Barrier-free communication & technical aids

Sign language interpreters, plain language and technical aids are key elements of barrier-free communication because they enable people with different disabilities to have equal access to information, exchange and social participation.

Many deaf or hard of hearing people use German Sign Language (DGS) as their native language. DGS, for example, has its own sentence structure. Written language is therefore a foreign language for many and complex texts or spoken language are difficult to access. Sign language interpreters enable direct communication. Written interpreters transcribe what is said. This enables self-determined participation in events for people who have become hard of hearing or deaf in the course of their lives and do not speak sign language.

Plain language makes content understandable, accessible and inclusive. Its rules ensure that content is accessible not only to people with cognitive or learning disabilities, but also to people with dementia or little knowledge of German.

Depending on their impairment, people with disabilities use different technologies known as technical aids. These include, for example

• Screen reader for blind people,
• Magnification software for people with visual impairments,
• Voice control for people with motor impairments,
• Inductive hearing systems, subtitles or text telephones for people with hearing impairments.

All of these elements ensure that all people, regardless of their abilities, can talk to each other, obtain information and participate independently.

More detailed information, advice centers, address overviews of providers and further links can be found below.

Sign language & various interpreting services

Sign language interpreters are provided centrally in Bavaria. The Interpreter District Center Upper Bavaria (DBZ) is responsible for our district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.

The DBZ is a facility of the District Association of Hearing Impaired People in Upper Bavaria and offers the following additional services:

• Placement of sign language interpreters and written language interpreters
• Making contact with remote interpreting and telephone interpreting services 
• Provision of additional communication aids (e.g. mobile induction loops)
• Help with cost coverage clarification

Please note:

1. Organize interpreting services in good time. It is not always possible to arrange interpreting services at short notice via the DBZ.
2. To be able to use inductive hearing systems, the hearing aid must be compatible.

The hearing aid's T-coil must be activated to receive the signals. Your hearing care professional can usually help you with this.

The BLWG Information and Service Center for People with Hearing Impairments in Upper Bavaria has 12 mobile induction loops that can be borrowed for smaller events (e.g. club meetings, assemblies, lectures, etc.). These can also be used by hearing-impaired people without hearing aids via headphones. The headphones are included with the mobile induction loops.

Remote interpreting and telephone interpreting services are services where sign language interpreters can be connected via computer, tablet and (mobile) telephone. Both services have their advantages and disadvantages. The Professional Association of Sign Language Interpreters in Bavaria ( BGSD-Bayern) has summarized more detailed information on this topic on its homepage.

Sign language videos

In our digital world, information is increasingly conveyed via videos. Be it clips from the various news services or simply commercials.

Deaf people generally do not have access to the information contained in the video. Unless they are subtitled or supplemented with sign language videos.

It should be noted that German Sign Language (DGS) is the first language spoken by deaf people. Sign language is not the same as spoken language. It has its own grammar, which differs from that of spoken language.

Therefore, it cannot be assumed that all deaf people understand German spoken language or written language and therefore subtitles equally. This can be like a foreign language for you.

Can you create films yourself or commission a company? What should be considered with the providers? What content should be added in sign language? And how are sign language films integrated into a website?

The "Guide to the implementation of information in sign language" (bik-fuer-alle.de) from "BIK für Alle" provides answers and further information on these questions.

"BIK für Alle" has also published an overview of possible providers of sign language videos. These can be viewed on the page "Sign language video providers" Sign language video providers | BIK für Alle (bik-fuer-alle.de).

Technical aids

Participating in professional and social life is not a matter of course for people with disabilities. They often face various obstacles that make their everyday life and participation more difficult. Technical aids can help to remove or at least significantly reduce these barriers.

Examples of this include output software or Braille displays that help people with visual impairments to use computers. A prosthetic leg also enables people with amputations to walk independently and take an active part in life.

The range of assistive products is very diverse. On the REHADAT Assistive Products website, you will find detailed information on numerous products in various areas, such as

• Workplace & training
• Mobility & orientation
• Communication & Information
• Building & Living
• Household & Nutrition
• Supply & hygiene
• Therapy & Training
• Orthoses & prostheses
• Leisure & Sport

Financing and assumption of costs

The assumption of costs for assistive devices depends on various factors, such as the intended use, the type of disability and the individual insurance conditions.

Depending on these requirements, different cost bearers are responsible, for example health and care insurance companies or the Inclusion Office - in Bavaria, the Bavarian Center for Family and Social Affairs.

Initial information on funding issues, responsibilities and contacts can also be found on the REHADAT Assistive Products Procedure & Funding | REHADAT Assistive Products website.

Translations into plain language

Easy language" is a form of written or verbal communication that has been developed for and together with people with cognitive impairments.

Texts in plain language are characterized by short sentences, simple words and a clear, logical structure. Foreign words are avoided or explained. The result is a text that is accessible to many people - regardless of their level of education or language skills.

In contrast to plain language, easy language is based on a fixed set of rules. This and information on word division and rules for conferences can be found on the website of the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e.V.: Regeln (netzwerk-leichte-sprache.de).

To ensure that as many people as possible understand the text in plain language, you should use the services of a plain language translation provider. They will have the text checked by people with learning difficulties.

The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) provides helpful information on this in its guidebook "Leichte Sprache - Ein Ratgeber zur Arbeit mit Leichter Sprache, Heft 2". The guide contains practical tips, criteria for good translations and further information on applying the rules. The guide is available online at: https://www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/a752l-2-ratgeber-zur-arbeit-mit-leichter-sprache.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2 

Possible translation agencies are listed on the website of Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e.V. Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e.V.: Übersetzungsbüro-Finder (netzwerk-leichte-sprache.de).

DIN SPEC 33429 "Recommendations for German Plain Language" DIN SPEC 33429 - 2025-03 - DIN Media has been officially published since February 2025. It can be downloaded free of charge from the DIN Media Verlag website.

This DIN SPEC contains specific recommendations for

• translating texts into plain language,
• writing your own content in plain language and
• the design of media content in plain language.

The document was developed by an interdisciplinary consortium of experts from public administration, academia, the design sector, translation and testing practice and publishing houses. The involvement of people with reading and learning difficulties was particularly valuable - their perspective was at the heart of the development.

For texts written according to the rules of DIN SPEC 33429, the BMAS provides a free and license-free icon for use. More detailed background information and the various downloads can be found on the BMAS page "Icon "Leichte Sprache" zum Download" Icon "Leichte Sprache" zum Download - BMAS.