text in the link, the alt text must describe the function of the link (the destination). An envelope icon that leads to the contact page therefore gets the alt text "To the contact form", not "Envelope".
Videos: Subtitles for hearing-impaired people, short description or audio description for important visual content.
Make alt texts a habit when uploading images. Most CMS have a field for this – use it consistently.
Colours and contrasts in corporate design
Corporate colours do not have to be abandoned – but used strategically.
Practical example: A company with light green CI uses this only for large headings on white. A darker green was defined for continuous text – minimal difference, full compliance.
AI support for accessible content
AI tools can assist with certain accessibility tasks – but with important limitations:
Possible applications: Simplifying texts, researching best practices
Example prompts:
- "Name 5 common accessibility problems and solutions"
- "Explain the WCAG success criteria for colour contrasts"
- "Draft this specialist text to be more understandable" (but: this is not enough for genuine Plain Language according to AAA)
AI-generated accessibility content always requires expert review. Alt texts without context, automatic subtitles without correction, or HTML checks without understanding the page structure do not provide reliable results. Anyone who does not know the WCAG criteria cannot sensibly evaluate AI output.
Improving existing websites
You already have a website? These quick wins bring immediate improvement:
- Check heading hierarchy: 95% of accessibility problems arise from incorrectly structured headings – use semantic HTML elements instead of manual formatting.
- Add alt texts: 90% of websites have incomplete image descriptions – add precise alternative texts for all informative images.
- Improve link texts: 85% of all screen reader users navigate primarily via links – draft meaningful descriptions instead of "click here".
- Optimise contrasts: 80% of users benefit from better colour contrasts – implement at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
- Test keyboard navigation: 75% of users with motor impairments rely on keyboard controls – ensure all functions can be reached via Tab/Enter.
- Label forms: 70% of form errors arise from missing labels – link every input field to a meaningful label element.
- Videos with subtitles: 65% of people watch videos without sound – offer subtitles or transcripts for all video content.
Detailed checklist
These basics cover 80% of the most common accessibility problems. Start with the most important pages (homepage, product pages) and work your way through systematically.
WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 – Understanding standards
What is WCAG?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – the international standard for accessible web content, created by the W3C.
Conformance levels:
| Feature | Level A | Level AA | Level AAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements | Basic | Medium | High |
| Legally required | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Practicability | Must-have | Realistic | Very extensive |
| Success criteria | ~25 | ~50 | ~80 |
| Recommendation | Minimum | Standard | Optional |
Level A and AA together constitute the legally required standard in Europe. This means: All A criteria AND all AA criteria must be met.
WCAG 2.2 – What's new?
WCAG 2.2 (October 2023) adds 9 new success criteria to 2.1:
| Criterion | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Not Obscured | AA | Focused elements must not be overlaid by other content |
| Dragging Movements | AA | Alternative to drag-and-drop for motor impairments |
| Target Size | AA | Interactive elements at least 24×24 CSS pixels |
| Consistent Help | A | Help functions consistently positioned |
| Redundant Entry | A | Previously entered info not requested again |
| Accessible Authentication | AA | Accessible login processes (no purely visual CAPTCHAs) |
Currently, laws still require WCAG 2.1 AA. WCAG 2.2 is expected to become mandatory in the next amendment. Recommendation: Implement WCAG 2.2 already in new projects.
The 4 guiding principles
WCAG is based on four fundamental principles:
- Perceivable: Information must be perceivable by users (e.g. alt texts, subtitles, sufficient contrast)
- Operable: Navigation and interaction must work for everyone (keyboard, touch, speech)
- Understandable: Content and operation must be understandable (plain language, logical structure)
- Robust: Compatibility with various technologies and assistive systems
Anyone who develops according to these principles automatically fulfils most criteria.
Common problems and solutions
The "classics" in Austrian website audits:
These seven problem areas cover the majority of all barriers. Systematic remediation eliminates 80%+ of accessibility issues.
Conclusion and recommended action
Digital accessibility in Austria has gone from a "nice-to-have" to a legal obligation with real consequences. From 28 June 2025, companies will face administrative fines of up to EUR 80,000 for the first time.
The core message
Accessibility is not a compliance burden – it is a strategic investment:
- Greater reach: 10–20% more potential users
- Better UX: Optimisation for everyone, not just for people with disabilities
- SEO benefits: Structured, semantic content ranks better
- Legal certainty: Proactive action avoids fines
- Image gain: CSR and social responsibility as a differentiator
What needs to be done now?
The Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025. There is no longer a "transitional phase" – barriers must be removed as quickly as possible. Do not wait to implement it.
Professional support
Act immediately
- Engage experts for an accessibility audit
- Carry out a systematic inventory
- Prioritise according to the severity of the barriers
Structured implementation
Remove barriers
- Implement technical adjustments
- Establish content processes
- Train the team
Sustainable processes
Ensure long-term compliance
- Integrate accessibility into development processes
- Automated testing in CI/CD
- Establish regular reviews
Cultural change
Create awareness
- Anchor accessibility as a design principle
- Develop accessibly right from the start
- Gather user feedback
Implementing WCAG compliance requires expertise and systematic quality assurance. Amateur self-checks are not sufficient to meet legal requirements.
Resources
Official bodies:
Standards & Guidelines:
Tools:
- Contrast calculator: WebAIM Contrast Checker
- Accessibility Testing: axe DevTools, WAVE
- Screen readers: NVDA (Windows), JAWS, VoiceOver (macOS/iOS)
Accessibility is not a project with an end date – it is a continuous process. But every step is a win: for your users, for your business, for an inclusive digital society.