Sachstruktur (sachstruktur.de) is committed to making our journalism accessible to all readers, including those with disabilities. We aim to conform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA and welcome feedback on how we can improve. If you encounter any barriers, please contact our accessibility team at accessibility@sachstruktur.de.
What accessibility standards do we follow?
We follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA as our benchmark for digital accessibility. This standard covers a broad range of recommendations for making web content more usable for people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological conditions. Our editorial and technical teams regularly review the guidelines to ensure our site meets these requirements as fully as possible.
Compliance is an ongoing process. Sachstruktur Media Ltd., the company that owns and operates the site, has integrated accessibility checks into our development pipeline and editorial workflow. We test against the four principles of WCAG – perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust – and prioritise fixes that have the greatest impact on real-world use.
How do we handle keyboard navigation and focus?
We ensure that all interactive elements on sachstruktur.de – links, buttons, form fields, and media controls – can be operated using only a keyboard. The site is designed with a logical tab order, and visible focus indicators (such as outlines or colour changes) highlight the currently focused element so you can see exactly where you are on the page.
We avoid keyboard traps: you can move into and out of every component without being stuck. If you use assistive technologies such as screen readers or voice commands, our semantic HTML structure (headings, landmarks, labels) should help you navigate content efficiently. If you notice a focus issue, please let us know at accessibility@sachstruktur.de.
What have we done for contrast and readable text?
Text and background colours on our site meet a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, as required by WCAG 2.2 Level AA. We use clear, legible font sizes and allow you to resize text up to 200% without loss of content or functionality. Headings and body text are designed to be scannable.
We avoid relying solely on colour to convey information. For example, links are underlined in addition to being coloured, and charts or graphs include labels or patterns. If you find a page where contrast seems poor or colour-dependent information is missing, please report it to accessibility@sachstruktur.de.
What about reduced motion and animations?
We respect your system-level preference for reduced motion. If you enable “Reduce motion” in your operating system or browser settings, sachstruktur.de will disable or minimise non-essential animations, such as transitions, scrolling effects, or autoplaying videos. We avoid flashing or strobing content that could trigger seizures.
Where animations are present (for example, interactive data visualisations), they can be paused, stopped, or hidden. Core information is always available without relying on movement. If you experience any discomfort or difficulty, please contact accessibility@sachstruktur.de.
What are known limitations or ongoing improvements?
Some older articles or third-party components embedded on our site (such as social media widgets or external map services) may not fully meet WCAG standards. We are working to replace or remediate these where possible. Automated captioning on video content is reviewed by human editors but may occasionally contain errors; we correct these promptly when reported.
We conduct periodic accessibility audits using automated tools and manual testing, including screen reader checks (NVDA and VoiceOver). Known issues are tracked in our internal backlog and prioritised for the next release cycle. We aim to publish an updated statement at least once a year. If you find a barrier we have not listed, please tell us – we take every report seriously.
What you can expect from us
We treat accessibility as a core editorial and technical responsibility, not an afterthought. Our team, led by Florian Schmid (Chefredaktör) and supported by Jessica Fischer (Ansvarig för faktagranskning), ensures that every new feature or page is designed with inclusiveness in mind. We provide training for developers and editors on accessible authoring practices.
We also work to ensure that downloadable documents (such as PDFs of our reporting or press releases) are tagged and readable where feasible. If a document is not accessible, we will provide an alternative format on request. Our editorial policy commits us to accuracy and transparency – and that extends to the experience of every reader, regardless of how they access our content.
Questions or concerns?
If you find any part of sachstruktur.de difficult to use, or if you have suggestions for improvement, please reach out to our accessibility team. Email us at accessibility@sachstruktur.de with a description of the issue, the page URL, and your operating system and browser version. We aim to respond within two business days.
You may also contact us through our general contact page or submit a formal complaint via our complaints procedure. We value your input and will work to resolve any accessibility barrier as quickly as possible. All reports are handled confidentially and in accordance with our privacy policy.