Accessibility statement for the website vm.fi

This statement is about the Ministry of Finance website vm.fi. The website is subject to the requirements of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services. Under the Act, public online services must be accessible, which means that everyone must have equal access to them. This statement describes the identified shortcomings in the accessibility of the vm.fi website and provides information on how you can give us feedback on the accessibility of the service. The accessibility statement was drawn up on 22 September 2020 and updated on 30 June 2022.

Accessibility of the service

The vm.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 exceptions applicable are also referred to below.

An external expert assessment of the accessibility of the website was commissioned in November 2018 as part of a wider assessment of ministry websites that use the same publication platform. We will be monitoring the website’s accessibility on a continuous basis using, for example, an appropriate software tool.

Accessibility will be taken into account in the development of all new features. The Ministry of Finance also provides guidance for its officials to ensure they take into account accessibility requirements in their work.

If the material you need is not accessible, please contact us by email. We will supply the material you need in an accessible form.

Content and functionalities that are not yet accessible

Code-level 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 levels appear as empty headings for screen readers. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Shortcomings in text alternatives for images and diagrams

The pages with content include some non-text content (images and diagrams) for which no descriptive text alternative has been given. Some images also include text. (WCAG 1.1.1, WCAG 1.4.5)

Accessibility issues in PDF documents

The website includes PDF documents that have been published since 23 September 2018 but do not meet the accessibility requirements.

The documents may include visual elements and diagrams that are missing text alternatives. (WCAG 1.1.1)
The documents may have layout issues that hamper screen reader use, such as unnecessary line breaks and headings with no heading levels marked, or the heading structure may be incorrect. (WCAG 1.3.1)
Table structures in the documents may have issues that hamper screen reader use; for example, table structures may have been used for text layout, there may be no programmatically determined column headings, or similar data may have been divided into several tables. (WCAG 1.3.1)
The documents may have footnotes that are not linked to the text, and it may be 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 may 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 contains image links that lack a text alternative indicating the purpose of the link. (WCAG 2.4.4)

Broken links

Broken links can be found on some of the website’s pages and in some of the documents. These will be repaired in connection with other updates.

Titles missing from embedded content

For example, the site contains embedded YouTube content without an explanatory title. (WCAG 4.1.2)

Visual formatting in code

There are instances where HTML code has been used instead of CSS to format the content. This may be the case, for example, where there is embedded content from third party systems, as it is not then possible to modify the code. Body text formatting may contain incorrect tags in the HTML code. The bold, font, u, and strike tags may have been used incorrectly. These may appear as errors for users of assistive devices. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Contrast issues in the content

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

Shortcomings concerning keyboard use

The website features accordion designs, for instance in frequently asked questions (FAQs). Some of the accordions are not navigable with the keyboard and some have defective or incorrect ARIA attributes. Furthermore, the visual indicator of an open accordion does not function correctly in some cases. (WCAG 2.1.1)

Shortcomings in content listings

The website contains content lists, such as lists of press releases, where the ‘Opens in a new window’ link includes a ‘<title>’ element, which is not optimal for a screen reader. Neither is the RSS icon, which is presented in connection with the content listing, fully accessible (the WAI-ARIA image has no accessible name). (WCAG 1.3.5)

Content imported from other systems

The website includes content imported from other systems. Any accessibility issues with these contents are due to the original system.

Decisions

There are PDF documents on the website 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 documents. Shortcomings in the accessibility of materials will be rectified in connection with the ongoing reform of the decision support system. The new system will be introduced in August 2022.

Publications

The website contains links to PDF publications 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 is displayed from a separate system. Some of these functions have accessibility issues that hamper screen reader use and keyboard browsing. Such functions 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. These issues hamper the use of assistive technologies.

Social media

Accessibility requirements are taken into account in the content of social media channels maintained by the Prime Minister's Office, based on the possibilities offered by each channel. The visual and audiovisual material produced before 23 September 2020 also includes content that does not meet the accessibility requirements (e.g. subtitling and text alternatives are missing).

Content not covered by the applicable legislation

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

files published before 23 September 2018
video or voice recordings published before 23 September 2020.

The website includes video recordings published before 23 September which have no subtitles. The website also has audio recordings published before 23 September which have no text alternative. (WCAG 1.2.1, WCAG 1.2.2)

Have you noticed any accessibility concerns?

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 send your feedback by email to the address given at vm.fi/en/feedback. There you will find instructions on how to submit your feedback on accessibility issues.

Accessibility supervision

If you notice any accessibility issues on the website, first send feedback to the site administrator. Please note that it may take up to 14 days for a reply to be sent to you. If you are not satisfied with the reply, or if you do not receive any response within two weeks, you can report this to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. Detailed information on how to submit your report and how the matter will be handled is available on the Agency’s website.

Contact details of the supervisory authority

Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland
Saavutettavuuden valvonnan yksikkö (supervisory unit for accessibility)
Accessibility requirements web service (available in Finnish and Swedish) saavutettavuusvaatimukset.fi
[email protected]
tel. (switchboard) +358 295 016 000

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