Accessibility statement

Accessible to everyone — that is indeed important to us. We provide websites that are truly accessible. All people with temporary or permanent disabilities should encounter as few barriers as possible here.

Please support us in this and let us know if you find problems or have suggestions for improvement: a11y@openculturas.org — please include the URL (or page title) and the browser.

We are publishing this declaration not because we have to, but because we consider it sensible.

What does this declaration apply to?

This accessibility declaration applies to www.openculturas.org. This website provides information about the OpenCulturas software. It also serves as a demonstration of what this software looks like in use, as this website was created with OpenCulturas.

Guide to navigation

  • The heading structure should correspond to general expectations. 
    • There is only one main heading (level 1).
    • Level 2 structures the pages.
    • Teaser headings are at level 3, with the exception of mini-teasers, which are at level 4. Mini-teasers are typically found in longer lists, e.g. recommendations and bookmarks.
    • Navigation aids, such as for browsing search results or filters, are given level 6 headings (usually invisible).
  • The logo is a link to the start page.
  • Close to the logo there is a full-text search function and options for language (German/English), color mode (light/dark), and a user menu (log in, log out, link to the dashboard).
  • In addition to the visible menu with the most important menu items ("Highlights"), the main menu can be expanded via the “burger icon”, simply labeled “Menu”.
  • Content is interlinked, inviting you to browse and discover. In many places, links to event locations, people's profiles, magazine articles, and more are embedded.

Logged-in users

  • Close to the main headings there is a bookmark function. Bookmarks are compiled on your own dashboard. That is where you land after logging in.
  • You can “recommend” content via a button (a dialog opens). Such recommendations are publicly visible.

Last accessibility review

In February 2026, conducted by an expert on our own team, taking into account an independent assessment for kulturis.online from spring 2024.

Known issues

Privacy settings / cookie settings

The link for opening the consent dialog is not semantically correct.

We are working with the module developers on a solution.

Errors in the heading hierarchy

Mini-teasers on profiles, such as those found in recommendation lists, contain a linked level 4 heading. It happens in some places that these directly follow a level 2 heading.

OpenCulturas is a content management system that allows for various customizations and is specifically designed to make content and its teasers reusable. We are striving to eliminate these imperfections.

Buttons with redundant titles

The software includes labels for buttons, but it is possible (as on this website) that these buttons are visually reduced to an icon. Examples: language switcher, search, etc. in the page header. Sighted visitors have requested that when operating with the mouse, the label can be temporarily displayed. The title attribute is used for this purpose.

We are open to suggestions on how this duplication can be technically improved!

Long alternative texts for images

Many tools used in accessibility tests criticize alternative texts that are too long. We take a different stance on this.

Our editorial team maintains image descriptions in a trained and attentive manner. We are aware that some screen readers stop after 100 characters. Therefore, the essential image content is described first. Your screen reader reads everything aloud? Then we don't want to dictate anything to you — you will surely be able to skip a text that is too long for your taste. OpenCulturas as a platform is generally built for contributions from many different people. Not all of them are trained in writing good alternative texts. Feel free to let us know where improvements are needed!

Contribute your findings

You have found an accessibility issue? Please don't hesitate to let us know. If you also know of examples of how other platforms have tackled such a problem, even better. OpenCulturas is the result of contributions from many people. Identifying a problem so that it can be solved is usually the first step. This way, you too can contribute to improving the software! We look forward to your message at a11y@openculturas.org