On the way to accessibility

On 1 January 2016, the 10-year transitional period for mandatory and complete compliance with the Federal Equal Treatment of Disabled Persons Act (BGStG) came to an end. The aim of this federal law is to eliminate and prevent the discrimination of persons with disabilities. Companies can be affected by this law as providers of goods and services to customers, or as employers towards their employees.

It is our aim to handle the subject of disabilities and accessibility beyond what is required by legal provisions and regulations. Raising awareness among our management and employees by means of targeted information and training is a very important part of this, and involves the following questions, among others:

• What is a disability, and how does disability affect me in the company?
• How do I speak about the topic of disabilities?
• How do I handle disabilities within the team and in customer service?
• Which business opportunities can result for VERBUND by offering accessible products and services?

The access management which was implemented in 2014 evaluates the accessibility of our locations and company information, and suggests improvements. We are striving to make access to our company easier. This means removing both constructional barriers and informational and communications barriers. The goal is to appropriately educate the responsible persons on site, so that in the future they themselves can determine how to implement improvement measures. In the future, there will be a so-called access statement for each visitor centre. In this document, the on-site conditions will be exactly described, so that everyone – whether with a wheelchair, artificial hip, stroller, blind or deaf – can decide independently whether a visit is possible for him or her.