Accessibility Statement for hargassner.com

The Hargassner website is currently partially compliant with the requirements of WCAG 2.1 at conformity level AA and is undergoing ongoing technical and design development (soft relaunch). We place particular emphasis on implementing a barrier-free website – in accordance with the Accessibility Act as amended to implement the European Accessibility Directive (RL 2019/882) on the accessibility requirements for products and services, in line with the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. Our website aims to comply with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA , guided by:

• The European Accessibility Act (EAA), implemented in Irish law via the EU (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023, effective from 28 June 2025.
• The EU Web Accessibility Directive, transposed through Regulations 2020, which mandates accessibility for public sector websites—and will extend to all websites by 2025.

Ongoing improvements include:

• Better form usability including clear labels, focus styles, and error messages
• Addition of alt text for images, subtitles for videos, and controllable animations

Accessibility is continuously evaluated and further developed.

a) Areas still under development:

• Some downloadable PDF documents are not yet accessible. Accessible versions are available upon request via email.
• Numerous videos hosted on YouTube lack audio descriptions and full text transcripts (WCAG 1.2.3 & 1.2.5), limiting accessibility for deaf or visually impaired users.
• Some recorded videos and audio files lack the required audio description or textual alternative (WCAG success criteria 1.2.3 (audio description) and 1.2.5 (media alternative)), which means that the spoken content is not available to deaf users.
• The Austrian subsidy calculator (for calculating possible subsidies for heating system replacement) is currently not fully accessible. Among other things, visible labels for input fields are missing and keyboard operability is limited. As part of ongoing improvements to the accessibility of forms, this calculator is also being revised.
• WP Grid Builder is used on the website to display overviews (grids and some sliders). Despite the manufacturer’s claims to the contrary, this technology is not completely accessible; although it can be operated without barriers, in some cases assistive technologies such as screen readers reproduce irrelevant information.
• WP Forms is used for the form function on the website. Despite contrary manufacturer information, this technology is not completely accessible; operation is accessible, but in some cases assistive technologies such as screen readers reproduce irrelevant information.
• Above a certain zoom level, the usability of the menu may be restricted.
• The contrast between text and background does not always meet the required standards.
• The language switch function is currently only represented by the visual display of the country flag; an additional text-based country identifier is not currently planned.

b) Disproportionate burden:

Retrofitting a large archive of historical video content would require substantial resources, exceeding the threshold for proportional effort under Irish law.

c) Exemptions from scope:

• Content created before 28 June 2025 is not subject to current accessibility regulations.
• Third-party content outside of our editorial or technical control is excluded.
• The integrated Weebly chat tool currently has limited built-in accessibility features and is not fully accessible (e.g. no full keyboard operability, limited screen reader support)

This statement was created and is continuously updated on the basis of manual and automated tests conducted by the digital agency WESEO in accordance with WCAG 2.1, most recently in October 2025.

The current website is undergoing redevelopment and is not yet fully accessible. Accessibility is being systematically improved as part of the soft relaunch.

If you encounter any accessibility barriers or need assistance accessing content on our website, please contact us:

E-Mail: [[email protected]]

Please include:

• A brief description of the issue
• The URL of the affected page or file

We will investigate your feedback and respond as soon as possible.