Accessibility Statement

Bielefeld University is committed to making its websites, mobile apps, and online services accessible in accordance with the Ordinance on Accessible Information Technology under the North Rhine-Westphalia Disability Equality Act (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung Nordrhein-Westfalen – BITVNRW, implementing EU Directive 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council).

This accessibility statement documents the compliance status for the website research-sociology.de and its German-language version at forschung-soziologie.de in accordance with BITV NRW.

Compliance status

This website is partially conformant with the Ordinance on Accessible Information Technology under the North Rhine-Westphalia Disability Equality Act (BITV NRW), EU Directive 2016/2102, and WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The content listed below is not yet fully accessible for the reasons given.

Non-accessible content

Requirements not met

Time-based media – captions and audio description (WCAG 1.2.2, 1.2.3)

Embedded videos (Panopto, YouTube) may not provide complete captions or audio descriptions. The accessibility of these media players and their content is the responsibility of the respective platform operators. We advocate for accessible embedding and refer users to the accessibility features offered directly by the platforms.

Podcasts without transcripts (WCAG 1.2.1)

Some podcast recordings (in particular recordings from the 41st DGS Congress) are embedded without a full written transcript. Providing transcripts for these recordings is planned.

Content outside the scope of applicable legislation

The following content is exempt from accessibility requirements:

  • Content from third-party providers that was not commissioned, funded, or developed by the Faculty of Sociology and falls outside its direct sphere of influence (e.g. embedded external media players and linked university systems such as eKVV and PUB at Bielefeld University)
  • Externally linked documents and files (e.g. PDFs) not created by the Faculty of Sociology

Further information on accessibility at Bielefeld University

The Central Accessibility Office (Zentrale Anlaufstelle Barrierefrei, ZAB) is the central point of contact for all matters relating to accessibility and the active participation of people with disabilities or chronic illness at Bielefeld University.

The ZAB offers expertise in:

  • Barrier-free and diversity-sensitive university development
  • Digital accessibility
  • Support for prospective students, students, and instructors studying or teaching with a disability or chronic illness
  • Guidance for employees and managers on employment with a disability or chronic illness

Accessibility information at Bielefeld University

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18 May 2026 and is based on a self-assessment by the Faculty of Sociology.

As part of an internal audit in May 2026, the website was systematically reviewed against the success criteria of WCAG 2.1 Level AA and identified issues were remediated. The review covered, among other things:

  • Semantic HTML structure and heading hierarchy
  • Alternative text for images and decorative graphics
  • Keyboard operability of all interactive elements
  • Colour contrast and non-colour differentiation of links
  • Accessible names, roles, and states of interactive elements
  • Language markup at page and section level
  • Status messages and live regions for screen readers
  • Target sizes for touch and pointer input
  • Behaviour with JavaScript disabled
  • Layout and reflow behaviour on mobile devices

Feedback and contact details

If you encounter barriers or find content that you believe is not accessible, please let us know. We will endeavour to address any identified issues promptly.

Faculty of Sociology
Bielefeld University
Universitätsstraße 25
33615 Bielefeld, Germany
Email: sozadmin@uni-bielefeld.de

Enforcement procedure

If you have not received a satisfactory response to accessibility notifications or requests within six weeks, you may contact the Ombudsstelle für barrierefreie Informationstechnik (Ombudsman Office for Accessible Information Technology). The Ombudsman Office is affiliated with the Commissioner for the Interests of People with Disabilities and is legally established under §§ 10d, 10e BGG NRW and §§ 9 ff of BITV NRW.

Ombudsstelle für barrierefreie Informationstechnik des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
bei der Landesbeauftragten für Menschen mit Behinderungen
Fürstenwall 25
40219 Düsseldorf, Germany
Email: ombudsstelle-barrierefreie-it@mags.nrw.de