ThemeWare® is already accessible according to the criteria of PageSpeed Insights, as you can see under the following link:
The Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility requirements for products and services (in German "Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz" – BFSG) has applied in national law since 28 June 2025.
Shopware provided the necessary adaptations of the storefront with version 6.7. ThemeWare® builds on them: we adopt the adaptations of the Shopware core and additionally optimise the ThemeWare® elements.
Tip: For the latest announcements on planned releases, regularly check the "" block in the ThemeWare® Service Portal.
Your theme takes care of part of the accessibility. You do not have to implement these points yourself:
Visible focus rings for keyboard operation – so you can always tell where you currently are.
"Reduce motion" system setting: if it is activated in the operating system, the animations of the CMS blocks, the sliders and the submenu are no longer played. The content is still fully visible, it just appears without movement.
"Reduce transparency" system setting: modal, offcanvas, cookie notice and fullscreen search then do without transparency and glass effects.
Optimised ThemeWare® elements: hero slider, gallery (grid), product description & reviews (accordion), announcement banner, floating widget, fullscreen search and the dot navigation of the sliders have been reworked for keyboard and screen reader operation.
Configurable underlining of certain links, so that links are not recognisable by colour alone.
These improvements keep growing with every release. The shows which of them are included in your version.
The theme itself only has a small part to play in the accessibility of your shop. Similar to SEO and PageSpeed, a large part is influenced by user-generated content, over which themes have no direct influence.
With ThemeWare®, we can do a lot for you, but not everything - because accessibility also depends on your settings and content. You are responsible for aspects such as alt texts, sufficient colour contrasts, accessible audio and video content, understandable abbreviations and a sensible heading structure. We have summarised the most important information for you so that you are well prepared.
1-click solutions (overlays) for accessibility
1-click solutions are currently being advertised by many providers. We recommend for this. You can test Eye-Able® for 30 days free of charge and get an additional month for free with the keyword "ThemeWare".
Colour contrasts
Numerous free and paid tools help you to test accessibility. To provide you with the best possible support, we have brought on board as an expert who will guide you with innovative tools and clear recommendations. You can test Eye-Able® for 30 days free of charge and get an additional month for free with the keyword "ThemeWare".
When configuring colours, ensure that the contrast between text and background is sufficiently high (at least 4.5:1). It is best to use online tools (e.g. the ) to check the contrast to ensure that your colours comply with current accessibility standards.
Tip: Also note the images in which you have placed text.
For meaningful images that are added via the Shopware Media Manager, you should include a descriptive alt text directly in the media settings.
The alt text is read aloud by screen readers and should describe the content or purpose of the image for users who cannot see it.
Example:
If the image is purely decorative or if there's a visible descriptive text next to it, the alt attribute should still be present, but intentionally left empty:
Example:
This ensures the image is ignored by screen readers and only the visible text is announced — preventing redundancy or confusion.
If a link contains only an image (e.g. a logo or icon without visible text), using an alt attribute on the image alone is not enough. In this case, you should add an aria-label to the <a> tag, clearly describing the purpose of the link.
The image itself gets an empty alt="" so that screen readers will announce only the aria-label and the picture is only decorative.
Example:
This way, screen reader users hear only:
"Link: Learn more about our shipping with DHL"
and not an additional “Image: DHL”, which could be redundant or unclear.
The alt attribute belongs to the image — not to the link. Images alone often don’t provide enough context to describe where the link goes. The aria-label, on the other hand, describes the function of the link and ensures a clear, complete message for all users.
Keep Shopware, your theme and all other extensions up to date. Accessibility improvements arrive continuously through updates – in the Shopware core as well as in ThemeWare®. A shop on an old version simply misses out on them.
We have put together more information on the topic of "BFSG" for you in a news article in our Service Portal:
When configuring colours, ensure that there is sufficient contrast between the text and the background. Too little contrast makes it difficult to read and can be problematic for people with visual impairments.
Accessible audio and video
Since audio and video files are difficult for people with visual or hearing impairments to use, the accessibility of this content is all the more important. Provide alternative content such as descriptive transcripts.
Accessible images
Check all images for meaningful alt texts. Exception: purely decorative images – these should have an empty alt="" attribute so that screen readers skip them.
Accessible texts
Use easy-to-understand language and avoid complicated words and sentences.
Accessible system
Keep Shopware and your theme, as well as all other extensions used, up to date.
<img src="dhl-logo.svg" alt="Shipping with DHL"><img src="dhl-logo.svg" alt="">
<span>Shipping with DHL</span><a href="/shipping" aria-label="Learn more about our shipping with DHL">
<img src="dhl-logo.svg" alt="">
</a>Tip: In doing so, also maintain the title attribute.
Note: Even a well-written alt text cannot fully convey the purpose of a link when the image is the only content inside the link. Only an aria-label on the <a> element ensures that screen reader users understand both the function and the destination of the link, regardless of the image content.
Tip: The shows you how to carry out updates safely.