Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement

OpenAcademia Platform — openacademia.eu

Version 2 — March 2026 | Next review: March 2027

1. General Information

Service provider
OpenCom i.s.s.c. — Social cooperative, Piazza Giotto 13, 52100 Arezzo (AR)
Platform
OpenAcademia — online training platform (openacademia.eu)
Underlying technology
WordPress with MasterStudy LMS plugin (StylemixThemes)
Regulatory reference
D.Lgs. 10 August 2018, no. 106; Directive EU 2016/2102; standard EN 301 549 v3.2.1; WCAG 2.1 level AA
Accessibility officer
Fabio Frangipani, General Director — f.frangipani@opencom.it

2. Compliance Status

OpenAcademia is in a state of partial compliance with WCAG 2.1 level AA standards. Compliance is assessed based on the technical structure of the source code and the platform’s content, in accordance with the criteria established by EN 301 549 and AgID guidelines.

Partial compliance is attributable to the following structural factors:

  • The MasterStudy LMS plugin has not obtained official WCAG certifications and does not publish a VPAT. Native screen reader compatibility is not guaranteed by the vendor.
  • Some of the multimedia content on the platform was produced by external European partners, over whose production standards OpenCom has no direct control.
  • Theme customisation introduces interface elements whose compliance requires progressive verification and correction.

3. Structural Measures Adopted

3.1 Interventions on the WordPress Code and Theme

The following technical interventions act directly on the source code and platform structure, and are therefore verifiable with standard audit tools (WAVE, axe, Lighthouse):

  • Installation of the WP Accessibility plugin (Joe Dolson): automatically adds skip-to-content links, ARIA attributes to navigation menus, focus outline correction for keyboard navigation, and warnings for links that open in a new window.
  • Verification and restoration of a visible focus outline on all interactive elements (buttons, links, quiz fields): the MasterStudy theme removes this CSS property for aesthetic reasons; it has been restored via a custom stylesheet.
  • Addition of the lang="en-US" attribute to the root <html> tag, required for correct language interpretation by screen readers.
  • Verification that all forms (registration, login, course enrolment) have <label> tags correctly associated with input fields, with matching for/id attributes.
  • Verification of colour contrast between text and background on main pages, with correction of non-compliant elements to the minimum 4.5:1 ratio required by WCAG 2.1 criterion 1.4.3.
  • Use of dark/light mode in the MasterStudy LMS Course Player, selectable directly by the student: a visual comfort measure, not declared as a WCAG compliance measure.

3.2 Interventions on Course Content

For all newly produced content, OpenCom has adopted binding internal operational procedures:

  • Mandatory inclusion of descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all images uploaded to the platform, managed directly through the WordPress Media Library.
  • Mandatory structuring of lesson texts with hierarchical headings (H2, H3) in the WordPress editor, not replaced by bold text or uppercase. This structure is readable by screen readers and allows heading-based navigation.
  • Upload of subtitle files (.SRT or .VTT) for all videos produced directly by OpenCom or OpenAcademia.
  • Production of attachments exclusively in accessible PDF (tagged PDF) format, generated from Word documents with correct structure (headings, lists, real text — not scans).

3.3 Audit Tools and Periodic Verification

To monitor the platform’s status, OpenCom uses the following tools:

  • WAVE (wave.webaim.org): visual verification of WCAG errors on individual pages, with precise identification of problematic elements in the DOM.
  • Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools, Accessibility tab): automated assessment of contrast, heading structure, ARIA attributes, and form accessibility.
  • axe DevTools (Chrome extension): in-depth technical audit according to WCAG 2.1 criteria, used by the webmaster for structural verifications.

4. Compliance Overview by Area

Area of intervention Status Notes
Skip-to-content and ARIA (navigation) Adopted Implemented via WP Accessibility plugin
Keyboard focus outline (CSS) Adopted Restored on all interactive elements
lang attribute in HTML tag Adopted Set to en-US for the entire site
Labels associated with forms Adopted Verified on all main forms
Colour contrast on main pages Partial Verified on key pages; being extended
Alt text for images Partial Mandatory for new content; archive under review
Video subtitles Partial Guaranteed for OpenCom videos; partner content in progress
Heading structure in lessons Partial Applied to new courses; existing courses being updated
Accessible PDF attachments Adopted Operational procedure active for new content
Screen reader compatibility (native) Not certified Dependent on MasterStudy LMS plugin
Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance Not certified Goal of the 2026–2027 improvement plan

5. Excluded Content or Content Not Subject to Requirements

The following content on the platform does not fall within the scope of accessibility requirements or presents objective limitations:

  • Videos produced by partner organisations within EU co-funded projects (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe): responsibility for accessibility standards lies with the producing entities. OpenCom requires compliance with minimum standards in partnership agreements for future productions.
  • Third-party content embedded via embed (YouTube or Vimeo videos from external channels): OpenCom has no technical control over such content.
  • Archived documents predating 23 September 2018 for which no update is planned.

6. Feedback and Reporting Mechanism

Users who encounter accessibility barriers on OpenAcademia, or who need information in an alternative format, may contact the accessibility officer:

Email
f.frangipani@opencom.it
Recommended subject line
OpenAcademia accessibility report
Postal address
OpenCom i.s.s.c. — Piazza Giotto 13, 52100 Arezzo (AR)

OpenCom undertakes to respond within 15 working days of receipt, indicating the action taken or the alternatives available.

Should the response be deemed unsatisfactory, the user may contact the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID), the monitoring and appeal body pursuant to D.Lgs. 106/2018: www.agid.gov.it

7. Progressive Improvement Plan

OpenCom i.s.s.c. is committed to progressively improving the level of structural accessibility of OpenAcademia according to the following roadmap:

Period Planned action Priority
By June 2026 Full audit with WAVE and axe on all main pages; drafting of a prioritised list of structural errors High
By June 2026 Course archive review: verification and addition of alt text to existing images High
By September 2026 Addition of subtitles (.SRT) to archived course videos produced by OpenCom High
By September 2026 Extension of colour contrast verification to all site pages; correction of non-compliance Medium
By December 2026 Internal training of content producers on WCAG 2.1 standards applied to e-learning Medium
By March 2027 Second structural audit and update of this statement High

8. Technical Information About the Platform

OpenAcademia is based on WordPress with the MasterStudy LMS plugin (StylemixThemes). From an accessibility perspective, the relevant features are:

  • Responsive design: the platform is usable from desktop, tablet, and mobile devices without loss of functionality.
  • Multilingual support: the platform is available in Italian and English.
  • Dark/light mode in the Course Player: a visual comfort option selectable by the user, not classified as a WCAG compliance measure.

This statement was prepared on 16 March 2026 by OpenCom i.s.s.c. by the General Director Fabio Frangipani, and replaces the previous version. It will be updated by 16 March 2027 or earlier in the event of significant changes to the platform.

Document drafted in accordance with the model set out in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523 and AgID guidelines.

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