This is a courtesy translation. The legally binding version is the German one at barrierefreiheit.html. In case of doubt or contradiction, the German wording prevails.
Scope
This statement applies to the survey portal of the Düsseldorfer Freizeit- und Kulturpanel at www.duesseldorfer-kulturpanel.de, operated by Christian Sondergeld.
The questionnaire is expressly included. From the participants’ point of view it is part of the same service — and a questionnaire that not everyone can complete distorts the results in the end. It runs as a separate application under the same address and is measured against the same requirements as these pages.
Legal framework
The standard we apply is the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG), in force since 28 June 2025, together with the technical requirements of the standard EN 301 549 and the underlying Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA.
We deliberately do not cite the German Disability Equality Act (BGG) and the Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0) as a legal basis: those address public bodies. This portal is operated by a private individual; no public body is involved in the study.
The BFSG covers services in electronic commerce directed at the conclusion of a consumer contract. No contract is concluded through this portal — whether a direct statutory duty follows is therefore a matter of interpretation. We meet the requirements all the same and treat them as binding. The reason is not legal but methodological: anyone who cannot operate the questionnaire drops out of the sample — and does so not at random but systematically. Here, accessibility is a question of data quality.
State of compliance with the requirements
Usability and accessibility were at the forefront of the design and development of this website. The site is not yet fully compliant with the requirements. What is already in place and what is still outstanding is set out in the next section.
This statement rests on a self-assessment by the head of the study; a review by an independent body has not been commissioned. Should such a review take place, its results will be published at this point.
What is already in place
- Full keyboard operation with a visible focus indicator and a skip link to the content.
- Contrast above the required values; in addition, a separate high-contrast colour set for systems set to “increased contrast”.
- A base font size of 17 pixels instead of the 14 to 16 pixels common on the web; the page remains usable up to 200 % magnification without loss of text.
- No automatically starting content and no animation in the page itself. The explanatory video in the “Take part” section starts only when clicked, can be paused at any time and is fully operable by keyboard.
- Semantic structure with heading levels, labelled form fields and status messages that screen readers announce.
- Captions and a transcript for the explanatory video: the video in the “Take part” section has captions in all twenty-one languages of this portal; below it, an expandable transcript sets out what is said and what is shown.
- No external fonts, no tracking — and therefore no cookie banner interrupting operation.
- Print version: the pages remain legible when printed.
- A version in Leichte Sprache (simplified German): see Leichte Sprache.
What is still outstanding
- A formal audit against EN 301 549 or WCAG 2.1 AA by an independent body. The measures taken so far rest on a self-assessment.
- A version in German Sign Language.
- An audio description for the explanatory video — that is, a second audio track describing the picture. The video is built so that the spoken text describes throughout what is on screen, and the full text with image descriptions is provided below the video. A separate audio track does not exist so far.
- The audit of the questionnaire. It is covered by this statement but is still under development and has not been audited so far.
- Review of the Leichte Sprache version by a review group of people with learning difficulties. Such a review is part of the Leichte Sprache standard; the present version rests on a self-assessment so far.
Preparation of this statement
This statement was drawn up on 21 August 2026 and last reviewed on 15 September 2026.
Reporting a barrier
Have you noticed shortcomings in the accessibility of content on the “Düsseldorfer Freizeit- und Kulturpanel” site? Or do you have questions and suggestions on accessibility? We would be glad to hear from you. Please use our email address:
If we cannot help
If a report to us does not lead to a satisfactory solution, you can turn to the competent market surveillance authority. For the accessibility of products and services under the BFSG this is, nationwide, the Market Surveillance Body of the Länder for the Accessibility of Products and Services (MLBF). It provides a contact form for consumers; the procedure is free of charge for you.
- Address
- Marktüberwachungsstelle der Länder für die
Barrierefreiheit von Produkten und Dienstleistungen
(MLBF)
Carl-Miller-Straße 6, 39112 Magdeburg, Germany - Telephone
- +49 391 289 230 23
- kontakt@mlbf-barrierefrei.de
- Website
- www.mlbf-barrierefrei.de
Not competent here is the conciliation body under § 16 BGG (Mauerstraße 53, 10117 Berlin, telephone +49 30 18527-2805, info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de). It conciliates disputes with federal public bodies. We name it because it appears in many accessibility statements — but for a private service such as this one, going there would be a detour.
On this page
Your contact
Christian Sondergeld
Head of the study
sondergeld@duesseldorfer-kulturpanel.de
We never send your access code by email and never ask for bank details or passwords. The code arrives by post only.
Already have an access code?
Go to the questionnaire