The LILAC-media Accessible Control Panel: For an inclusive and accessible website

Operability

All our pages can be fully operated via keyboard – a mouse is not required. Interactive elements are clearly labeled and receive a visible focus when selected. We also deliberately avoid flashing content and unnecessary animations that could potentially trigger epileptic seizures. If animations are necessary, we ensure that all information remains accessible by alternative means.

Plain Language is a special style of language designed to make content understandable and accessible for people with learning difficulties, mental disabilities, or limited German proficiency. It is characterized by short sentences, simple words, clear structures, and an easily understandable way of expression. Complex terms are avoided or explained to prevent misunderstandings and to make the content accessible.

The aim of Plain Language is to enable as many people as possible to access important information, whether at government agencies, in care, in health information, or in public communication. It creates inclusivity and promotes equality, as it makes participation in society easier for people with different abilities.

Why is Plain Language so important? Because it gives people the opportunity to make autonomous decisions, to inform themselves, and to participate in society. It helps reduce prejudices and promote an inclusive society. By using Plain Language, transparency is created and communication becomes more understandable for everyone.

The Lilac CMS includes a feature that creates an accessible Plain Language version for every content. The feature allows signaling when a Plain Language version is available and provides an easy way to make this version visible to users. This increases digital accessibility and improves usability for people with learning difficulties.

Keyboard Navigation

The accessible settings panel can be activated by pressing the TAB key. In this panel you will find functions that allow you to navigate to different areas of the current page and to reach other pages of the site.

  Accessible Menu: Here the menu of the entire website is shown, through which you can navigate with the TAB key.

  Jump to page content: This takes you directly to the start of the content area and thus skips the header area where general information is often found.

  Show content elements: This item appears when the page content is divided into blocks by headings. This lets you jump directly to the desired area on long pages.

  Jump to the footer: This takes you to the very end of the page. There you often find the address and important information as well as links to other important areas of the homepage

  Search: Enter a search term here and search the site.

Assistive Functions

Our homepages offer the possibility to activate various functions:

  Screen reader mode: The content is optimized for use with screen readers in this mode. We avoid decorative elements, animations, and sliders, etc. Image descriptions appear under the images. Captchas in forms are avoided.

  Mode for visually impaired users: The contrast between text and background is increased. The text is shown in yellow on a black background.

  Night mode: The background color is set to black and any background images disappear. The text is set to white.

  Hide images: This feature hides all images to reduce distractions.

  Increase cursor size: The cursor is displayed at double size.

  Enable readable text: Decorative fonts are removed and replaced with a simple sans-serif font.

  Highlight headings: Headings of level 1 and 2 (H1 and H2) are shown in black on a yellow background.

  Highlight hyperlinks: All links and other clickable elements are displayed in black text on a yellow background.

  Plain Language: The content is offered in a special text version, characterized by short sentences, simple words, clear structures, and an easily understandable expression.