Document Accessibility Day: Case Studies, Practical Knowledge, Tools

State Commissioner for Accessible IT and Digital Participation for the State of Hesse, Head of LBIT (State Competence Center for Accessible IT), Head of the Enforcement and Monitoring Agency

Prof. Dr. Erdmuthe Meyer zu Bexten is a computer scientist, professor at the Technical University of Central Hesse, and one of Germany's leading experts on digital accessibility. Since 2018, she has been working as an honorary representative of the Hessian state government for accessible IT and digital participation, head of LBIT – State Competence Center for Accessible IT, and head of the enforcement and monitoring agency. Prior to that, she founded and headed the Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Students (BliZ) at the Technical University of Central Hesse for over two decades. With many years of experience in research, practice, and consulting, she is committed to making digital offerings accessible to all people and designs nationwide standards, projects, and strategies for inclusive digital transformation. 

Founder & Managing Director, mindscreen GmbH, Accessibility Expert

Stefan Farnetani is the founder and managing director of mindscreen GmbH, an agency specializing in digital accessibility. mindscreen advises organizations on building and integrating accessibility into digital processes, implements accessible digital solutions, and operates CAAT, a platform for conducting, managing, and documenting accessibility testing processes.

Expert for digital, accessible documents at Dataport AöR

Julia Schauer is an expert in accessible documents and the main contact person for this topic at IT service provider Dataport AöR. For several years, she has been advising internal and external partners on the creation of accessible PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. She also conducts training courses to ensure that accessibility is firmly established in digital document processes.

Country Manager DACH, Dialog Group

Achim Schuch is the Country Manager DACH at Dialog Group and is responsible for sales and business development in the region. For over 20 years, the Marburg native has been driving digital transformation, with a clear focus on digital accessibility and accessible customer communication. His expertise combines strategic market development with the ambition to make digital solutions both economically successful and usable for everyone.

Vice CEO and CTO, Competence Network Information Technology for the Promotion of the Integration of People with Disabilities

Gerhard Nussbaum is Vice CEO and CTO of the Competence Network “Information Technology for the Promotion of the Integration of People with Disabilities.” He is an expert in inclusive IT solutions and is committed to removing digital barriers and improving the participation of people with disabilities. In addition, he has nearly three decades of experience in the development and strategic consulting of accessible technologies. 

Member of the State Parliament for Alliance 90/The Greens

Peter Seimer is a Member of the State Parliament for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in Baden-Württemberg, representing the Leonberg–Herrenberg constituency. A trained business and tax lawyer, he previously worked as a tax official and investigator. Since 2021, he has served on the Committees on Internal Affairs and Finance and is his parliamentary group’s spokesperson for digitalization, focusing on digital administration, modern IT infrastructure, and digital accessibility. 

Freelance senior accessibility expert 

Iacobien Riezebosch is an experienced expert in digital accessibility. She has been working as a senior consultant for government agencies and commercial organizations for more than 20 years. She specializes in two areas: the organization-wide approach to digital accessibility and accessible documents. She is also a consultant, researcher, international speaker, and author of the publication “Web accessibility in your organization: roles and responsibilities.”

Accessibility Consultant and expert in accessible documents, adesso SE

Dorothea Hayh is an Accessibility Consultant at adesso, one of Germany’s leading IT service providers. She specializes in creating and reviewing accessible Word, PDF, and PowerPoint documents. In addition, she and her colleagues support companies through process consulting and workshops aimed at achieving sustainable, inclusive media design. Previously, she worked at TU Dortmund University in the field of digital participation and accessible media.

Senior Software Developer, axes4

Patrick Foster is a Senior Software Developer at axes4, and the lead developer for PAC. Throughout his tenure at axes4 he has been involved with the PDF Association, with a focus on the PDF/UA Processor LWG, and leads regular PAC educational webinars. Since 2026 he is an invited expert at the W3C to the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group and the PDF Accessibility APIs Mapping (PDF-AAM) Task Force.

Specialist for Digital Accessibility, Federal Monitoring Body for the Accessibility of Information Technology

Alexander Pfingstl has been working as a consultant and tester for digital accessibility at the Federal Monitoring Body for the Accessibility of Information Technology (BFIT-Bund) since 2020. In this role, he supports organizations in the accessible design and evaluation of digital services. Long before entering the field of digital accessibility, he was deeply involved in the digital transformation of organizations. His professional focus lies on the user-centered and inclusive implementation of digital solutions.

Managing Partner, Accessible PDF OG

Birgit Peböck is an educator, computer scientist, and founder of barrierefrei PDF OG. Since 2008, she has been working intensively to promote digital document accessibility, advising organizations, conducting training courses, and helping to design accessible PDF technologies. As co-chair of the PDF Association Liaison Working Group “Accessibility LWG,” she is shaping the development of standards for accessible PDF files. 

einmanncombo, Publishing & Workflow Experte, Certified InDesign Expert, InDesign User Group Representative

Klaas Posselt, einmanncombo, is one of the best-known (and most humorous) experts and trainers for PDF accessibility and efficient publishing workflows in the German-speaking world: edutainment at its best! He is Co-Chair of the PDF/UA Technical Working Group (TWG) of the PDF Association and co-author of the standard reference book “Creating Accessible PDF Documents.” Together with Markus Erle and Jochen Fehling, he also authored the chapter on accessible documents in the highly recommended Bitkom practical guide “Requirements of the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG).”

CEO, Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen Österreichs

Klaus Höckner is the Managing Director of Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen / Access Austria and has been committed for many years to digital accessibility and inclusive information and communication technologies. He has extensive experience in ICT, standardization, and innovation projects at the European level, and is internationally engaged in promoting equal participation of people with disabilities in the digital society.

Quality Engineer for Digital Accessibility and Software Ergonomics, Telekom MMS

Melanie Hobusch has been working at Deutsche Telekom MMS since 2015, and since 2018 she has been working as a tester, seminar leader, and consultant for digital accessibility.  As an expert, she supports companies in creating accessible documents in accordance with PDF/UA and WCAG standards, conducts quality checks, and trains teams in the practical use of accessibility tools. Through her lectures and workshops, she promotes awareness of digital inclusion and sustainable accessibility.

Quality Engineer for Digital Accessibility, Specialist for accessible documents (IAAP ADS), Telekom MMS

Jessica Ozimec is a Quality Engineer for Accessibility at Deutsche Telekom MMS. She checks digital content and documents for accessibility in accordance with WCAG and PDF/UA standards, advises teams on the inclusive design of IT solutions, and supports companies in making digital offerings accessible to all users. With her expertise, she promotes sustainable digital inclusion and usable accessibility.

Managing Director, docolution

Markus Mayer is the co-founder and Managing Director of Docolution GmbH in Vienna, a company specializing in smart document solutions. Since 1997, Markus has been building high-volume document factories across Europe. In 2003, he developed “Aly,” the world’s first regression testing solution for mass-produced documents. With Docolution, he has been driving innovation and best practices in the industry since 2007. He is also actively involved in standardization efforts and is highly engaged in the fields of artificial intelligence and accessibility.

CEO, axes4

Markus Erle is Co-Founder and CEO of axes4 GmbH in Zurich and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of digital accessibility. As a Digital Accessibility Evangelist, he advises ministries, public authorities, and companies on strategies for document accessibility. He is Chair of the Working Group of the PDF Association, co-founder and advisory board member of IAAP D-A-CH, and co-founder of the Alliance for Digital Inclusion Switzerland.

Head of Development, axes4

Thomas Schempp is Head of Development at axes4 GmbH and has many years of experience in software development, with a focus on PDF technologies and digital accessibility. After studying history and sociology, he was, among other roles, co-founder and Head of Development of the reference management software Citavi. At axes4, he is responsible for the further development of innovative solutions for accessible documents and modern accessibility workflows, including axesFlip, a software solution that automatically converts existing PDFs into accessible documents and can be flexibly integrated into enterprise processes.

Developer, axes4

Tamás Nemes is a software developer at axes4 and studies Computer Science at ETH Zurich, specializing in Intelligent Data Processing. His particular interest lies in machine learning and its practical applications. For several years, he has been exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to remove both analog and digital barriers and make everyday life more accessible.