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Legal foundations of (digital) accessibility

Legal requirements

Legal foundations set (digital) accessibility as a compulsory topic for universities. All the relevant laws on digital accessibility are based on WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. These Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the global standard for accessible web design.
For digital services offered by public institutions, requirements arise from the following laws and directives:

  • EU Directive 2016/2102
  • BITV 2.0 (Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance)
  • Disability equality laws at federal and state levels


Barrier-free access to education is specified in particular in:

  • Articles 9 and 24 UN-BRK (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) as well as
  • § 3, paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 7 NHG (Lower Saxony Higher Education Act).