Declaration on accessibility

As a non-profit, registered association and recognised provider of independent youth welfare services, the Rhineland Regional Association of the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH) is particularly concerned to make its services accessible to all people. We therefore endeavour to make our websites and mobile applications accessible in accordance with the provisions of the Barrier-Free Strengthening Act (BFSG) and Directive (EU) 2019/882. They should be designed in such a way that the provisions are implemented in the best possible way. The specific technical requirements are set out in the ordinance pursuant to Section 3 (2) BFSG, in particular on the basis of standard EN 301 549.

The websites of the DJH Rhineland regional association offer users the opportunity to find youth hostels in the Rhineland, view information on offers and availability, manage memberships and book accommodation directly. The website is aimed at members of the DJH and interested guests. It is the core of our digital booking and information services.

Scope of application

This accessibility statement applies to the following websites:

• www.jugendherberge.de/rheinland (last update: 27 June 2025)
• www.jugendherbergen-im-rheinland.de (last update: 27 June 2025)
• www.djh-rheinland.de (last update: 27 June 2025)

Responsible for the content of the websites

is responsible for the content of the above-mentioned websites:

DJH Rhineland Regional Association

Düsseldorfer Str. 1a

40545 Düsseldorf

Phone +49 (0) 211 3026 3026

Fax +49 (0) 211 3026 3027

Mail     service@djh-rheinland.de

Consumer information in accordance with Article 246 EGBGB

The essential consumer information on the website, the services offered and its use can be found in our General Terms and Conditions and the Privacy policy . In particular, these contain information on:

• Provider labelling
• Conclusion of contract and contract term
• Payment modalities
• Right of cancellation and cancellation period
• Technical requirements

Status of compatibility with the requirements

We are aware that our websites are not fully accessible or barrier-free. We are working hard to change this. The above-mentioned websites have not yet been checked for compliance with the requirements by an external testing centre, but by ourselves. We would like to convert non-accessible content known to us first. An external check will then be carried out as soon as possible.

The following contents are not compatible with the requirements:

• The contrast requirements for texts and colours are not consistently met. We have already defined new colours and will use them soon so that the contrasts are increased.
• Link texts, images, graphics, illustrations and graphic control elements do not always have clear alternative texts. We have already provided most of the images with alternative texts. We are constantly working on completing them.
• Form fields are not always clearly labelled.
• Control elements are not always clearly labelled.
• When navigating using the keyboard, the focus is not always clear. The keyboard focus does not follow the logical sequence in some places and sometimes remains in the background when overlaying elements such as modals are opened. We are in the process of implementing the correct behaviour.
• There is no individual and clearly comprehensible error handling for incomplete entries in input fields.
• Not all documents (PDF, Word, Excel and others) are accessible.
• Abbreviations and unclear terms are not sufficiently explained.
• Inserted videos do not have subtitles.
• Machine readability through assistive technologies: Not all (operating) elements are readable by assistive technologies (such as screen readers). We are currently reviewing this content and making technical adjustments.
• Some areas cannot be operated using the keyboard. We are in the process of adapting these areas technically to ensure keyboard operability.

The website www.jugendherberge.de/rheinland is linked to the website of the German Youth Hostel Association. In some places we are dependent on the technical realisation of this website and can therefore only implement barriers within the scope of the technical possibilities available to us. This means that not all barriers can currently be removed. As soon as technical solutions are available, we will make the relevant sections accessible.

Barriers due to unreasonable economic efficiency:

Some barriers on our websites cannot be removed in the short term for reasons of economic reasonableness, as they require considerable financial and/or human resources. We continuously check our websites for possible improvements, but cannot remove all barriers immediately for staffing reasons. This applies, for example, to older content that was created before the current accessibility guidelines came into force. Subsequent adaptation would involve disproportionately high costs. We will adapt this content as soon as it is possible and all other barriers have been removed. However, new content will be created in line with current requirements.

Giving feedback, reporting barriers and contact details

Have you noticed any barriers on our website? Please get in touch with us and let us know where we can improve things. Please indicate on which page and for which function you have encountered barriers. You can simply copy the link from the address bar of your browser. You can reach us in the following ways:

e-mail: service@djh-rheinland.de

Phone: +49 (0) 211 3026 3026

Postal address:

DJH Rhineland Regional Association

Düsseldorfer Str. 1a

40545 Düsseldorf

If you do not receive a response to your notification, you can contact the responsible market surveillance authority in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia or the national market surveillance authority. They will support you in asserting your rights. You can contact them as follows:

Market surveillance authority of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia

e-mail: ueberwachungsstelle-nrw@it.nrw.de
Telephone: Hotline +49 (0) 211 9449 12 13 (Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

Nationwide market surveillance authority

MLBF
c/o Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Equality Saxony-Anhalt
P.O. Box 39 11 55
39135 Magdeburg
Phone: 0391 567 6970
e-mail: MLBF@ms.sachsen-anhalt.de

Preparation of the accessibility statement

This declaration was created on 28 April 2025. The declaration was last updated on 8 December 2025.

This accessibility statement has been prepared with the utmost care and is regularly updated to fulfil current requirements and standards. Nevertheless, errors cannot be completely ruled out. If you find any errors in this statement, please send us a short feedback via the Barriers Reporting functionality as listed in this document.