Accessibility Statement
The legal basis is the German Equal Opportunities for Disabled Persons Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz, BGG) and the Regulation on Barrier-Free Information Technology (Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung, BITV 2.0) in their currently valid versions, based on EU Directive 2016/2102.
Preamble
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), with its two locations in Berlin Wannsee and Berlin Adlershof, is one of the world’s leading centres for energy and materials research. Our work focuses on materials that can make a CO₂-neutral economy possible. Fundamental research forms the basis for real breakthroughs. It is the foundation for establishing new technologies for a sustainable energy transition. We conduct research with scientific curiosity, passion, and the joy of gaining knowledge to understand key material properties, to control them in a targeted way, and to be able to develop new components.
We network with both our local Berlin environment and international partners, and we make our unique infrastructures – such as the BESSY II synchrotron – available to researchers from all over the world. At the same time, our research and industrial partnerships strengthen knowledge and technology transfer.
As a research institution, it is a central concern of HZB to connect science and society to the greatest extent possible. We want people who are interested to participate in our research and enable them to access science.
Employees as well as cooperation partners are given the opportunity via the HZB websites to share knowledge, to exchange ideas, and to apply for research projects. The general public can inform themselves about current scientific topics and scientific events.
Accessibility Statement
HZB is, as a public authority within the meaning of EU Directive 2016/2102, striving to make its website consistent with the requirements of the German Equal Opportunities for Disabled Persons Act (BGG) and the Barrier-Free Information Technology Regulation (BITV 2.0).
As reference standard for implementing barrier-free information technology, BITV 2.0 currently (as of January 2021) refers to the EU standard EN 301 549 V2.1.2. For web content, this standard bases itself on an established international standard for accessible web content – the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
In preparation of this statement, a conformity check with the aforementioned standards was carried out in cooperation with a consultant specializing in such assessments, using a selection of representative web pages. Various modifications toward accessibility have been implemented for the HZB web presence as a result of this consultation. The subsequent verification of compliance with the requirements is based on a self-assessment by HZB conducted in December 2020.
Level of compliance with requirements
The pages selected for the review were judged to be partially compliant with the requirements of the BGG, BITV 2.0, and WCAG 2.1.
Non-accessible content
The contents listed below are temporarily not accessible or are not yet fully accessible on all HZB web pages due to a disproportionate burden:
- The sign language content required under BITV 2.0 is not available.
- Some graphics and objects do not have alternative texts.
- Not all audio and video files have alternatives, subtitles, and, where required, audio descriptions.
- Not all PDF and PowerPoint presentations are compliant.
- The breadcrumb navigation is only limitedly usable in browsers that allow zooming to 300% and above.
HZB is continuously working to remove the existing barriers.
Creation of this accessibility statement
This accessibility statement was created on 12 January 2021. It applies to the currently accessible version of www.helmholtz-berlin.de.
The review of compliance with the requirements of the BGG, BITV 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 is based on a self-assessment.
Reporting accessibility issues: feedback and contact
If you have noticed hurdles in accessing content on www.helmholtz-berlin.de? or have any questions about accessibility; if you need help obtaining a specific content or document in an accessible format, or if you want to submit content in such a format, please contact us:
Address:
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Department of Communications
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin
E-mail: barrierefreiheit@helmholtz-berlin.de
Accessibility contact form
Arbitration Process
If, even after contacting the above, no satisfactory solution is found, you can contact the mediation office under § 16 BGG. The mediation office BGG is tasked with supporting out-of-court resolution of conflicts about accessibility between people with disabilities and federal public bodies. The procedure is free of charge. Legal representation is not required. Further information on the mediation procedure and options for submitting a claim are available at: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de. Direct contact to the BGG mediation office can be made at: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de.
You can contact the BGG mediation office directly at info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de