Accessibility statement for the YM.fi website

The website of the Ministry of the Environment at YM.fi is subject to the provisions of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (available in Finnish). Under the Act, public online services must be accessible, meaning everyone must have an equal opportunity to use them.

This accessibility statement describes the identified shortcomings in the accessibility of the YM.fi website.

The YM.fi website was published on 23 September 2020. This accessibility statement was published on 23 September 2020.

Accessibility of the service

The YM.fi website largely meets the A and AA accessibility criteria (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1) required by the Act, and has no critical shortcomings in its accessibility. The main shortcomings in the accessibility of the service are described below.

The accessibility of the website has been assessed by the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with the website's technical supplier. We continuously monitor the accessibility of the service using support programmes, among other tools.

A version update was made to the publication system used by the YM.fi website in June 2020. The accessibility issues identified in connection with the update are being rectified during autumn 2020. Accessibility will be taken into account in the development of all new features. Ministry officials are also instructed to take accessibility requirements into account in their work.

If the material you need is not accessible, please contact us using our feedback form. We will do our best to deliver the material you need in an accessible format.

Shortcomings in the accessibility of the website

Errors in page heading hierarchy

The order of page heading levels in the HTML code is partly incorrect. This may make it more difficult to browse the page using a screen reader. A page’s HTML code may contain extra heading levels with no text, and these will appear on a screen reader as empty headings. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Shortcomings in text alternatives for images and diagrams

The content pages have some images of text for which no text alternatives have been defined. Certain essential information is therefore not conveyed due to inadequate text alternatives, for example in graphs and diagrams. Detailed text alternatives have also been erroneously provided for some purely decorative images. (WCAG 1.1.1, WCAG 1.4.5)

Accessibility issues in PDF documents

The website contains PDF documents published after 23 September 2018 that have shortcomings when it comes to accessibility.

  • The PDF documents may have visual elements and diagrams for which no descriptive text alternatives have been defined. (WCAG 1.1.1)
  • PDF documents may have layout issues that hamper screen reader use, such as unnecessary line breaks and headings that are not marked with heading levels. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • The table structures in files may have shortcomings that hamper screen reader use, such as table structures used for text layout or missing programmatic column headers. Similar information may also be divided into several tables. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • Files may contain footnotes that are not linked to the text, which can make it difficult to interpret them when using a screen reader. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • There may be shortcomings in file metadata, such as missing titles or incorrect language specifications and author information.

Shortcomings in the naming of links

Some pages on the website use the same link text for links that direct the user to different destinations. The names of some links do not work without their context (e.g. ‘click here’ or ‘read more’). The site also contains image links that lack a text alternative indicating the purpose of the link. (WCAG 2.4.4)

Broken links

The website contains broken links. These will be repaired in connection with other updates.

Titles missing from embedded content

The site contains embedded content without an explanatory title. Such content includes embedded YouTube videos, for example. (WCAG 4.1.2)

Visual formatting in code

There are instances where HTML code has been used instead of CSS (cascading style sheets) to format the content. It is not possible to change the coding of embedded content imported to YM.fi from external systems, for example.

Incorrect HTML tags may have been used in the formatting of body text. The text may contain bold, font, u, and strike tags that may appear as errors to users of assistive devices. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Shortcomings in colour contrasts on the site

The contrast between the text and background colours on the site is not always sufficient. These problems can appear in, for example, text content and buttons. (WCAG 1.4.3)

Accessibility of content imported from external systems

The YM.fi website displays content imported from external systems. Any shortcomings in the accessibility of this content are transferred from the system of origin.

Decisions

The YM.fi website contains PDF documents that have been imported from the Government’s electronic decision support system and are not fully accessible. The accessibility issues hamper the use of assistive technologies. Some documents are missing text alternatives, headings and language specifications. There are also problems with the structure of some of these files.

The decision support system is undergoing a renewal, which is due for completion by August 2021. The material produced by the new system will be accessible.

Publications

The YM.fi website contains links to ministries’ publications in PDF format that are located in the Institutional Repository for the Government (Valto). Separate accessibility statements have been prepared for the publications and the Institutional Repository, describing any accessibility issues they may have.

Project information

Project information on the YM.fi website is displayed from a separate system. Some of the related functions have accessibility issues that hamper screen reader use and keyboard browsing. The functions with accessibility issues include reloading a page when switching from one tab to another, modal windows on pages displaying information on individual projects, and the project search calendar.

Among the project information, there are PDF documents that have been produced in other systems, such as in the case management system. These documents may have some accessibility issues, such as deficient structures and attributes and missing text alternatives. The accessibility issues hamper the use of assistive technologies.

Content not covered by the applicable legislation

The website has content that is not subject to the requirements of the legislation. Such content includes:

  • Third-party content that is not produced, funded or supervised by the service provider itself.
  • Files published before 23 September 2018.
  • Live video or audio broadcasts that are not recorded for storage or publication.
  • Video or voice recordings published before 23 September 2020.

Have you noticed any accessibility concerns on our website?

We constantly strive to improve the accessibility of our online service. If you find any accessibility issues on the website that are not described in this statement, please let us know. We are also happy to receive other comments and suggestions for improvements to the accessibility of the website. You can submit your feedback using our feedback form.

Accessibility supervision

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland oversees the fulfilment of accessibility requirements. If you are not satisfied with our reply, or if you do not receive any response within two weeks, please send your feedback to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. Detailed information on how to file a complaint and how the matter will be handled is available on the Agency’s website.

Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland
Saavutettavuuden valvonnan yksikkö (supervisory unit for accessibility)
www.saavutettavuusvaatimukset.fi
[email protected]
tel. (switchboard) +358 295 016 000