Accessibility statement
This website of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW website, accessible at www.zhaw.ch) aims to be as accessible as possible to all people. The ZHAW transparently discloses where this is the case, where barriers still exist and what cannot be provided without barriers and why.
This statement applies to the ZHAW website, and a link to access it is provided in the website footer. Our contact e-mail address is provided under the «Feedback» section. We welcome all suggestions for improvement and feedback.
Goal
All visitors to our website should be able to:
- Zoom up to 400% without problems.
- Increase spacing between lines, words and letters and after paragraphs without limitations.
- Navigate using only the keyboard (without a mouse or other pointing device). The keyboard focus remains clearly visible at all times and its order is logically structured.
- Skip content blocks such as the navigation or headers using the keyboard. Jump links are also indicated visually.
- Operate the website using voice recognition.
- Use the website in high-contrast mode.
- Perceive information irrespective of colour vision deficiencies and without being disturbed by flashing elements.
- Recognise each page by its clear and meaningful title.
- Access most content in two ways (navigation, search).
- Recognise the breadcrumb trail even non-visually. The breadcrumb is a secondary navigation aid on a website showing visitors their path and their position within the site structure.
- Also identify stand-alone page areas such as the header, navigation and footer non-visually and orient themselves on the page using them.
- Operate most of the ZHAW website using a screen reader (including current versions of JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack).
- Use most of the ZHAW website on a smartphone regardless of device orientation (portrait or landscape).
- Receive accessible information about the name, role and status of most widgets and components.
Conformance status
The ZHAW website partially conforms to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Partial conformance means that some parts of the content do not fully meet the accessibility standards.
Limitations
We continually strive to ensure the accessibility of the ZHAW website. Nevertheless, some limitations may exist. The following limitations and possible solutions are known. Please contact us if you encounter a problem that is not listed here.
Graphics / images
Some graphics or images do not always have a suitable alternative text. Assistive technologies may therefore not provide access to the information conveyed in these images. WCAG Success Criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) is not met in these cases.
Tables
Some tables only include column headers, though row headers may also be necessary (and vice versa). Some tables may contain empty cells, meaning that assistive technologies may not be able to read them correctly. WCAG Success Criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) is not met in these cases.
Other specific limitations on the ZHAW website
The content listed below does not comply with the targeted conformance level; parts of the ZHAW website are not completely accessible. Examples include the following:
- Almost no videos with audio descriptions are available.
- Almost no content in sign language is available.
- No content in plain or easy language is available.
- Some controls are not correctly identifiable.
- Some error messages in forms are not informative and are not linked to the corresponding fields.
- Some animated graphics cannot be hidden, paused or stopped.
- Some content and graphics have insufficient contrast. WCAG Success Criteria 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum)) and 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast) are not met in these cases.
- Some components embedded by external providers are not accessible, for example the podcast component.
- Many documents maintained in PDF format or other non-HTML formats are not accessible, for example due to missing document structure or insufficient metadata.
- The default language on some pages is not correctly defined and, in some cases, multiple languages may appear on a page (primarily German and English). This means that screen readers may be unable to read the content correctly. WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts) is not met in these cases.
- Some pages cannot be found using multiple navigation methods (e.g. search and menu structure). WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways) is not met in these cases.
Each ZHAW School publishes its own content on the ZHAW website and is responsible for ensuring adherence to accessibility requirements. This statement will be updated upon deficiencies being remedied.
Feedback
We would be delighted to receive your feedback on the accessibility of the ZHAW website. Please let us know if you encounter any barriers to access and provide the following details:
- The web address (URL) of the content
- The type of barrier (the more detailed, the better)
- Your contact details (e-mail and name)
Contact us via e-mail at: barrierefrei@zhaw.ch
We aim to respond to any feedback within one week.