We strive to be accessible to everyone
Businesses should have websites that are usable by most people. Whether you have impaired vision, a broken arm, or challenges with fine motor skills—you should still be able to navigate the site. This is called universal design. In the web world, there are 35 requirements to ensure everything is top-notch, or 48 if it’s a public enterprise.
What is an Accessibility Statement?
An accessibility statement explains how well a company has adhered to the requirements of universal design. Public enterprises must review their websites at least once a year, and the results must be publicly available. The Accessibility Authority (UU-tilsynet) has created a template for this. Private companies are also expected to follow the rules, though they are not required to publish their results publicly.
No legal obligation, but we provide one anyway
SJ Nord is not a public enterprise, but we still choose to create our own accessibility statement. We follow the same template as the one designed for public companies, aiming to meet all 48 requirements.
Why aren’t websites universally designed from the start?
It’s what everyone aims for, but many factors need to align. A single detail—such as an error in one image—can cause multiple accessibility requirements to be unmet. Even if everything is coded correctly and checked on day one, ongoing changes and updates can introduce issues. That’s why maintaining accessible websites is an ongoing effort.
Accessibility issues found in our latest review
Our website was last reviewed on November 26, 2024. Two issues were identified out of the 48 requirements.
Images should be coded with alternative text. This text is read aloud to those using screen readers for navigation. Many of our images have empty alt-texts, including those in news articles and images showcasing our services. On the food and drinks onboard page, the images either have inadequate alt-texts or none at all. This should be corrected because users who rely on keyboard navigation and screen readers miss out on the experience the images are meant to convey.
Images sourced from our Instagram feed have empty alt-texts. As a result, the screen reader won’t detect the images, but the text overlaid on them is read aloud. We consider this an acceptable solution.
See what UU-tilsynet says about deviations for requirement 1.1.1.
If text is part of an image, it will not be read aloud by screen readers. The requirement is that the same content must be conveyed using text near the image.
In some cases, we have image-based advertisements that do not meet this requirement. Since these ads link to a product or service closely associated with SJ, they should comply with the guidelines.
See what UU-tilsynet says about deviations for requirement 1.4.5.
Found more issues? Let us know!
Describe the problem or explain why you think something is incorrect. Feel free to include a link to the relevant page.
Send your message to: [email protected]
Thank you for helping us improve!