Barrier-free accessibility

Compliance with the specifications for Category AA under the  WCAG 2.1 Standard

Nevertheless, certain criteria of WCAG 2.1 AA are at the moment still not fulfilled and in some parts the decision was consciously taken not to rectify problems which were identified:

• Duplicated and therefore redundant links on hvv.de are also criticized. These are the result of using a so-called “breadcrumb”. This is an additional navigation feature employed on subpages to facilitate orientation for the user by showing the entire navigation path. Since this orientation aid is also clickable and can thus be used by the client, it appears (wrongly) that there is an erroneous double navigation feature.
• A contrast defect is noted for “Jump to Quick Guide” / “Jump to content”. The fact that the link is “invisible” is intended, since it only provides an advantage for visually impaired persons, while for sighted people the experience is diminished.
• Our brand claim “Have a safe journey home” is classified by the auditing tool as a possible not correctly classified header. Since the claim is not a header in the normal sense of the word, this is an incorrect error message.
• Error messages which query the use of or tips on the use of JavaScript are unavoidable. JavaScript is needed to ensure the technically faultless functioning of the HVV Website.
• It is criticized that a link is placed on the same page on the “MeinHVV” page. MeinHVV is a so-called single-page application. The link which was the subject of the criticism functions correctly – it only shows an initially invisible part of the page when the client specifically asks for it (“Password forgotten?” function).

The website technology is being continually developed with regard to accessibility and the identified deficits – within the means available – successively rectified.

Currently planned measures to come closer to the criteria stipulated by WCAG 2.1 AA: 

• Footer: Alarm “Empty Links”                   e.g. when selecting a date on the  start page: Alarm “Redundant title text”
• e.g. in the Online All-year Season Ticket application form : Alarm “Broken ARIA Reference”
• MeinHVV / Breadcrumb: Alarm “Broken same-page link”
• Tasks and projects: error “Empty Link”

In the longer term the following are planned:

• Orphan Labels in Select Fields
• Empty Headings
• Departures: error “Very Low Contrast” for “+0”

Videos

Alternatives for silent videos

Videos in which relevant information is not presented on the soundtrack are currently not available on any alternative medium of the same quality.

hvv.de has used the streaming platform  youtube to integrate videos on hvv.de up to now. The technical options to implement an alternative medium or a full text alternative are being examined.

Videos with a soundtrack should have subtitles.

If videos produced in the future are designed to deliver relevant information via the audio track, it will be produced using UT – either directly rendered into the image or with the option to switch it in via the player.

Videos with audio description and/or a full text alternative

There are currently no videos published on hvv.de which urgently need an audio description with information on the scene being shown in order to be understandable. The videos in question also have such a high proportion of spoken text that an audio description is unsuitable or even impossible. A full text alternative is currently not available for technical reasons (see “Alternatives for silent videos”).

Depending on the design concept, the target audience and the related cost/relevance assessment, newly produced videos should in principle be made with subtitles and where appropriate, with an audio description.

Easily understood alternative texts for images

Easily understood alternative descriptions of images are not on file for all images.

Newly integrated images provided with an easily understood alternative text and currently published images will be successively reviewed with regard to this requirement and, where appropriate, subsequently updated.

PDFs

PDF documents must be compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA  Standard

At the moment not all PDFs are fully accessible according to the WCAG 2.1 Standard.

Depending on the cost/relevance assessment and taking into account the technical options available, new PDF files should wherever possible be created in fully accessible form. Older published files will be successively updated to this standard.

Requirement

Barrier

Outlook

Technology/ Layout / Usability

The timetable info was tested by DIAS GmbH as part of a BITV test between October 2018 and February 2019 and subsequently optimized for barrier-free accessibility. In 2020 the components “enter start point – destination”, search results, tariff optimizer/overview, Delfi information and overview of station lifts was given a repeat accessibility test. The fields demanding action generated there automatically were rectified at once. On three points the decision was consciously taken not to rectify problems which were identified:

1. In selecting a date, dates not selected are shown in lower contrast.  This is however deliberate, so that the date chosen can be better seen.
2. A single line logo has too little contrast. The line logo in question however has very high name recognition, so that from the client’s point of view there is no need to change it.
3. The punctuality display in the route planner “+0” is low contrast. Information on delays which is relevant for the client such as, e.g. “+1” can be better distinguished in this way.  

The timetable info is being continually developed with regard to accessibility and the identified deficits – within the means available – successively rectified.

PDFs

Requirement

Barrier

Outlook

The result of the accessibility tests carried out was that certain criteria of WCAG 2.1 AA are still not fulfilled at the moment. These include in particular the following success criteria:

• All non-text content presented to the user should have an alternative in text form which serves an equivalent purpose, with the exception of the situations listed below:
• Information, structure and relationships communicated via the presentation can be recognized by the software or are available in text form.
• The purpose of every link can be recognized by the link text alone together with its link context determined by the software, with the exception of cases in which the purpose of the link would be open to different interpretations for users in general.
• Headers and labels should describe a topic or a purpose.
• If the content asks for an entry by the user, labels (captions) or instructions are made available.   

The Online Shop technology is being continually developed with regard to accessibility and the identified deficits – within the means available – successively rectified.

PDFs

PDF documents must be compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA  Standard

Requirement

Barrier

Outlook

Requirement

Barrier

Outlook

Technology/ Layout/ Usability