Digital Accessibility
Information in accordance with Section 11 of the Hamburg Disability Equality Act (Hamburgisches Gesetz zur Gleichstellung von Menschen mit Behinderungen, HmbBGG) on the accessibility of the websites available at elbphilharmonie.de and on related contact options.
As a legal entity under private law pursuant to Section 2 of the Hamburg Disability Equality Act (hereinafter HmbBGG), Elbphilharmonie und Laeiszhalle Betriebsgesellschaft mbH endeavours to make its websites accessible in accordance with the provisions of the HmbBGG and the Hamburg Ordinance on Barrier-Free Information Technology (Hamburgische Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung, hereinafter HmbBITVO) implementing Directive (EU) 2016/2102.
Verifying Compliance with Accessibility Requirements
The accessibility requirements result from Section 1 HmbBITVO in conjunction with Section 3 (1) to (4) and Section 4 of the Federal Ordinance on Accessible Information Technology (Verordnung zur Schaffung barrierefreier Informationstechnik, BITV), which was issued on the basis of Section 11 HmbBGG.
Compliance verification is based on previous external accessibility checks as well as ongoing and routine self-assessments. Automated tools are used for the latter (Lighthouse, web-based validators). Functional tests (e.g. to check operability with keyboards or VoiceOver) as well as technical checks are carried out in the browser DOM.
On the basis of the compliance verification, the website has been found to be partially compatible with the above requirements due to the following incompatibilities and exceptions.
Non-Accessible Content
The content listed below is not accessible:
- In certain areas of the website, the contrast between the colours used is currently too low.
- Customer section: the list of purchases cannot currently be navigated using a keyboard.
- The search box on the search results page is not currently labelled as such.
- Some images are currently missing image descriptions (ALT texts).
- For some embedded YouTube videos, the playback button has no recognisable link title.
- Ticket booking: the seating chart cannot be navigated using a keyboard.
- Visual focus indicators do not appear for certain UI elements.
- Most videos do not have subtitles.
- PDF files are generally not accessible.
- Customer section or purchasing tickets or products: the page titles are generic and not page or content specific.
- When using the screen reader JAWS to read the watch list, the watch list may lose focus. Until the reasons behind this issue are determined, NVDA or VoiceOver can be used as an alternative.
- On small devices or screens, opening the main navigation menu using the keyboard leads to a keyboard trap under which the focus is on the search box but the user is unable to exit the search box using the Tab key.
These barriers have not yet been resolved due to technical limitations or the need for external resources. However, we are working to make this content accessible as soon as possible.
Most Recent Review/Update
This declaration was issued on 27 June 2025 and was most recently reviewed by Elbphilharmonie und Laeiszhalle Betriebsgesellschaft mbH on 27 June 2025.
Additional Measures to Improve Accessibility
Reporting Barriers
If you notice any digital barriers or would like to obtain information about content that is not subject to the relevant legal provisions on accessibility, you can contact us by sending an email to barrierefrei@elbphilharmonie.de or using our accessibility contact form. We will do our best to respond to your query as soon as possible.
Arbitration Board
If a satisfactory solution is not reached even after you have submitted a concern using the contact details stated above, you can refer the matter to the Arbitration Board pursuant to Section 13a HmbBGG. The Arbitration Board is tasked with supporting the extrajudicial resolution of disputes involving accessibility between people with disabilities and public sector entities. The arbitration procedure is free of charge. No legal counsel is required.
For more information, visit www.hamburg.de/schlichtungsstelle-behinderung (currently only available in German).
Contacting the Arbitration Board:
Schlichtungsstelle HmbBGG
c/o Öffentliche Rechtsauskunft- und Vergleichsstelle (ÖRA)
Dammtorstraße 14, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
Telephone: +49 40 428 43 3056
Email address: schlichtungsstelle-hmbbgg@soziales.hamburg.de
