Accessibility of the CSC websites

This accessibility statement explains how well the csc.fi and Research.csc.fi websites comply with the Act on the Provision of Digital Services, what shortcomings there are in the accessibility of the websites and how you can give us feedback on accessibility problems.

CSC – IT Center for Science ltd. is responsible for these online services. We want as many users as possible to be able to access our digital services. We take accessibility into account in the development of digital services.

How accessible are the websites?

These online services partly meet the A and AA level accessibility criteria required by law (WCAG criteria 2.1). The online services have some shortcomings in accessibility, which are described in more detail below.

Did you notice any gaps in accessibility?

We are constantly striving to improve the accessibility of the online services. If you observe any issues that are not described on this page, please let us know and we will do our best to fix any shortcomings. We will respond to requests and comments as soon as possible, but no later than within two weeks.

You can contact us by sending an email webmaster(at)csc.fi.

Accessibility monitoring

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland monitors the implementation of accessibility requirements. If you are not satisfied with the response you have received or you do not receive a response at all within two weeks, you can give feedback to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. The website of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland provides detailed information on how to file a complaint and how the matter will be processed.

Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland
Accessibility Monitoring Unit
saavutettavuus(at)avi.fi
Telephone (switchboard) +358 295 016 000

More detailed information on technical accessibility

The Csc.fi and Research.csc.fi online services are not yet fully accessible.

Content or features that are not yet accessible

  • Some important images on the pages have alternative text descriptions that are not informative enough, and some images do not have any text description. Some decorative images have unnecessary alt texts. (WCAG 1.1.1)
  • Some of the videos lack audio description. (WCAG 1.2.3, 1.2.5)
  • Some of the texts and functional elements do not have sufficient colour contrasts. (WCAG 1.4.3, 1.4.11)
  • There are shortcomings in the use of heading levels. Some heading levels have been skipped, and at some places the heading hierarchy is not consistent. Some headings are also not programmatically marked as headings. In addition, there are headings that are hidden from sighted users but found only with a screen reader. These headings create extra noise for screen reader users. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • There are extra spaces and line breaks in the beginning of some heading and link texts. There are also empty headings on the web pages. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • Assistive technologies do not interpret the structure of the pages and semantics of the content correctly. Landmarks have not been always used consistently. The use of lists is not always logical. On the Research.csc.fi website, tables have been used to visual formatting although the information is not tabular. On some pages, long links about current matters and their respective dates are displayed after each other with a screen reader, without any clear line breaking. There are also other visual groupings of the content that are not communicated to screen readers. In addition, the screen reader announces an error in some form fields already when entering the field. Not all the contents cannot be accessed with a screen reader. These ,contents include for example ingresses related to tabs in the calculator on Research.csc.fi. In some cases, screen reader reads irrelevant information. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • In the cookies window, the user is given instructions that presuppose the ability to see. (WCAG 1.3.3)
  • The websites have form fields for gathering personal information that do not support autocomplete. (WCAG 1.3.5)
  • The contents of the websites do not fully adapt to smaller screens. For instance, the navigation dropdown menus do not work in mobile size. (WCAG 1.4.10)
  • Some functionalities on the pages are not accessible for keyboard-only users. These functionalities include same page links, accordions, Podcast time slider and the functionality in the ingress of a podcast as well as some tabs on Research.csc.fi. (WCAG 2.1.1)
  • The ReCaptcha has a check box with a very short time limitation, and the selection made by the user is removed without a warning. (WCAG 2.2.1)
  • The animation on the podcast page cannot be paused, stopped or hidden. (WCAG 2.2.2)
  • Some pages do not have unique and descriptive page titles. (WCAG 2.4.2)
  • In some places, the screen reader focus jumps to an illogical location (for example, after sending a form or using filters). (WCAG 2.4.3)
  • Some of the link texts are not descriptive and opening of a file or an external service is not always announced in link texts. Some tables on the Research.csc.fi website include links that are visually very uninformative. (WCAG 2.4.4)
  • Labels of some form fields are not descriptive. (WCAG 2.4.6)
  • Some elements do not have a visual keyboard focus indicator. (WCAG 2.4.7)
  • Parts of the pages that are in different language do not have the language specified in the code. (WCAG 3.1.2) 
  • In some forms, the required fields are not indicated in the labels. (WCAG 3.3.2)
  • Links leading to the same page differ sometimes from each other by link text. In some cases, the page title and the navigation link leading to the page do not correspond each other. (WCAG 3.2.4)
  • Assistive technologies do not interpret all the functionalities correctly. Roles of some elements have not been marked correctly or at all. It is not always clear for a screen reader user whether or not some element is a functionality. The screen reader does not always receive information about which functionality is selected (for example, in navigation and search result page links, filters, and in tab structures). Disabled status of a functionality and the state of the accordions (collapsed /expanded) is not communicated to a screen reader either. Some functionalities do not have programmatical names. (WCAG 4.1.2)
  • Changes on a page or other things that require the user’s attention are not announced automatically to screen readers. In some cases, the notification cannot be found even manually with a screen reader. (WCAG 4.1.3, 1.3.1)

Csc.fi-website is being redesigned at the moment. Shortcomings listed in this statement will be repaired on the renewed website that will be published by the end of the year 2023.

The content that is not within the scope of the applicable legislation

There are technical accessibility shortcomings in the embedded YouTube video frames which result from accessibility issues of the YouTube video player. The player can be difficult to control by screen reader users. However, YouTube video player is not subject to the requirements of the current legislation, since it is a third-party service that is not produced, funded or supervised by the service provider.

How have we tested accessibility?

The observations in this accessibility statement are based on a third-party assessment of whether the online services meet legal requirements.

This statement was prepared on 22 November 2022.
The statement was last updated on 22 November 2022.

Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019) (in Finnish and Swedish)
Accessibility Requirements website (in Finnish and Swedish)