Statement on barrier-free accessibility for Stud.IP

This statement on barrier-free accessibility applies to the Stud.IP installation 5.5.4  at https://studip.hs-rm.de/ of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences.

As a public body within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/2102, we endeavour to make our websites and mobile applications accessible in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Disability Equality Act (BGG) and the Hessian Disability Equality Act (HessBGG) as well as the Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0) and the Hessian Ordinance on the Creation of Barrier-free Information Technology (BITV HE 2019) for the implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/2102.

Status of compliance with the requirements

The accessibility requirements result from Section 3 (1) to (4) and Section 4 of the BITV 2.0 issued on the basis of Section 12d BGG and from Section 3 (1) to (4) and Section 4 of the BITV HE 2019 issued on the basis of Section 14 HessBGG.

The review of compliance with the requirements is based on an assessment carried out by Materna Information & Communications SE at the beginning of 2022. The benchmark for the audit is EN 301 549 and the A and AA status of WCAG 2.1. The WCAG 2.1 requirements (conformity levels A and AA) were checked using the 98 test steps of the BITV/WCAG test.

This Stud.IP installation is not fully compliant with our accessibility regulations. In detail:

• The explanations in German sign language are not available on the start page.
• The explanations in plain language are missing on the start page.
• It is possible that use on mobile devices (especially smartphones) is not completely barrier-free. Stud.IP is primarily designed for desktop computers, laptops and large tablets, although responsive navigation has already been improved in the past.
• There may be places in the system where users are presented with ‘non-text content’ that has no meaningful text alternative.
• It is possible that visually recognisable headings on individual pages are not correctly labelled as such, making navigation more difficult for screen reader users.
• In some cases, there are no, incorrect or inadequate alternatives for images, controls and graphic elements. 
• In some cases, graphics and operating elements are not labelled correctly so that they cannot be correctly recognised by assistance systems.
• The language in alternative texts is sometimes given in English without the language change being correctly labelled.
• List entries, tables (columns) and forms are sometimes not labelled correctly. 
• The visible order of page elements sometimes differs from the order in the source text.
• The minimum contrast requirement is not met everywhere.
• The keyboard control is not fully usable.
• We cannot guarantee that all plugin extensions of this Stud.IP installation are accessible.

In addition, content posted by users, e.g. PDFs or videos, may have barriers.

Stud.IP has been revised with regard to accessibility. The following measures to reduce barriers have been incorporated into the releases from Stud.IP version 5.1:

• Attributes and alternative texts have been added and corrected so that screen readers can correctly interpret buttons, links, controls and graphics and output suitable texts.
• The hierarchies of headings and the order of page elements have been revised/corrected.
• Language markups have been standardised.
• List entries, tables (columns) and forms have been correctly labelled and sensibly linked.
• An option to change the contrast has been implemented.
• The keyboard control has been corrected.
• Action menus and accordion elements have been revised.
• The responsive navigation has been improved.

The following content has been realised due to the intention to implement a higher level of digital accessibility than required by law:

The accessibility of (online) courses can often be improved by making small changes, from which all participants in the courses can benefit.
According to a study by the Deutsches Studentenwerk, 11% of students at German universities have a health impairment that is relevant to their studies.
 

The following instructions and tips can help you to remove these barriers or at least create a low-barrier digital learning environment.

• Instructions for creating accessible documents in Word
• Instructions for creating accessible PDF documents
• Checklist for accessible courses
• Checklist for dealing with students with disabilities
• Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations
• Short tips for accessible online teaching

To view or download all documents, follow this link and log in to the QM portal with your HDS account. The documents are under B-barrier-free accessibility.

Further information on the topic of digital accessibility can also be found in this topic dossier of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung.

Date of preparation or last update of the declaration

This declaration was prepared in March 2025 and last updated on 28 March 2025.

Report barriers

You can report the respective barrier in Stud.IP via ,,Report accessibility barrier" and we will resolve it as quickly as possible.

Arbitration procedure

In the event of conflicts regarding the removal of existing barriers to websites and applications of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, you can contact the enforcement and monitoring centre at the responsible State Commissioner for Accessible IT of the State of Hesse.

If your feedback to the above-mentioned contact option is not answered within six weeks or not satisfactorily, you can contact the arbitration board at the following address:

Prof. Dr. Erdmuthe Meyer zu Bexten

Landeskompetenzzentrum Barrierefreie IT
Landgraf-Philipp-Platz 1-7
35390 Gießen

Tel.: +49641 303-2902
Email: LBIT(at)rpgi.hessen.de

Further information on the State Commissioner for Barrier-free IT can be found on the website of the State Competence Centre for Barrier-free IT (LBIT) and the Enforcement and Monitoring Centre for Barrier-free IT Hessen.

Information on the barrier-free RheinMain University of Applied Sciences can be found in the information pages on the university's profile.