What is an accessible website?
A website which is available to be used and understood by everyone, including by people with a disability for example.
To achieve this, the European authorities require all websites to comply with a series of accessibility rules. These rules are set out in European Directive EN 301 549. The City of Leuven complies with these guidelines.
What do we do to make this website accessible?
We implement the following managers in the way we run our website:
- Accessibility by design Accessibility is an inherent part of all the steps taken in the development of this website (design, construction and writing).
- Research Independent experts test the website in terms of accessibility on a regular basis. These tests cover both functional-technical elements and the writing. We resolve any issues encountered on a permanent basis.
- Staff understanding Our staff maintain their understanding and awareness of accessibility requirements and implement this wherever necessary.
Which part are not (yet) accessible?
The following parts/elements on the leuven.be website are not accessible:
- Pdf files Most pdf files on leuven.be are not accessible. We are working on a solution.
- Online maps Online maps are not accessible, but this is not such as though you are missing any information. The information is also available in text format (e.g. diversions in case of roadworks).
- Online applications In some cases, our online services are run through an external application (e.g. Making appointments, requesting records from the Registry of Marriages, Births and Deaths, requesting parking badges for the disabled, applying for job openings). Some applications are not accessible.
- New applications are built in accordance with the European directives.
- Existing applications we try and make accessible as soon as possible.
- Information from other parties We post the vacancies for volunteers in Leuven on this website, by way of an embed code. This code allows us to display information from the vrijwilligerswerk.be website on our own web pages. This information is not accessible.
Reporting accessibility problems
If you want to use elements on this website that are not accessible, please let us know. We will look into how we can help you and how we can improve accessibility to this information.
Report an accessibility problem
Filing a complaint
If you got in touch with the City of Leuven but you are not satisfied with the response you got, then please send your complaint to the City of Leuven’s own ombudsman service. Unable to work it out? In that case, you can also contact the Flemish ombudsman service (Vlaamse Ombudsdienst).