Accessibility Statement

Deutsche Welle’s Digital Accessibility Statement: Our website is designed to be accessible to all users. We ensure our web presence complies with the European Parliament’s Directive (EU) 2016/2102 and relevant national regulations.

This statement applies to the current version of our website available online at www.dw.com. The document was last updated on July 24, 2024.

Our site is generally accessible, featuring strong color contrasts, adjustable text size, descriptive alt text for images, and compatibility with screen readers. Subtitles are also increasingly available for multimedia content.

Areas of Improvement

Some elements require further optimization. The ARIA Landmark for primary content is still pending, which affects the structured navigation experience. We are actively working to enhance this feature. Resolution is anticipated by 2025.

Form fields lack autocomplete attributes, complicating user input for screen readers. Continuous improvements are underway. This issue is expected to be resolved by 2025.

Individually designed buttons do not fully align with WCAG 2.1 standards. This applies to various buttons on article pages, structure pages, and personal sections. Updates are in progress, with a projected fix in 2025.

Error messages are not directly associated with form fields, leading to potential confusion for assistive technologies. Ongoing development is addressing this challenge, targeting completion in 2025.

Hover effects are missing for certain elements, such as the logo, rich text links, and main navigation. These will be integrated as part of our ongoing development efforts, expected to conclude in 2025.

Some images lack sufficient alternative text, hindering interpretation by blind users and screen readers. This is being prioritized in our improvement plan, slated for 2025.

Under Windows contrast mode, specific elements like the main navigation and overlays do not meet WCAG compliance. We are refining these areas for full accessibility by 2025.

Breadcrumb navigation is absent due to technical constraints, limiting orientation options. This is under development, with a resolution expected in 2025.

The search functionality as an alternative access path is not yet implemented. Progress is being made, and this feature will be available by 2025.

Individual word highlighting across languages is not supported due to technical limitations. This capability is being added to the development roadmap for 2025.

Embedded iFrames cannot adapt to personalized text size and spacing settings. This limitation is being addressed, with a fix planned for 2025.

Videos on dw.com currently lack proper subtitle specifications and media alternatives. These aspects are under review, and adjustments are targeted for 2025.

For inquiries about digital accessibility, contact us via email at info@dw.com or by mail to Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany, or by phone at +49 228 429 0.