Awareness-raising activities

The following measures, which are described in detail in the paragraphs below, are set for this purpose:

• Press articles
• Newsletter subscriptions
• Social media posts
• Events
• Training and further education
• Mailings to public institutions
• Consultations by experts:
• Public information on the individual websites of the monitoring bodies or the website www.digitalbarrierefrei.at (external link)

Events

In the context of relevant events, an intensive exchange takes place between monitoring bodies, interest groups, public authorities and accessibility experts. Highlights from 2022 to 2024 included the annual A-Day (external link - only in German) in Vienna, the annual ICT Forum in Linz (external link - only in German) and the numerous "IAAP D-A-CH" events (external link).

Summaries in the monitoring reports

The tool, which produces the individual results reports for the accessibility checks of the public sector bodies as part of the monitoring, makes it possible to formulate an "executive summary" for each report right at the beginning. By default, monitoring bodies use this possibility as an awareness-raising measure. The target group is not primarily the web agency of the institution that is supposed to remove the barriers, but the employee in the public institution who sees the report first. The summary provides an overview in non-technical language of the overall condition of the website or the app, which barriers should be removed quickly and why they are relevant. The wording of the summary is chosen to motivate the responsible person in the public institution to improve the condition of the website. References are also made to "quick wins".

The transmission of the results of the simplified checks to the audited entities will be used as an awareness-raising measure. The summary uses a standard text to raise awareness. This reads as follows:

"Austria is working to become digitally accessible. This time, your website was also included in the regular monitoring of online offers from the public sector.

The website was automatically checked for digital accessibility using an accessibility test program. In this document you will find the result. Further information on the test procedure can be found on the FFG website: https://www.digitalbarrierefrei.at/de/monitoring/monitoring-prozess/vereinfachter-monitoring-check (external link - only in German).

If you don't already have one, your website needs an accessibility statement. What content must appear in the declaration is described here: https://www.digitalbarrierefrei.at/en/accessibility-statement

Be sure to update the accessibility statement at least once a year and check the date of the last review of the accessibility statement.
Indicate the accessibility statement. This is how the information is meaningful for the users of your website.

More tips, handy manuals, useful FAQ and everything you need to know about digital accessibility can be found on our website: https:// www.digitalbarrierefrei.at (external link)

Note on the interpretation of the result of the automated check: This is not a full accessibility check. Only a small part of the legal accessibility criteria is checked. Therefore, even with a ‘Passed’ rating, there may be accessibility issues that may need to be checked manually. In order to ensure the accessibility of your website and to be able to draw up the accessibility statement, we recommend that you carry out a detailed, manual accessibility check."

Information portal www.digitalbarrierefrei.at

In order to raise awareness of the topic of digital accessibility and to fulfil its awareness-raising and training mission, the FFG published a digital information platform (external link) in 2024. The website offers a wide range of information, helpful tips, checklists and an overview of relevant contact points.

The aim of the platform is to provide useful information on digital accessibility for public bodies, their service providers and users of the digital offer in a compact and easy-to-find way. The platform and the content on it are barrier-free and available in German and English.

Audience

The aim of the website is to address the following target groups:

• Web editors,
• Web and design agencies,
• Contracting authorities and
• Users of the digital offer

Aimed impact

The authors of the website pursue the following goals with the published content:

• Raise awareness of digital accessibility
• Provide training material and relevant information on the different aspects of digital accessibility
• Promoting contact and advice centres
• Create transparency on how digital accessibility monitoring works
• Indirectly contributes to the protection of discrimination on the basis of disability with regard to information and communication technology or provide digital accessibility – under current disability law, (digital) barriers can lead to discrimination against persons with disabilities

Bringing the most common unfulfilled criteria to the curtain

Every year after each monitoring period, the FFG publishes the "Top Issues Infographic" (external link - only in German) and uses it more intensively for a few weeks on its communication platforms. These most common barriers are examined in more detail, explained and suggestions for remediation are presented.

Additional measures in the federal states

In 2023 and 2024, the Land of Burgenland also sent circulars with monitoring reports. For 2024, circulars are planned for autumn to all municipalities of the province of Burgenland to raise awareness and implement accessibility requirements.

The Carinthian Equality Office raises awareness through invitations to the training courses in cooperation with the Carinthian "Verwaltungsakademie" (Administrative Academy) and the "Gemeindeservicezentrum (GSZ)" (Community Service Centre). In addition, the training courses are advertised by the "Gemeindebund" (Association of Municipalities? (with a long reach), the GSZ and the province of Carinthia. The Equality Office publishes important information on the subject on the Equality Office’s website (external link - only in German) and on the Community Service Centre’s website (external link - only in German). In particular, in 2024 there was a reference to the publication of information on digital accessibility on the occasion of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (external link) on those websites.

The newsletter (online regular table) of the web agency "Webwerk", which creates the websites for numerous municipalities in Carinthia, and the member newspaper or blog entries of the Carinthian agency Designation (external link - only in German) regularly raise awareness.

The Carinthian Equality Office published a press release on the working group responsible for translating the information brochures of the Office of the Carinthian Provincial Government into plain language.

In the province of Upper Austria, the obligation to make websites and apps accessible is regularly pointed out in the context of awareness-raising lectures on equal treatment and anti-discrimination.

In the state of Salzburg, several awareness-raising measures for web editors were offered on the state website.

The Office of the Ombudsman for Accessible Internet and Mobile Applications of the province of Tyrol implemented various awareness-raising measures on digital accessibility between 2022 and 2024. These measures included traditional means of public relations such as press releases, articles and contributions in regional and supra-regional media as well as postings on the social media channels of the province of Tyrol. In addition to the website of the province of Tyrol, the media used by the Ombudsperson to raise awareness include (among other things) the "ORF" (in the context of television, radio and print contributions), the "Tiroler Tageszeitung", the community newspaper "TIROL.KOMMUNAL", the "Bezirksblätter" and the community newsletter "Merkblatt der Tiroler Gemeinden".

In addition, the Ombudsperson regularly sends (information) mailings to public institutions, but also to other interested parties. On the one hand, they clarify obligations in the area of digital accessibility, but on the other hand they also provide various information on the topic and provide information on relevant training and further education offers.

The Ombudsperson also carried out a number of awareness-raising campaigns:

• On the occasion of the 2022 municipal and mayoral elections, there was a campaign on "Accessible voting".
• Two other wide-ranging awareness-raising campaigns took place in 2022 and 2023, each entitled "10 Days of Digital Accessibility", on the occasion of World Digital Accessibility Day in May. The topics and information conveyed in the course of this campaign are permanently available at digital-barrierefrei | Land Tirol (external link - only in German).

In the intranet of the province of Vorarlberg, in the community of web editors it is pointed to internal innovations in accessibility.