The key principles of digital accessibility are:
Digital accessibility is often guided by standards and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Complying with these not only improves the usability and inclusiveness of digital products, but may also be a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, such as the United States’ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the EU’s Web Accessibility Directive.
Prioritizing digital accessibility means creating a more inclusive digital environment where everyone has equal access to information and digital resources.
The Act on the Provision of Digital Services is a Finnish law intended to improve the accessibility and compliance of public online services. The Digital Services Act is based on the European Union’s Web Accessibility Directive and obliges public entities to ensure that digital services are available to all users, including people with various functional limitations.
For Aalto University, this means that the digital services it provides—such as websites, learning environments, and other online services—must meet accessibility requirements. Aalto University, like other higher education institutions in Finland, is obliged to comply with the Digital Services Act and to ensure that its digital services are as barrier-free as possible for all users.
In practice, this means, for example, that the content on Aalto University’s websites must be accessible with various assistive technologies, such as screen readers. In addition, the sites must be structured and visually designed so that they are readable for people with visual or cognitive challenges.
Aalto University, like other organizations, can also prepare an accessibility statement that describes in more detail how the accessibility requirements have been taken into account and what development measures are planned. This helps users understand how well the services meet accessibility standards and what improvements can be expected.
Available only in Finnish: Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan digipalvelulain aiheuttamia muutoksia yliopistojen vastuissa liittyen tuottamiinsa digitaalisten palveluiden saatavuuteen ja saavutettavuuteen. Artikkeli myös avaa keskeiset lakiin liittyvät käsitteet.
The EU directive on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies implemented into Finnish law.
Web accessibility allows everyone, including people with disabilities, to perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the Internet. The same vision of accessibility needs to apply to mobile applications, considering the developments in technology and trends in the last years.
A Digital Service is a software service designed to fulfil a product capability and run on a Digital Platform. Such a service might be a monolith, or composed of multiple microservices. It’s owned by a single Digital Service team responsible for understanding its customers, and producing a service that meets their needs.
For the first time a common set of rules on intermediaries' obligations and accountability across the single market will open up new opportunities to provide digital services across borders, while ensuring a high level of protection to all users, no matter where they live in the EU.
Before sending your email message or sharing your document or spreadsheet, run the Accessibility Checker to make sure your Microsoft Office content is easy for people of all abilities to read and edit.
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of the Portable Document Format (PDF) specialized for the digital preservation of electronic documents. PDF/A differs from PDF by omitting features ill-suited to long-term archiving. Library recommends ISO-standardized versions PDF/A-1a, PDF/A-1b & PDF/A-2.
Aalto University archive instructions for publication submission
Adobe® InDesign® CC software supports accessible cross-media publication, allowing you to export InDesign documents to ePub, HTML, or accessible PDF. Reduce the time it takes to create PDF documents that people with disabilities can use more effectively. Apply accessibility features within your InDesign document, rather than having to make major changes in Adobe Acrobat® software. PDF tags, alt tags, and the content order you assign stay with the document as you revise it.
All Aalto's websites and services must fulfil the accessibility guidelines. The easiest way to improve your online presence is to create you web pages as part of the aalto.fi site. The aalto.fi platform is by default accessible, and you won't have to think about the technical side, only ensure your content and links follow the guidelines. Contact communications department to learn more about aalto.fi or learn more about the Drupal platform through the links below.
Reviewing your accessibility statement is an opportunity to check ‘usability’. The accessibility statement is not merely a list of compliance criteria – which in itself is not very helpful. Many assistive technology users have to navigate the entire page before they can even find the statement. A good statement will add value for diverse users by giving them practical advice on how to improve their experience with web browser features or add-ons, or by explaining how to turn on the captions for videos. Thus, the accessibility statement can become a resource for students, partners and employees rather than purely a legal document.
Make your tuition accessible on MyCourses (MyCourses is based on Moodle).
MyCourses Learning Environment
Moodle is designed to provide equal functionality and information to all people. This means that there should be no barriers for people regardless of disabilities, assistive technologies that are used, different screen sizes and different input devices (e.g. mouse, keyboard and touchscreen).
Make your social media presence (such as on LinkedIn) accessible. Online accessibility is crucial for all aspects of your digital strategy.
On LinkedIn, you can add alternative text (alt text) to images you share in your feed or embed in articles. This alt text helps members using screen readers understand what is in the image (the alternative text is not visible to members who do not use reading devices).
LinkedIn can also automatically add alternative text to images that lack it. When you upload an image from a desktop computer, you will be notified if alternative text has been automatically assigned. You will not be notified if you upload an image from a mobile device.
Writing good alternative text - Guidelines from the University of Leicester: https://www2.le.ac.uk/webcentre/plone/build/basics/add-images/alt-text
Additional Information:
How to Be More Accessible on Social MediaUniversity of Glasgow, digital accessibility of social mediaUniversity of Leicester, Writing effective ALT text
Aalto University strives towards being an accessible, safe and healthy university where research, teaching and services are accessible for all.
