Accessibility Statement

Legal basis

This statement is provided in accordance with Section 14 in conjunction with Annex 3 No. 1 of the German Accessibility Improvement Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG). The online booking of the Sommerakademie is a service in electronic commerce within the meaning of Section 1 (3) No. 5 and Section 2 No. 26 BFSG; the substantive requirements follow from the BFSG Regulation (BFSGV), in particular Sections 12 and 19 BFSGV.

Description of the service

The Sommerakademie pages provide information about a two-week German-language summer academy for teenagers aged 13 to 17 at the Villa Wewersbusch boarding school in Velbert, Germany (a package tour), and allow it to be booked online: choosing a session, entering participant and contact details in a multi-step form and submitting a binding registration. Before booking opens, interested families can sign up to be notified.

How the service is provided

Booking is handled entirely electronically: after submitting the registration form, parents or guardians receive a confirmation with the insolvency protection certificate (Sicherungsschein) and the invoice by e-mail. Payment is made by bank transfer in two instalments. Health-related information is not collected during booking but afterwards via a personal, encrypted participant-form link. Questions can be asked at any time via an accessible question dialog or by e-mail.

Information under Section 19 BFSGV: The service uses no identification, authentication or online payment procedures. Registration works without a user account, the participant form is reached via a personal link without logging in, and payment is made by invoice and bank transfer. Information about the accessibility of the Sommerakademie itself — accommodation at the Villa Wewersbusch, lessons, excursions and on-site support — is available on request. The historic villa is not barrier-free; the Sommerakademie is generally not suitable for participants with reduced mobility, but we are happy to look at individual cases before booking.

How the accessibility requirements are met

The pages are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust within the meaning of the BFSGV. Measures include:

• full keyboard operability — including the multi-step registration form, the dialogs (with focus management, closing via Escape and focus return), the image galleries and the FAQ section — with a visible focus indicator and a skip link to the content;
• sufficient colour contrast for text and controls (at least 4.5:1, 3:1 for large text), including over image and video backgrounds;
• alternative text for images, correct language markup (German/English), a consistent heading and landmark structure;
• labelled form fields with clear error messages linked to the respective field; no captchas;
• display without loss of information and without horizontal scrolling down to a viewport width of 320 pixels (equivalent to 400% zoom) as well as on mobile devices;
• respect for reduced-motion preferences (the hero video is then replaced by a still image and animations are disabled); the video has no sound and can be paused at any time via a labelled button;
• a booking process without time limits; entries are kept when moving between steps, and all details can be reviewed and corrected before submitting.

Applied standards

Based on our self-assessment, the pages conform to the European standard EN 301 549 V3.2.1, chapter 9 (web content), which refers to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — WCAG 2.1, conformance level AA.

Evaluation method

This statement is based on a self-assessment, last carried out in full on 30 September 2026: automated WCAG testing (axe-core) of all pages in both languages on desktop and mobile viewports, including opened dialogs and all form steps, complemented by manual keyboard testing, pixel-based contrast measurement and checks of zoom/reflow behaviour and reduced motion. Additional testing with assistive technologies (screen readers) is planned; accessibility is re-checked whenever the pages change.

Known limitations

Downloadable documents (such as the terms and conditions and the package-travel information form) will be provided as accessible versions (PDF/UA) before booking opens. Linked third-party pages (e.g. map services) are outside our control.

Reporting barriers — feedback and contact

Have you encountered a barrier or do you need information in another format? Write to us at sommerakademie@ibz-dortmund.com or call +49 231 28867778. We usually reply within two working days and endeavour to remove reported barriers promptly.

Competent market surveillance authority

Marktüberwachungsstelle der Länder für die Barrierefreiheit von Produkten und Dienstleistungen (MLBF), Carl-Miller-Straße 6, 39112 Magdeburg, Germany, e-mail kontakt@mlbf-barrierefrei.de, phone +49 391 289 230 23, www.mlbf-barrierefrei.de. Barriers can also be reported there directly.