Websites and apps used as part of teaching or for information dissemination must comply with the requirements in the ICT regulations. We fulfill the legal requirement by ensuring that our websites and apps conform to the WCAG standard.
Websites and apps used in teaching or for information dissemination must also publish an accessibility statement (norwegian) in the solution. This statement declares compliance with the WCAG requirements. Please report the need for an accessibility statement (norwegian) if you notice a solution lacking this.
What are the requirements I need to follow?
The WCAG standard is the technical requirements in the legislation. It is a set of guidelines that websites, apps, and content must follow.
What must comply with the requirements?
- Websites and apps used in teaching
- Websites and apps used to convey information to students, staff, and the public (e.g., uio.no, museum pages, TP, and My Studies)
- Editorial content on the web that is communicated to students, staff, and the public
- Videos directed at students and the public
- Documents published online and actively used
- Learning platforms (LMS), including published content and assignments (e.g., Canvas and Inspera)
- Intra- and extranets used by employees if significantly updated after February 1, 2023
What is excluded from the requirements?
- Documents published before February 1, 2022, and not actively used
- Solutions used only by employees to perform work
- Third-party solutions where we do not publish content or have technical influence
- Live broadcasts
- Specialized systems (e.g., time tracking and case management systems)
- Map services, provided essential information is available in other ways
- Intra- and extranets not significantly updated after February 1, 2023 (e.g., Vortex for employees)
- Reproduction of cultural-historical artifacts that is not possible
- Archived content on the web and apps
Content must also be Universally Designed
Content published on online solutions must also be universally designed. This includes editorial content, videos, and documents, such as those published in Vortex, Canvas, and Inspera.
UiO's Guide on Universal Design of Content and Video
Captioning videos
Captioning videos is essential for students with hearing impairments, but it is also beneficial for everyone. For instance, students can benefit from captioned videos when watching in noisy environments, if the video has poor sound quality, or if the speakers in the video are unclear.
There is also an educational advantage to captioning. Many people learn better if they can see and hear information simultaneously.
Legal requirement for captioning videos
The requirement for captioning videos is defined in WCAG criterion 1.2.2. This criterion requires that video recordings with sound published on UiO's online solutions must be captioned or have a full text alternative.
Which videos must be captioned?
- Lecture recordings
- Videos created or purchased by UiO used in teaching
- Videos used in connection with assessments/exams
- Recordings of streamed videos
- Informational videos for students or the public
- Informational videos for employees published on newer intra- and extranets (applies to upgraded intra- and extranets after February 1, 2023)
Which videos do not need captioning?
- Videos published before February 1, 2022, that are not actively used
- Videos that have a complete text alternative available (e.g., a transcript or a detailed article)
- Archived videos
- Live-streamed videos
- Videos provided by third parties where UiO does not own the content
- Videos created by students
- Videos intended only for employees published on intra- and extranets (e.g., Vortex for employees)
Regulations on audio description of videos
On February 1, 2024, a new requirement for audio description of published videos came into effect. We currently do not have a technical solution for adding audio-described versions of videos in media players, but we are working on this.
Prioritization for captioning videos
As a rule, all videos directed at students and the public should be captioned unless they are a media alternative to text. We currently do not have exemptions from the requirement. However, captioning can be resource-intensive, so it is important to have a clear prioritization for captioning:
- How many people watch the video?
- Is the video used in connection with exams?
- Is the video reused over multiple semesters?
- Is there another alternative to the video?
Responsibility for universal design
- For local ICT solutions at your faculty, institute, or department, the system owner is responsible for ensuring that the ICT solution meets the technical requirements for universal design.
- For the largest ICT solutions, such as the websites uio.no and Canvas, UiO centrally is responsible for this.
- The requirement applies whether the ICT solution is developed internally at UiO or by a third-party provider.
Requirements in procurement of IT services
When purchasing, it is important to ensure that the requirements for universal design are met by the external provider. This also applies to new solutions that will only be used internally/by employees. UiO sets strict requirements for IT-services that are procured.