Website accessibility

This accessibility statement pertains to the website of the University of Eastern Finland available at https://www.uef.fi. It was updated on 23 August 2023. 

The accessibility of the website has been assessed by a third party. In addition, we at the University of Eastern Finland have also reviewed the website. Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland has also reviewed the website's accessibility during the summer of 2023.

The uef.fi website was published in 2009. The previous major redesign of the website took place in 2015, and in 2021 it was moved onto a new publishing platform and the contents were reorganised. The accessibility requirements have guided the layout design of and the content production for our new website.

All UEF websites, mobile applications and related content must be accessible. Accessibility in a digital environment means that as many people as possible are able to use the digital services provided despite user, situation or technology specific differences. The accessibility requirements are based on the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and on the EU’s Web Accessibility Directive. 

Accessibility status of digital services

Partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard. 

Non-compliant content

Due to the large number of content creators, and the time required to instruct and train them, some content on our website may contain accessibility issues. However, we are constantly working to ensure that all content is accessible.

Some of the files linked to our website (e.g., doc, pdf) do not yet comply with accessibility requirements. These will be fixed and made accessible as the website and the documents are updated.

Furthermore, the campus maps linked to our website are not fully accessible, and their accessibility is currently being improved.

The inline frame of a Chatbot found on one of the pages does not have alternative text. (WCAG 1.1.1. Non-textual Content) The problem will be fixed as soon as possible.

Colour contrast of some buttons found on the site does not meet the minimum contrast requirement. (WCAG 1.4.3. Contrast (minimum)) 

The visible name of some links or labels on the site does not match the accessible name. Some of the links have been implemented so that they are not always read correctly by screen readers and can cause problems with voice control. (WCAG 3.3.2 Labels or instructions) 

Two or more elements on the Open University studies page have the same ID value. (WCAG 4.1.2 Name, role, value) The problem will be fixed after the content providers fix the problem in Studyinfo. 

Not covered by legislation

• Office suite files (e.g., doc, pdf, odt) published before 23 September 2018.
• Website content on the old uef.fi server archived before 23 September 2019. This includes, e.g., research project websites that must be maintained due to the terms of the funder.
• Video and audio recordings published before 23 September 2020.
• Live video streams and audio broadcasts not recorded for storing or republishing.

We are committed to enhancing the accessibility of our digital services and are continuously working to improve it. Among our recent improvements are, e.g., transcripts of podcasts embedded on our website.

For users to whom our digital services remain inaccessible, we offer special support. In such cases, please contact us at viestinta@uef.fi.

This accessibility statement pertains to the University of Eastern Finland’s websites available on WordPress servers at https://sites.uef.fi, https://blogs.uef.fi and https://blogs2.uef.fi. It was updated on 28 March 2025.

We have self-assessed the accessibility of the websites in different ways. The WordPress service was introduced at the University of Eastern Finland in 2014. In 2019, the themes used on the websites were upgraded to an accessible one. In June 2023, themes and add-ons that even better meet the requirements of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services were introduced. 

All UEF websites, mobile applications and related content must be accessible. Accessibility in a digital environment means that as many people as possible are able to use the digital services provided despite user, situation or technology specific differences. The accessibility requirements are based on the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and on the EU’s Web Accessibility Directive. 

Accessibility status of digital services 

For the time being, WordPress themes for 2019 and 2023 are both in use. The theme for 2019 is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard and the theme for 2023 is partially compliant with the A and AA standard accessibility requirements.

Non-compliant content 

The following deficiencies can be found on websites using the 2019 theme:  

• Some images are missing text alternatives (WCAG 1.1 Text Alternatives)  
• Some links are poorly distinguishable (WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Colour)  
• Some links displayed in the menu are hidden from the user at a specific display size (WCAG 1.4.10 Reflow)  
• Text cannot be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality (WCAG 1.4.4 Resize Text)  
• Some links are missing text alternatives (WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) and WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)  

These deficiencies will be fixed on each website as they adopt the 2023 theme.

On some websites using the 2023 theme there are deficiencies due to the fact that after the theme change, not all content has been reviewed and the site still uses content presentation methods that were enabled by the previous theme, or the styles of the theme (e.g. colors) have been modified. This causes deficiencies in color contrasts (WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum)), for example. We aim to correct these deficiencies by instructing site administrators and as we notice these deficiencies.

The white label version of the 2023 theme has an accessibility deficiency at the top left, where the logo/name is, when the name written on the logo site does not match the site name (WCAG 2.5.3 Label in name). This deficiency has been noted on 21 March 2025 and will be corrected as soon as possible.

Some of the files linked to our website (e.g., doc, pdf) in the themes for 2019 and 2023 do not yet comply with the accessibility requirements. These will be fixed and made accessible as the files and website are updated. 

Not covered by legislation 

• Office suite files (e.g., doc, pdf, odt) published before 23 September 2018.    
• Video and audio recordings published before 23 September 2020.
• Live video streams and audio broadcasts not recorded for storing or republishing. 

We are committed to enhancing the accessibility of our digital services and are continuously working to improve it.  

For users to whom our digital services remain inaccessible, we offer special support. In such cases, please contact us at viestinta@uef.fi.

This accessibility statement applies to the site https://opas.peppi.uef.fi and was prepared on 7 February 2024. The site https://opas.peppi.uef.fi has been published on 29 November 2021.

The accessibility of the website has been evaluated by a third party.

The websites, mobile applications and related contents must be accessible. Accessibility in a digital environment means that online services can be used by as many individuals as possible despite different user-, situation- and technology-based circumstances. Accessibility requirements are based on the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and European Union’s Web Accessibility Directive.

Peppi Study Guide application and its technical accessibility are developed by University of Turku. Based on the feedback, University of Eastern Finland is developing the instructions, content, and structure of the study guide.

Accessibility status of the website

Overall, the current accessibility standard of the website is good.This web site partially complies with the accessibility requirements of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1-standard AA level. The accessibility deficiencies are listed below.

Non-accessible Website Content

The following is a description of the identified accessibility deficiencies. The study guide application does not provide a mechanism to skip blocks of content that are repeated across multiple web pages. This is why the website is not yet fully compliant with the accessibility standards WCAG 2.1, criteria 2.4.1.

This accessibility statement will be modified as soon as the detected errors have been corrected.

Actions to support accessibility

You can get support and advice on using the study guide at peppituki@uef.fi. 
The user guide for the study guide is in the Peppi Handbook (login required): https://studentuef.sharepoint.com/:u:/r/sites/peppihandbook/SitePages/Students.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=hX2K38

You can send support requests related to accessibility support and accessible content to servicedesk@uef.fi.

Accessibility feedback

Did you notice a deficiency in accessibility in our digital service? Let us know and we will do our best to fix the deficiency. Give us feedback on accessibility by email: peppituki@uef.fi.

You will receive an answer to your feedback within two weeks.

Regulatory authority

If you notice any accessibility deficiencies on the website, please contact us, the site administrators, first. The reply to the feedback may take up to 14 days. If you are not satisfied with the received reply or do not receive a reply at all within two weeks, you can notify the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. The website of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland (in Finnish) includes detailed information on how to notify the agency about accessibility deficiencies and how the notification is processed.

Contact information of the regulatory authority

Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland (Etelä-Suomen aluehallintovirasto)
Accessibility control unit (Saavutettavuuden valvonnan yksikkö)
www.saavutettavuusvaatimukset.fi
saavutettavuus@avi.fi
Telephone exchange: +358 295 016 000

This accessibility statement concerns the uef.varbi.com website of the University of Eastern Finland and has been prepared on 25 September 2023 and updated on 7 June 2024. The recruitment system and the uef.varbi.com website were introduced on 1 April 2023.

We have assessed the accessibility of the service by using the Wave and Siteimprove tools.

All of the University of Eastern Finland’s websites, mobile applications and content that is available on these must be accessible. Accessibility in a digital environment means that as many people as possible are able to use the digital services provided despite user, situation or technology specific differences. The accessibility requirements are based on the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and on the EU Web Accessibility Directive.

Accessibility status of the website 

UEF's Varbi recruitment system complies with the AA level accessibility requirements.

Accessibility feedback

Provide accessibility feedback by emailing to servicedesk@uef.fi or through web form https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/92514831AA9FFE46.

This accessibility statement applies to the University of Eastern Finland website https://uef.cloud.panopto.eu/  The website was published on 01.04.2023. 
Small updates are made to the website every month, the last major update was on 28.06.2024.
The statement was last revised on 8.11.2024 

We have assessed the accessibility of the service ourselves. The service provider has also assessed the accessibility of the service.

• https://support.panopto.com/s/article/Learn-About-Accessibility-Features
• https://support.panopto.com/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?file=0155Y000004epbE 
   

All of the University of Eastern Finland’s websites and web services, mobile applications and content available on these must be accessible. The accessibility requirements are based on the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and on the EU’s Web Accessibility Directive. Accessibility in a digital environment means that as many people as possible are able to use the digital services provided despite user, situation or technology specific differences.

Accessibility status

Partially compliant with the AA level accessibility requirements. Pages have been reviewed with SiteImprove and Wave.

Non-compliant content

Non-accessible content has been detected in this service.

Perceivable

Non-accessible content and its shortcomings

• Non-text Content: The playlist is missing alternative text, the search field is missing a form label, and there is an empty heading on the page.
• 1.2.2, 1.2.4 Captions (Prerecorded): Not all media content includes captions, or there are deficiencies in the captions provided.
• 1.2.3, 1.2.5 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded): There is no text alternative or audio description available for all media content.
• 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: The table headers lack defined data cells.
• 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum): The contrast between most text elements and background on the site meets a minimum ratio of 4.5:1, but some links have a contrast of 3.27:1. 

Operable

Non-accessible content and its shortcomings

• 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts: This requirement is only partially met.
• 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context): The purpose of all links cannot be determined programmatically.
• 2.5.3 Label in Name: The visible label and the accessible name do not match. 

Understandable

Non-accessible content and its shortcomings

• 3.1.1 Language of Page: The primary language of the page is not declared in the <html> element.
• The language used in the video may differ from the user interface language. 

Robust

Non-accessible content and its shortcomings

• 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value: The names and roles of all user interface components cannot be determined programmatically.

Undue Burden

Providing captions or text alternatives for videos requires an undue amount of work due to the considerable volume of material. The service currently offers basic automated captions, but meeting quality standards would require extensive manual correction. As automatic speech recognition systems improve, we expect to be able to produce more captions in the future.

Not covered by legislation

Our site includes content offered for teaching purposes to a limited group for a set period. The accessibility of each learning material published on the site is the responsibility of the content creators, meaning there may be accessibility issues, such as missing text alternatives for videos. Our site also features live video or audio broadcasts that are not recorded for later access or redistribution. The University of Eastern Finland provides guidance and advice on addressing these accessibility issues; however, responsibility for the content remains with the original creators.

This accessibility statement applies to the University of Eastern Finland's https://thinglink.com website and was prepared on April 11, 2024. The website was published on September 14, 2021. This accessibility statement does not cover the entire website but rather a specific viewing mode available to end users, called the accessible view (when content is open > Share > Accessibility).  Other parts of the ThingLink website, such as public home pages, marketing blog, help center, and end-user interface, partially meet accessibility criteria.

The accessibility of the service has been assessed by the service provider. 

Websites and mobile applications and related content of the University of Eastern Finland should be easily accessible. Accessibility in the digital environment means that as many different people as possible can access online services regardless of user, situational or technological differences. Accessibility requirements are based on the Digital Services Act and the EU Web Accessibility Directive.

Accessibility status

The service complies with most of the critical A and AA level accessibility criteria. The site has the following accessibility issues:

• 1.2.4 Captions (Live)
• 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
• 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts
• 2.5.4 Motion Actuation
• 3.1.2 Language of Parts
• 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)
• 4.1.3 Status Messages

The accessibility of each learning material published on the site is the responsibility of the material's creators. Therefore, it is possible that materials may have accessibility issues, such as missing text alternatives for images and videos or non-accessible documents. The University of Eastern Finland provides guidance and advice on correcting these issues, but the responsibility for the content of the materials always lies with the actual creators.

Not Covered by Legislation

• Content used temporarily in a limited group in teaching.
• Video or audio recordings published before September 23, 2020.