Guide

Introduce an accessible website in your team without resistance

The technical part of an accessible website is rarely the problem. What actually causes rollouts to fail lies with the people who are supposed to work with it — and that can be addressed upfront.

Proposal upon request3 to 6 weeksAs of 2026
In short

Resistance to an accessible website is almost never directed at the technology but at feared extra work or the worry of being replaced. Anyone who performs the affected process daily should be consulted before implementation, not informed afterward — and nothing should be introduced that requires additional data entry.

01 — Team

How to get the team on board

  • Involve early, don't just inform early. Whoever handles the process daily knows where the exceptions are. This information only exists beforehand, not after go-live.
  • Take resistance seriously. It's almost never directed at technology, but at extra work or the fear of being replaced. Both need to be addressed openly.
  • Don't introduce anything that creates extra work. Systems that require additional data entry will be circumvented — and rightly so.
  • Designate one person as the first point of contact. Not as ownership, but so questions don't fall through the cracks.
  • Make success visible. If after four weeks no one knows whether it delivered results, what sticks is the memory of the disruption, not the benefit.

02 — Participation

What we need from you

  • A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
  • Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
  • Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
  • Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
  • An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.

03 — Measurement

How you measure success

  • Define the one number beforehand. Without a baseline value, nothing can be proven afterward. Two weeks of tracking is enough for a reliable reference point.
  • Processing time per case. The most direct metric: How long does the affected process take today, how long afterward.
  • Percentage of cases that complete without intervention. This ratio typically rises significantly in the first weeks when refinements are made — it's the best early indicator.
  • External response time. How quickly does someone who inquires receive an initial binding answer.
  • What you should not measure: Team satisfaction in the first two weeks. Every transition feels worse initially than it actually is.

04 — Questions

Frequently asked questions

What happens in case of violations?

The Sozialministeriumservice is responsible. Administrative penalties of up to 80,000 euros are provided for. In the initial phase, the focus was mainly on advice rather than penalties, but that's no guarantee for the future — proceedings are already underway.

How much work is involved for an existing site?

It varies widely. A well-built site often only needs contrast corrections, alternative texts, and focus indicators. A site with custom-built controls without keyboard support can be more work than building from scratch.

What is the most common error?

Forms without linked labels and controls that cannot be reached with the keyboard. Both go unnoticed by anyone working with a mouse — and make the site unusable for others.

How long does a complete audit take?

For a medium-sized website, one to two weeks, depending on the number of different page types and interactive elements such as forms or filters.

Does this also apply to PDF documents on the website?

Yes, if they contain essential information — such as price lists or downloadable forms. PDFs must also be structured with alternative texts.

Can we implement this step by step?

Yes, by priority: first the defects that completely block usage, then those that make it difficult. This can be spread across several stages without taking the site offline in the meantime.

Are we affected by the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz?

The Austrian Accessibility Act has been in force since June 28, 2025, and primarily applies to online services in the consumer sector: online shops, bookings, e-ticketing, banking services. Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and less than two million euros in revenue are exempt for services — but not for the sale of products. A purely informational site without sales is generally not covered.

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