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KulturLeben e.V. stands for social inclusion

In the run-up to the Special Olympic World Games, to be held in Berlin in June 2023, KulturLeben e.V. commissioned us to develop a web-based, accessible calendar of sports and events. The project was financed by the Senate as part of the “Inclusion 23” project funding and was completed in time for the start of the Games. The site remains in use and is very popular.

Since 2010, the Berlin association KulturLeben has been passionately committed to providing everyone access to the city's vibrant cultural landscape. With more than 500 partners from the cultural scene, the predominantly volunteer members provide up to 4,000 unsold tickets per month to individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford visits to theaters, concerts, museums, or stadiums.

Accessibility as a key requirement

The calendar makes the city's diverse cultural offerings easily accessible, drawing on the KulturLeben database developed over the years. This database contains not only current event dates but also detailed information about the venues. From disabled parking spaces to wheelchair-accessible restrooms, from the option to bring a guide dog to events to the availability of sign language translation—everyone can find out whether the facilities at each venue meet their needs.

Standards and insight

Naturally, the cultural calendar had to meet the same high standards. From the very beginning, it was crucial not only to adhere to these standards, but also to incorporate the experiences of the people who would benefit from the calendar. The success of this endeavor, despite the short project timeframe, is largely due to the commitment and excellent cooperation of the predominantly volunteer members at KulturLeben.

Accessibility thanks to target group tests

Through extensive target group testing, working on the cultural calendar allowed us to collaborate with true experts in digital accessibility—challenging some of our cherished design habits in the process. Everything was examined, from the colors used to the icons and fonts, as well as more complex functions like filtering by interests. The result: accessibility is not so difficult—if you ask the right people.