The VBL. Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder strives to make its website, www.vbl.de, as accessible as possible.

The legal basis for this is the latest versions of the German Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (BGG) and the Accessible Information Technology Directive (BITV 2.0).

The following content is not fully accessible:

  • Images and graphics do not always have clear alternative texts.
  • Not all videos have subtitles, audio descriptions or full-text alternatives.
  • The headings hierarchy sometimes deviates from the content structure of the page.
  • Form fields that relate to the user themselves do not convey the purpose of the respective field.
  • Contrast requirements are not always met.
  • Headings are sometimes inconclusive.
  • The keyboard focus indicator is not always clearly visible.
  • Keyboard shortcuts do not work in every standard browser type.
  • Words and paragraphs in other languages are not always indicated correctly.
  • The design of the navigation structure on the service pages is inconsistent.
  • The name, role and status for assistive technologies (such as screen readers) cannot be determined for all control elements.
  • Several PDF documents.

The VBL is working on it to make this content as accessible as possible.

As yet, not all of the website content is fully accessible, because there are significant technical issues with this. Work is underway to resolve these issues.

Access keys.

Shortcuts are particularly important for partially sighted users and those with restricted movement, as they may not be able to use a mouse. They rely on the keyboard or alternative input devices. And anyone else who prefers to use a keyboard rather than a mouse also benefits.

Browser Windows Mac Linux
Internet Explorer [Alt] + access key followed by ENTER    
Chrome [Alt] + accesskey [Control] [Alt] + accesskey [Alt] + accesskey
Firefox [Alt] [Shift] + accesskey [Control] [Alt] + accesskey [Alt] [Shift] + accesskey
Safari [Alt] + accesskey [Control] [Alt] + accesskey  
Opera Opera 15 or above: [Alt] + accesskey
Opera 12.1 or older: [Shift] [Esc] + accesskey		    

 

The following access keys apply:


0: Call up the homepage
1: Go to the top of the current page (“Top”)
6: Switch to the contents table
8: Jump directly to the content of the current page (start of the text without any header, navigation bars, etc, allowing speech synthesisers to immediately read the actual text on the page)
9: Access the direct contact form

Feedback and contact.

Would you like to inform us about existing barriers to accessing content from www.vbl.de? Or do you have any questions about our accessibility measures? Then please get in touch. Please use the contact form on our homepage. You can find the form under Service > FAQs > Contact.

Link: Contact

 

Alternatively, you can contact us via post or by telephone.

 

VBL. Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder
Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
Hans-Thoma-Strasse 19
76133 Karlsruhe
Phone: +49 (0)721 155-0
Fax: +49 (0)721 9101-666
Mail: info@vbl.de

Arbitration procedure.

The Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities has an arbitration board in accordance with section 16 BGG. The purpose of this arbitration board is to settle disputes between persons with disabilities and public institutions.

If you believe that the VBL has violated your rights under the German Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, you can apply to the arbitration board to initiate arbitration proceedings.

The Arbitration procedure is free of charge. There is no obligation to seek legal advice.

All the information about arbitration proceedings is available on the arbitration board’s website. You can also submit your application in a plain language version or German sign language.

You can contact the arbitration board at the following address:

Arbitration board pursuant to the German Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities of the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities.
Mauerstrasse 53
10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30 18 527-2805
Fax: +49 (0)30 18 527-2901
Mail info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de
Internet www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de (English site)