INDUSTRY · PUBLIC SECTOR · BITV 2.0 · BFSG · WCAG 2.2

Barrierefreiheit für Behörden
– digitale Verwaltung gehört allen Bürgern.

A public authority does not choose its citizens. Anyone who wishes to submit an application online, download a form or find information on the administrative portal is entitled to do so – regardless of whether they can see, hear or use a mouse. For the public sector, therefore, digital accessibility is not an option, but has been a legal obligation for years and is an expression of the principle of equal treatment. IFDB GmbH ensures that your administrative portals, online services and documents are verifiably accessible – audited using real users of assistive technologies and backed by a legally reliable certificate.

An administrative officer shows a member of the public an official form featuring a passport on her desk – accessible online applications and administrative portals for public authorities in accordance with BITV 2.0 and WCAG 2.2
Front view of a German town hall with an entrance gate and signage – digital accessibility for local authorities and public institutions in accordance with BITV 2.0 and BFSG
A hand reaches through a hanging file containing administrative documents – accessible official documents and notices in PDF/UA format for public authorities, in accordance with WCAG 2.2
Trusted by leading companies across the DACH region

Logo ZDFLogo Bertelsmann BKKLogo SWN Stadtwerke NeumünsterLogo Nanu-NanaLogo Jeans FritzLogo GLS BankLogo National-BankLogo NFONLogo SocialHubLogo ASCLogo GIGA5

When digital government services are let down by technology

  • The administration is digitising its services on a large scale in line with the Online Access Act. What is intended to make things easier is becoming a new barrier for some citizens – whenever the digital implementation fails to take accessibility into account. We encounter four particular problem areas frequently.
  • Online applications that are blocked partway through the process.
    Administrative services often follow multi-stage application processes that require authentication via service accounts. If form fields are unlabelled or error messages are invisible to screen readers, citizens give up – and the digital interaction with the authorities fails because of its own technology.
  • Official documents in inaccessible formats.
    Official notices, forms, statutes and official gazettes are made available in vast quantities as PDF files. Without a tagged structure and the correct reading order, legally binding content remains unreadable to blind citizens – a direct contradiction to the principle of equal treatment.
  • No easy language or sign language.
    The BITV 2.0 expressly requires public institutions to provide content in plain language and in German Sign Language. It is precisely this requirement that is often overlooked, even though for many people it is the key to accessing public services.
  • Administrative portals with a complex, convoluted structure that has developed over time.
    Local authority websites and service portals have grown over the years. This complexity, which has developed over time, creates navigation difficulties and inconsistent structures that push assistive technologies to their limits.
A person in a blue blazer is leafing through a pile of files and administrative documents – inaccessible official forms and notices as an accessibility issue for public authorities under BITV 2.0
A DUTY THAT HAS EXISTED LONGER THAN THE BFSG

Why particularly strict standards apply to the public sector

Porträtfoto von Lukas Maximilian Langer, Gründer und Leiter Audit & Zertifizierung der IFDB GmbH
Lukas Maximilian Langer

Founder | Head of Audit & Certification

Unlike the private sector, which has only been subject to the BFSG since June 2025, the public sector has been required to comply for several years. The basis for this is the Disability Equality Act, as specified in the Accessible Information Technology Regulation – BITV 2.0. It requires public authorities, government departments and public institutions to ensure that their websites, mobile applications and electronically supported administrative processes are accessible.

The standards are demanding: in addition to WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549, BITV 2.0 explicitly requires content to be provided in easy language and in German Sign Language, as well as a published and verifiable accessibility statement.

Enforcement is by no means ineffective. The federal and state governments maintain their own monitoring agencies, which systematically review public spaces and highlight any shortcomings. In addition, there is an arbitration procedure that citizens can initiate in the event of breaches. For the public sector, therefore, accessibility is not some abstract recommendation, but a verifiable and enforceable obligation – and ultimately a matter of the credibility of government action.

OUR APPROACH TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Four building blocks for an administration that does not exclude anyone

Public sector organisations combine extensive document repositories, established portal structures and particularly strict legal requirements. A robust solution must meet all these needs. The following four products are precisely suited to this situation.

Book a Demo
Access Ready®

carries out an in-depth audit of your administrative portals and online services – using real users of assistive technologies such as JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver. It is precisely the multi-stage application processes and the complex structures of public websites that only reveal their weaknesses when put through their motions in a real-world scenario. The result is the IFDB certificate, which serves as robust evidence for the supervisory authorities.

Access Doc®

manages the enormous volume of administrative documents: notices, forms, statutes and official gazettes. Access Doc® converts these documents into the PDF/UA standard on a scalable basis – ensuring that even legally binding documents are accessible to every citizen.

Access Guard®

continuously monitors your digital presence. New online services, updated content, and additional services introduced under the Online Access Act – the scope of public administration is constantly expanding. The monitoring system immediately identifies any new barriers that arise and ensures that your compliance status is maintained at all times.

Access Academy®

embeds the necessary knowledge within your departments. Anyone who drafts decisions, designs forms or maintains content should understand the requirements of BITV 2.0 – including plain language. Access Academy® provides your staff with practical training to ensure that accessibility becomes an integrated part of administrative practice.

FROM THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT TO THE CERTIFICATE

Four steps towards accessible public services

  • Step 01 – The free assessment
    Access Score® automatically scans your website in just a few minutes and identifies the areas where immediate action is needed – with no obligation and no administrative burden on your part.
  • Step 02 – The audit of the administrative services
    Our audit team manually goes through application processes, service accounts and portal navigation, together with users of assistive technologies. This reveals barriers precisely where citizens access public services.
  • Step 03 – Resolve and certify
    You will receive a prioritised audit report containing specific recommendations ready for implementation. Once all non-conformities have been rectified, we will issue the IFDB certificate – your robust evidence for use with monitoring authorities, regulatory bodies and the public.
  • Step 04 – Long-term security
    With Access Guard®, the progress made is maintained even as further services are digitised. At the same time, Access Academy® ensures that your departments design new content to be accessible from the very beginning.

The Access Ready® Award – awarded to pioneers of genuine digital inclusion.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about accessibility in the public sector

In the public sector, the Disability Equality Act applies in conjunction with BITV 2.0 – and has done so for years, significantly longer than the BFSG has applied to the private sector. Public authorities, government departments and public institutions are obliged to ensure that their digital services are accessible.

BITV 2.0 is aimed at public bodies and imposes requirements that are, in some cases, more stringent – such as the explicit obligation to provide content in easy language and German Sign Language, as well as a verifiable accessibility statement. The BFSG, however, is aimed at the private sector.

Yes. The BITV 2.0 expressly requires public bodies to provide essential information in easily understandable language and in German Sign Language. This requirement is often underestimated, but it is an integral part of the regulation.

Notices, forms and official gazettes are fully covered by the requirements. Access Doc® converts these collections to the PDF/UA standard on a scalable basis – from individual notices right through to complete digital archives.

The federal and state governments maintain their own monitoring agencies, which systematically review public displays and raise objections to any shortcomings. In addition, members of the public may initiate an arbitration procedure. The obligation is therefore verifiable and enforceable.

With the IFDB certificate from the Access Ready® audit. It documents a comprehensive testing process in accordance with WCAG 2.2 and BITV 2.0 and serves as robust evidence of your compliance with your obligations towards the relevant authorities.

That is exactly what Access Guard® is for. Its continuous monitoring automatically checks new online services and immediately reports any accessibility issues that arise. In addition, Access Academy® ensures that your departments take accessibility into account right from the start.

The best way to start is with the free initial analysis provided by Access Score® and a no-obligation consultation. During this, we’ll work together to identify the areas that need to be addressed first and develop a realistic, resource-efficient roadmap.

The state is there for everyone. Its digital services should be too.

Accessible public administration is not just a technical project, but a commitment to equality in practice – it ensures that every citizen can deal with their administrative matters independently. Let us work together to assess the current state of your digital public administration services.

Start your free analysis

BGG, BITV 2.0 and surveillance – the legal framework for public institutions

The public sector is subject to the strictest and longest-standing requirements regarding digital accessibility. These are based on the Disability Equality Act, which is further specified by the Accessible Information Technology Regulation, BITV 2.0, and, in addition to the WCAG requirements, expressly mandates easy-to-read language and German Sign Language. Compliance is not left to chance: the Federal Monitoring Center for Accessibility of Information Technology systematically reviews public websites and documents any shortcomings, whilst members of the public can exercise their rights through an arbitration procedure.

A free initial analysis first assesses the current state of your digital presence, before the certified in-depth audit examines application processes, service accounts and documents in detail. And because new services are constantly being added as part of the ongoing digitalisation of public administration, continuous monitoring ensures that the progress made is sustainably maintained – so that digital participation in the public space does not remain a mere promise, but becomes a verifiable reality.