Accessibility

Welect InStream – Accessibility Statement in accordance with the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG)

As of: June 25, 2025

1. Scope and Principle

This statement covers the digital platform Welect InStream, which offers interactive video advertising with an ad selection tool ("AdChooser"). Welect InStream strives to ensure the highest possible level of digital accessibility; however, there are limitations to consider in its implementation.

2. Partially Non-Compliant Components

The following component of the platform is not currently fully accessible:

Subtitles and Audio Description for Video Content

  • Objective: To enable people with hearing impairments to understand spoken content and people with visual impairments to comprehend visual advertising information.
  • Issue: The use of subtitles and audio descriptions is currently almost non-existent. The dynamic, real-time selection and interaction structure (e.g., through "Clickable Ads") makes the synchronous provision of subtitles, and especially audio descriptions, technically very difficult without delaying every user action.

3. Legal Exemptions (§ 16 and § 17 BFSG)

Welect invokes the following legal exemptions:

a) § 16 BFSG – Disproportionate Burden

  • Justification: The interactive video content is delivered and adapted in real time. The creation and implementation of precisely time-coded subtitles, and particularly audio descriptions, require complex manual or automated processes (transcription, time-coding, description of visual scenes).
  • Technical Effort: Integrating these processes into the existing real-time delivery environment would require setting up an additional production and validation pipeline, which would involve approx. 40–80 hours of additional work per campaign.
  • Financial Cost: The resulting financial cost is estimated to be in the mid-five-figure range per month. The high overall technical and financial effort constitutes a burden that is currently considered disproportionate.

b) § 17 BFSG – Fundamental Alteration of the Service

  • Justification: The core functionality of the platform lies in its dynamism and the direct interaction with the audience. Comprehensive audio description or waiting for subtitles to be displayed during the ad selection process would fundamentally change the immediate purpose of the "AdChooser". A fundamental delay or a reduction in the advertising impact contradicts the objectives of both users and advertisers. The fast and seamless user flow would be significantly disrupted, which is to be assessed as a change in the fundamental nature of the service.

4. Planned Improvements

Short-term (next 6 months):

  • Implementation of an optional opt-in subtitle format for selected, static video content where no further interactive selection occurs.

Mid-term (6–12 months):

  • Launch of a pilot project for automated subtitling (using ASR – Automatic Speech Recognition) for 10% of all campaign content.
  • Testing of simple technical solutions for audio description, such as buffering during pause times, to better align user experience and accessibility.

5. Feedback and Contact Information

Your opinion is important to us! Please report any accessibility issues or barriers to us: 📧 barrierefreiheit@welect.de Phone: +49 211 1581 9744 (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM)

6. Applicable Standards & Testing Methods

Based on WCAG 2.1 (Level AA). Testing methods: A combination of automated tools (e.g., Lighthouse, WAVE) and manual checks.

7. Review and Updates

This statement will be reviewed and updated at least annually, especially in the event of further development of our platform or changes in legislation.

Note: The component described here as "non-compliant" is subject to legal exemptions. Welect is committed to progressively improving this area and explicitly declares where limitations exist. Transparency and continuous optimization remain our goals.