ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

CU Carinthia University strives to ensure that its websites comply with the Web Accessibility Act (WZG), as amended, to implement Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 26, 2016, on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (Official Journal L 327 of December 2, 2016, p. 1).

This accessibility statement applies to the website: www.fh-kaernten.at
 

Status of Compliance with Requirements

Due to the following non-conformities and exceptions, this website is partially compliant with Conformity Level AA of the "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1" and with the applicable European Standard EN 301 549 V2.1.2 (August 2018).

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is not accessible for the following reasons:

Non-compliance with accessibility requirements

Some non-decorative images in the content lack alternative text, making this information inaccessible to screen reader users. This means that WCAG Success Criterion 1.1.1 (Non-Text Content) is not met. We plan to add alternative text to all non-decorative images and are raising awareness among our administrators through training sessions and instructions in our user manuals to ensure that new and updated pages meet this success criterion.

Videos are not captioned. This means that WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.4 (Live Captions) is not met. Live videos are exempt from Directive (EU) 2016/2102. We do not plan to add captions to live videos.

There are some minor issues with visual link indicators in text. Consequently, WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Color) is not fully met. We plan to revise the link styling accordingly as soon as possible.

Text and background colors derived from corporate identity (CI) guidelines only partially achieve the required color contrast. Consequently, WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.3 (Minimum Contrast) is not met. The color contrasts of the controls in the header image of the home page do not fully meet the requirements in the desktop view, on mobile devices, or on tablets. A solution will be implemented as part of the next updates.

Some web pages contain links with identical link text that lead to different destinations. This means that WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose in Context) is not met. We plan to revise the link text in the content of the affected web pages and raise awareness among administrators through training sessions and user guides to ensure that new and updated pages meet this success criterion.

Some forms do not have a submit button. This violates WCAG Success Criterion 3.2.2 (On Input). Some form elements lack text labels or descriptions, meaning that WCAG Success Criteria 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions), 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels), and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value) are not consistently met. In filter forms, the focused element is not highlighted when using the keyboard. This violates WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible). We will address these barriers during the next development cycles.

Undue Burden

Most of our videos are hosted and published on the YouTube video platform. It is not possible to provide the required audio descriptions for some of these videos. As a result, WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.5 (Recorded Audio Description) is not met. We believe that addressing this issue would constitute a disproportionate burden under accessibility regulations.

The content does not fall within the scope of the applicable legal provisions

Many PDF and Office documents, primarily older ones, are not accessible. For example, PDF documents are not tagged, so they cannot be accessed or used by screen reader users, or can only be accessed and used inadequately. This means that WCAG Success Criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value) is not met. For current PDF documents, we ensure that these criteria are met.

Please let us know if you are having difficulty with specific documents. Upon request, we will make the content accessible and subsequently replace the documents or supplement them with accessible alternatives. For new documents, we strive to make them accessible in accordance with WCAG 2.1 and PDF/UA compliant before publication. Non-accessible documents, such as print versions, are labeled as such upon publication.
Live videos are not captioned. This means that WCAG Success Criterion 1.2.4 (Live Captions) is not met. Live videos are exempt from Directive (EU) 2016/2102. We do not plan to add captions to live videos.

Third-party content–such as studies or presentation materials from external speakers–that is outside the control of Carinthia University of Applied Sciences is exempt from Directive (EU) 2016/2102. No statement can be made regarding the compliance of this third-party content with accessibility regulations.

Feedback and Contact Information

Please let us know if you are having difficulty with specific documents. Upon request, we will make the content accessible and subsequently replace the documents or supplement them with accessible alternatives. For new documents, we strive to ensure they are accessible in accordance with WCAG 2.1 and PDF/UA compliant prior to publication.

Creation of This Accessibility Statement

This statement was created on June 9, 2021.

The website’s compliance with the WZG (German Act on the Accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies) for implementing the requirements of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 was assessed in April 2021 through a self-assessment based on WCAG 2.0 at Conformity Level AA. The content of several selected pages (the homepage, the academic program pages, the research page, as well as the homepages of the Continuing Education Center and the International Relations Office, featuring various content types such as text, images, and video) were subjected to a self-assessment in May 2021 in accordance with WCAG 2.0 at Conformity Level AA.

This statement was updated on June 9, 2021.

Feedback and Contact Information

The offerings and services on this website are continuously being improved, updated, and expanded. Usability and accessibility are of great importance to us.
If you notice any barriers that prevent you from using our website–problems not described in this statement, or issues regarding compliance with

accessibility requirements–please notify us via email at website(at)cuas.at.
We will review your inquiry and contact you as soon as possible.

Please also send all comments and suggestions to website(at)cuas.at with the subject line “Report of an accessibility issue on the fh-kaernten.at website.” Please describe the problem and provide the URL(s) of the affected web page or document.

Contact:

CU Carinthia University
website(at)cuas.at

Enforcement Procedures

If you are not satisfied with the responses received through the contact option mentioned above, you may file a complaint with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The FFG accepts complaints electronically via the contact form.

Complaints Office Contact Form

The FFG reviews complaints to determine whether they pertain to violations of the provisions of the Web Accessibility Act, particularly failures to comply with accessibility requirements, by the federal government or an institution under its jurisdiction.
If the complaint is justified, the FFG must issue recommendations for action to the federal government or the relevant legal entities and propose measures to remedy the identified deficiencies.

Further information on the complaint procedure

Optional Content: Additional Information and User Assistance

The team at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences strives to ensure that its online services are as accessible as possible. In doing so, we adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, in accordance with national legislation–the “E-Government Act 2004”–and applicable anti-discrimination provisions.