Accessibility Statement

The editorial board of FQS, supported by the team "Open Access and Academic Publishing" of the university library at Freie Universität Berlin, is committed to ensuring the web presence of FQS is as accessible as possible for all users. The legal basis for this accessibility statement is provided by the Law on Accessible Information and Communication Technologies of the State of Berlin [Barrierefreie-IKT-Gesetz Berlin BIKTGBln as of March 4, 2019], which implements the Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the European Council. Requirements for web content accessibility and accessibility statements are defined by the current Ordinance on Accessible Information Technologies (BITV).

This accessibility statement documents the current state of accessibility of the web presence hosted at the university library at Freie Universität under the domain of https://www.qualitative-research.net/ on the bases of the content management software Open Journals Systems (OJS), Version 3.1.2, developed by Public Knowledge Project (PKP). 

How Accessible is the Web Presence?

Compatibility with the requirements of BITV

This accessibility statement is based on a self-assessment as well as on information provided by the developer PKP.

The above mentioned web presence is largely accessible but not completely compliant with the technical requirements as defined by BITV 2.0.

The accessibility of the above mentioned web presence is determined by the preparatory work of the software developer PKP. With its Accessibility Interest Group PKP committed itself to continuously improve the accessibility of its products. Accordingly new software versions generally are more accessible than older versions. Starting with software versions 3.x of OJS and OMP, PKP already commissioned external accessibility audits and will continuously improve its products based on these assessments. An accessibility statement for the OJS 3.3 default theme is provided by PKP. Modifications of the design of the web presence by editorial boards may alter the degree of accessibility.

Content with limited accessibility

The content listed below provides only limited accessibility.

  • Operability of the web site by keyboard is feasible. However, the keyboard focus is not always visible. In some places the order of tabular steps could be optimized.
  • Alternative text is not always available.
  • In certain combinations the color contrast may be slightly lower than the standard defined by theWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
  • Embedded videos do not contain audio transcriptions. 
  • Accessibility of PDF-files is partly limited.
    • They can be enlarged, but the typeface cannot be changed in general.
    • Changing the color of text and background is only possible with certain readers.
    • Operation exclusively with the keyboard is not possible with every reader.

We actively work to improve the accessibility of our web presence. To this end, Freie Universität Berlin provides web editors with extensive manuals on building and maintaining accessible websites and offers training and advice for editorial boards on how to build accessible web content and publication formats. In addition, we work together with the software developer PKP to improve the accessibility of OJS and OMP. A specialized manual on how to design the OJS and OMP frontend in compliance with accessibility standards is also provided by PKP.

Date of Accessibility Statement

This statement was written on March 10, 2022.

This statement was last updated on March 10, 2022.

Feedback and Contact

The content of our web presence should be equally accessible for people with disabilities and people who may have temporary or ongoing difficulty in accessing web content due to individual circumstances. Should you notice any accessibility issues with our web presence, please let us know!

Get in touch via our email address, FQS@qualitative-research.net, and send us a short description of the problem together with the full website address.

Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research (FQS)
Dr. Katja Mruck
Institut für Qualitative Forschung
Internationale Akademie Berlin gGmbH
Nassauische Straße 5
10717 Berlin

Enforcement Procedure and Contacting the Officer for Digital Accessibility for the State of Berlin

If you do not receive a response from FQS or the team "Open Access and Academic Publishing" within a month of contacting us, or if our response does not adequately address your concerns, you may also contact the Officer for Digital Accessibility for the State of Berlin.