Summary

This is a report on accessibility on the Internet.
There are rules from the EU on this subject.
The rules state:
The websites and apps of public authorities
must be barrier-free.
The rules are called Web Accessibility Policy.
In this report you can check
whether Austria has complied with these rules.
The report covers the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
This was the second, third and fourth year
in which accessibility was checked.

When were the websites and apps tested?

• February to October 2022
• January to October 2023
• February to September 2024

How have the websites and apps been tested?

There are 2 different types of checks:

• In-depth checks.
  The websites and apps are thoroughly tested.
  It is checked whether they comply with all rules.
  These tests are done by people themselves.
• Simplified checks.
  These are faster, automatic tests.
  A few rules are checked.

How many websites and apps have been tested?

• 2022:
  • 23 in-depth website tests
  • 253 simplified website testing
  • 17 in-depth app tests
• 2023:
  • 23 incoming website tests
  • 341 simplified website testing
  • 15 incoming app tests
• 2024:
  • 23 incoming website tests
  • 343 simplified website testing
  • 15 incoming app tests

The monitoring bodies have carefully considered
which websites and apps they are testing.
For the decision thes have also talked
to people who need accessibility on the Internet.
For example, with blind people.
The monitoring bodies have chosen websites and apps
from different areas and different public bodies.
They have tested apps with different phones.
For this, they have chosen apps that many people use.

Who did the tests?

Certain bodies monitor whether
public websites and apps are accessible.
There is one office for each federal state
and one office for the whole of Austria.
These monitoring sites also
test the websites and apps.

Our organization is called the
Österreichische Forschungs-Förderungs-Gesellschaft
(Austrian Research Funding Society).
The abbreviation for this is FFG.
We have collected all the results from the tests
and publish the results in this report.

The tests check certain accessibility rules.  
They are part of the EU's collection of rules.

The main results

This report is about the tests
from 3 different years.
So, we can also compare,
what has changed in the last three years:

In-depth checks of websites

The in-depth tests are the exact tests.
Here we see an improvement
from 2022 to 2024.

In 2022, many websites met
less than half of accessibility rules:
It was 39 percent.

In 2024, it was only 9 percent.

Simplified checks of websites

The simplified checks are
the quick, automatic tests.
13 accessibility rules are checked.
The tests do not show,
whether the rules are complied with.
They only show when rules are not followed.

Here we see a slight improvement
from 2022 to 2024:

• Some websites did not comply with
  0 or only 1 rule in 2022.
  That's what more websites did in 2024.
• Some websites did not comply with
  7 to 10 rules in 2022.
  By 2024, that has become fewer websites.
• 0 websites did not comply with 11 to 13 rules.  
  That hasn't changed.

In-depth checks of apps

We see no improvement here.

Some apps meet less than half of the
accessibility rules.

• In 2022, that was 6 percent of the apps, i.e. 1 app.
• In 2023, it wasn't an app.
• But in 2024, it was again more apps, namely 13 percent.
  That's two apps,
  this is twice as many as in 2022.

Which rules are most often not observed?

• You have to describe pictures and videos.
  On a website there is often content,
  which ist not texts.
  For example, videos, pictures or sound recordings.
  This content must be described with a text.
  Otherwise some people can't see or hear them and
  they don't get important information.
  This applies, for example, to blind or
  deaf people.
• All areas must be properly programmed.
  There are different areas on a website.
  For example, headings, tables and text fields.
  These areas need to be properly programmed.
  Many blind people read websites.
  The reading program also reads aloud
  when an area is programmed as a heading or table.
  This is very important.
  Otherwise, blind people will know each other.
  Not on the website.
  Some people don't use a mouse, just a keyboard.
  This is also important for them,
  Otherwise, blind people don't know
  their way around the site.
• The colors of text and background
  must be very different.
  This is important,
  so that you can read the text well.
  For example, when you see badly.
  Or if you read a text on your phone
  and the sun is shining right on your phone.
• The colors of background and other elements
  must be very different.
  Such other elements may, for example, be
  buttons, write fields or images.
  The colors must be very different so that you can
  recognize and understand these elements well.
• You have to be able to use everything with the keyboard.
  Some people don't use a mouse.
  It's just the keyboard.
  Everything has to be programmed this way.
  Everything must be programmed so that you
  can use the website well with the keyboard.
• Elements on the website
  must have a logical order.
  On websites, you can select the individual elements
  in a specific order.
  Such elements can be, for example,
  links, buttons or write fields.
  For example, if you use the keyboard,
  you jump from one element to the next.
  The order must be logical
  so that you can use the website well.
• You have to see which element is currently selected.
  When you use the keyboard to navigate a website,
  you jump from one element to the next.
  You always have to see which element you're in right now.
• All people must be able to use all areas.
  On a website, there are areas where you can do something.
  For example, a link that you can click on.
  Or a box that you can check off.
  Or a menu that can be folded out.
  All these areas must be correctly described
  in the code of the website.
  You need the right name and function.
  This is important, for example,
  for people who use a reading program.
  Otherwise, you will not be able to use the area and,
  for example, you will not be able to tick off a box.
• Everyone should be able to read messages.
  There are many messages and notifications
  in websites and apps.
  For example, if a page loads,
  if something has been saved,
  or if there is an error.
  These messages must be properly programmed.  
  So they can also be read by people with aid,
  for example with a reading program.

What other results are there?

Public websites and apps
must have an accessibility statement.
The declaration states which
accessibility rules are complied with.
And where you can get in touch
if something doesn't work barrier-free.
The declaration itself must also be barrier-free:
Everyone should be able to read and understand it.

But only a little more than half of
the websites and apps have such an explanation.  
This has hardly changed between 2022 and 2024.

What else is in the report?

In Austria, monitoring is carried out
whether the accessibility rules are complied with on the Internet.
But more is being done,
so that the Internet becomes more and more barrier-free.
This is also stated in the report.

Complaint bodies

If you are using a public website or app and
find a barrier, you can complain about it.
There are separate complaints bodies for this.
For example, they take care of it, that
the barrier is getting removed.

Such complaints bodies exist in every federal state.
In addition, there is an office for the whole of Austria.
From 2022 to 2024, the bodies dealt with
a total of 80 complaints.

Cooperation

It also works with people who themselves
need accessibility on the Internet.
For example, blind people.
They help decide which websites and apps to test.
They are also present at events and trainings.

Public authorities work together.  
Together, they improve accessibility on the Internet.

Raising awareness and training

The monitoring bodies
shall share information on accessibility.
For example, at events and training courses.
They advise organizations and authorities.  
More and more people are learning more about the subject.

Words of Management

Henrietta Egerth and Karin Tausz
are the managing directors of the
Österreichischen Forschungs-Förderungs-Gesellschaft
(Austrian Research Promotion Society).
They say:
It's not like you make websites and apps
accessible once, and then you're done.
You have to keep working on it
and working with others.

Our report shows how accessible
websites and apps are in Austria.
The report contributes to making
websites and apps accessible for
everyone in the future.

For this we work together with others:

• With public bodies
• With representatives of people,
  need accessibility on the Internet
• With professionals