Haaga-Helia’s Accessibility Plan 2025–2026

Introduction and objectives

At Haaga-Helia, promoting accessibility on a daily basis is a common concern of the entire university community. By accessibility, we mean that no one’s personal characteristics or life circumstances prevent them from fulfilling their potential in their work and studies.

The purpose of this Accessibility Plan is to set out the objectives and guidelines for promoting diversity at Haaga-Helia, strengthening the inclusion of minority groups in particular, and guiding the prevention and elimination of all forms of harassment and discrimination in the higher education community. The Accessibility Plan will be integrated into the Haaga-Helia Quality System.

The accessibility plan is divided into the following eight areas according to the accessibility criteria developed in the OHO! project (2019) funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture:

• values, attitudes and culture
• leadership
• attitudes, attitudes, attitudes and behaviours
• digital accessibility
• Teaching and learning
• support and guidance
• communication
• student choices

The objectives and measures of the Accessibility Plan for 2025-26 are also broken down into these eight areas. The description of the current situation is based on a self-assessment carried out on the basis of the accessibility criteria. It has identified the factors affecting the accessibility, accessibility, inclusion and equality of Haaga-Helia’s activities. The preparatory work has been carried out in cooperation with the responsible persons and experts in the different areas, including students. The accessibility plan will be developed and accessibility promoted with the broad participation of the higher education community. Accessibility is integrated into all of Haaga-Helia’s activities, strategy, values and equality and equity planning.

Haaga-Helia’s accessibility is assessed comprehensively at least every four years in all eight areas of the accessibility criteria. The assessment takes into account what is already at a good level, what has improved and what needs to be actively developed further. If the evaluation identifies criteria that are not sufficiently developed, they will be reassessed after one year.

Values, attitudes and culture

Current situation at a good level

Five key values guide everything we do: courage, responsibility, working together, openness and respect. Accessibility is an integral part of the values and is reflected in many aspects, for example. We help each other to succeed. We help each other to help each other. We listen to different points of view and learn from others. We work so that everyone feels an equal part of our higher education community.

We actively work to ensure that the diversity of all members of our community is recognised and seen as an asset. We want to promote freedom of thought, knowledge and expression, while respecting the principles of equality and equity. In our university community, everyone has a responsibility to ensure their own safety and that of others, to contribute to a good atmosphere and to promote equality and equity, and to act in accordance with guidelines and common practices.

The well-being of our university community is the foundation and enabler of our strategy. Proactive management of work capacity and ensuring the functionality of the working environment and working conditions are reflected in our programmes, policies, objectives and measures in our annual plans. Our culture focuses in particular on well-being and community.

The objectives and measures of the Equality and Equity Plan contribute to accessibility on our campuses and in our higher education community. The implementation of the Plan’s objectives is a recurring theme in the meetings of the Health and Safety Committee and the Student Wellbeing Working Group. In addition, the Executive Director of the Student Union Helga strengthens the multi-voice dialogue of the Health and Safety Committee.

We also monitor equality and equity in the staff survey, which we carry out as a rule every two years. According to the 2023 survey, staff felt that we treat men and women equally. The results show that we could be more open. Based on the results, the management team identified motivating work and good local management as strengths to be nurtured, and strengthening inclusion and community as areas for improvement.

Our strategy and values are strongly based on working together. We aim for an increasingly collaborative and productive culture, as exemplified by the inclusive strategy process and the Smarter Together theme, which brought the Hague region together around common goals and development in 2024.

To achieve our goals, there is an ongoing dialogue between the Haagahelian people. The opportunity to participate in the development of common activities, good interaction, an open and constructive culture of feedback and debate, and open communication are the pillars of a well-functioning, prosperous and regenerative community that is renewed together.

We take accessibility into account in everything we do, even if we may not have used the term. We offer flexible working arrangements and part-time work, which supports accessibility in different life situations. Special arrangements can also be made on a case-by-case basis to support work capacity challenges, if necessary, in consultation with you.

Responsibility area: management, safety and responsibility, human resources and culture

Leadership

Current situation at a good level

The university’s management is committed to promoting accessibility. Students and staff make up the university community it manages. The decision-making and decision-making bodies are the owners, the UAS Board, the Management Team, the College, the Degree Board, the Co-operation Council and the Health and Safety Committee. These and all other actors that guide and develop Haaga-Helia have a clear role in the functioning of the university. The forums and development groups also have development responsibilities. Descriptions of these roles can be found in the Intra.

Our practices and guidelines are transparent and openly available to staff. Intra, which serves as a handbook, is published in Finnish and English. The main policies that guide our activities are the Management Regulations, the Examination Regulations and the authorisation powers for personnel matters. The guidelines governing working hours, location and work are jointly discussed and available in Intra.

We recruit responsibly with respect for equality and equal treatment and value diversity. Recruitment involves an appropriate recruitment team including HR representation to ensure equal opportunities. We are open about our assessment criteria and recruitment practices. We value every candidate and want to provide a good candidate experience. All recruitment advertisements are published openly on Intra and recruitments are based on a pre-established staffing plan.

New staff are familiarised with the principles and practices of equality and non-discrimination. Guidelines on digital accessibility are available on Intra and training is provided.

We take into account the diversity and equality of students, a key example of which is the Safe Space model.

Responsibility area: management, front-line staff, human resources and culture

Physical environment

Current situation at a good level

The physical environment refers to the buildings, facilities, courtyards and parking areas of our university, which must be accessible to all users. Physical accessibility or accessibility in general means that a person with reduced mobility or who uses mobility aids is able to move around the premises. The premises must also be suitable for people with low vision or hearing loss, for example.

Our premises are located in five different locations. The premises are rented, except for the Porvoo campus.

The current state of our physical environment at all campuses is good, as assessed by the accessibility criteria for higher education institutions. Information on the accessibility and accessibility of the campuses can be found on the Haaga-Helia website. The accessibility and accessibility of the campuses has been assessed through accessibility surveys in cooperation with an external partner. These surveys will continue to be carried out.

We identify the university’s libraries as one physical space that is important to students and staff, a shared physical space. The accessibility of the physical environment of libraries varies from campus to campus. The vast majority of library facilities are accessible. In some libraries, doors open automatically. Wheelchair users can also access the facilities through wide doors and lifts. Libraries have a variety of spaces where you can concentrate on your work without distractions. Sound reduction measures include acoustic panels on walls and ceilings and furniture choices.

Library users have height-adjustable desks for different workstations and some libraries have height-adjustable desks for lending machines. All libraries have reading stations and/or computer workstations that are also suitable for wheelchair users. Customers can order printed materials for collection from any of the 14 Haaga-Helia, Laurea or Metropolia campus libraries, making it easier for people with reduced mobility. Assistance dogs are allowed in libraries and on campuses.

The aim of Haaga-Helia’s safety work is to ensure that everyone working, studying or visiting the campus feels safe. The purpose of the Haaga-Helia Code of Conduct is to promote internal order, unhindered study and the safety and well-being of the university community. Staff and students have the opportunity to report safety observations. These reports are processed and also help to develop a safer working and learning environment. Safety walk videos have been produced for all campuses to support safety induction. The purpose of the safety walks is to familiarise staff and students with safety issues on campus.

Responsibility area: safety and responsibility

Digital accessibility

Status quo at a good level

Digital services and their accessibility consist of many layers: the technology used, the platforms, the implementation of the application layer (solutions) and their ongoing maintenance, and the digital content itself. Responsibilities for maintaining the systems are spread across several functions and almost all our staff play a role in content production. An accessibility working group has been set up to monitor compliance with accessibility requirements for digital services and content, to draw up guidelines and to coordinate training.

Accessibility has been a requirement for most of the system acquisitions made by the IT department for several years. Accessibility requirements have also been taken into account in system version upgrades and maintenance and in content production.

The Haaga-Helia.fi website and Intra have been renewed during 2021-22, taking into account accessibility requirements. Our online services have been subject to programmatic accessibility audits and have accessibility reports. The accessibility reports list the shortcomings identified and give the possibility to report accessibility shortcomings (feedback).

Our publishing systems support the production of accessible content. We have also acquired tools for implementing accessibility requirements, such as video subtitling. Text reading software is also available and personalised support for its implementation is available on request from the IT helpdesk.

An information pack on digital accessibility has been produced with guidelines for staff and students. Training has also been provided for staff and will be taken into account in the induction of new staff. Digital pedagogy experts provide support to teaching staff in developing accessibility of materials in the digital learning environment and e-exams. We have defined quality criteria for digital learning, with accessibility as one of the criteria. In addition, the library offers accessibility support to students for theses and dissertations, if needed.

Responsibility area: IT and Information Management Services, Communication and Marketing, AOKK, Library

Teaching and learning

Current situation at a good level

Accessibility has been taken into account in the planning and implementation of teaching.

Haaga-Helia has several different delivery modes, which take into account the diversity of students. Teaching is organised in such a way that there is a variety of delivery modes, from which students can choose the most appropriate mode of learning for their own life situation and the one that suits them best. In addition, students have a wide range of opportunities to demonstrate their prior learning or work experience, including through work & study and work placements.

As part of a personalised curriculum, we offer students a range of study skills development activities.The services of a special teacher are available to degree students and Open University of Applied Sciences pathway students throughout their studies. If necessary, the student will receive a recommendation from the special teacher on the individual teaching arrangements needed, both during the course of study and in relation to the demonstration of competence.

Our pedagogical vision and guidance model includes the idea of a guided and student-centred approach. The VET College’s experts provide staff with ongoing and varied support and training to develop new pedagogical solutions to support learning. Teaching staff receive support from digital pedagogy experts to develop an accessible digital learning environment.

We have an accessibility toolkit for designing course materials and pedagogical solutions. A variety of assessment methods are used, which are continuously developed and adapted through co-teaching. The learning objectives and assessment criteria are set out in the course description and the course implementation plan. Students will receive feedback on their learning and competence.
We take into account the individual needs of our degree students when developing their personalised curriculum (HOPS).

The HOPS is updated during regular guidance meetings throughout the study period.We aim to update the curriculum in relation to the choices students make in their HOPS.

The individual strengths and support needs of the student are also taken into account in the planning and implementation of the placement. Where appropriate, a variety of assessment methods, including oral reporting, will be used to evaluate the placement.

The principles of accessibility also apply to Haaga-Helia’s commercial continuing education and training and to the implementation of studies within the framework of research, development and innovation activities. They take into account the specific characteristics and target groups of each training.

Responsibility area: teaching and learning

Support and guidance

Status quo at an excellent level

Students receive support and guidance on their studies and well-being at all stages of their studies from a range of experts. During the orientation days, students are introduced to the landing page of the guidance and counselling services, where they can go to find out more about each service. In collaboration between the welfare services and special education teachers, a video presentation has been produced on the website to make the services more concrete. The services are offered in Finnish and English, flexibly at different times of the day on campus and virtually, according to students’ wishes. Each degree student has a designated study advisor and, in addition, a designated study counsellor in the case of polytechnic degrees, as a familiar and safe close contact. Students will become acquainted with their close contacts as soon as they start their studies. Integration and employment services for international students have been developed in the past and will be developed in 2025-28 in cooperation with 3AMK, with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) 3AMK strategy. Open University of Applied Sciences students receive guidance and counselling to support their studies from specially appointed study advisors and study counsellors.

The Haaga-Helia guidance model provides the framework for the guidance offered to the student. The student version of the model is available on the student website and a new version will be uploaded there during 2024.The model takes into account the central role of the teaching staff in guiding the student’s studies.We offer a wide range of advisory, guidance and support services for degree students.A multi-professional collaboration between the actors involved.These include a guidance counsellor, an adviser, a competence teacher, a special teacher, career services, international services, a university chaplain, a psychologist, a study coach, a student tutor, library and information services, a thesis adviser, a work placement coordinator and an alumni specialist.In addition, students can choose from a wide range of study and career support courses in the Keys to study and work programme as part of their studies.

Students receive guidance on identifying competences from their adviser, teachers and competence supervisors. The forms of recognition of competences include recognition of prior higher education studies, demonstration of acquired competences, and work & study.

Health care services for degree students studying in Finland are provided by the Student Health Foundation (YTHS). The YTHS services are explained to students as part of their orientation, in the Introduction to Studying course and on our website. There are well-established working practices between the college and YTHS to ensure that services are accessible to students.

Career services serve students from all campuses and degrees. Online services are digitally accessible and available to all degree students. Individual career counselling is offered to students in person at the Pasila campus and as a hybrid at all campuses. In addition, career services regularly visit other campuses. Events and workshops are organised mainly in Pasila, in hybrid format and online. During orientation and the first month, all first-year students will have the opportunity to meet the career advisors in introductory sessions on each campus.

Helga is a student union that acts as a support and community for all degree students from all backgrounds at all stages of their studies. Helga is committed to creating an accessible, equal and inclusive student culture and activities. Helga’s activities include Expert Support and Harassment Liaison. Through these channels, Helga can be contacted about various problems that students face while working in the higher education community, whether it’s late grades, inappropriate treatment or problems with campus facilities. Helga also trains its members in anti-harassment and provides other student associations at Haaga-Helia with tips on how to make their culture harassment-free.

Accessibility is taken into account in the planning and guidelines for library and information services. The library always serves all customers equally and is happy to help with accessibility issues. The library has designated accessibility officers.

Library services take into account the individual needs of students (e.g. extending loan periods and lending different reading aids). Library services and digital materials are also accessible remotely via the web, regardless of time and place, reducing the importance of physical barriers to access. Digital resources can also be accessed through a variety of accessibility applications and devices such as screen readers and listening applications.

The library’s website and guides and the library’s search service HH Finna are accessible. The library’s video recordings are captioned and verbally described so that the information is accessible to users who cannot hear the audio or see the video. Customers with reading disabilities have access to Celia’s free audio book service. The library can help you sign up for Celia. The library’s online guide ‘Library for learners with different needs’ explains the library’s accessibility services.

The Internationalisation Services guidelines for student, teacher and staff exchanges are available on our website and learning platforms and take digital accessibility into account. Students and staff can access services from international affairs specialists through a variety of channels.

We will record and make available online the necessary orientation and information sessions. Orientations will be offered with different learners in mind. For both incoming and outgoing students, we offer intercultural coaching courses to support students in their integration into the new culture and the host country.

In the Mobility for All (MOB4ALL) project 2020-2023, we created staff training and guidelines for special needs learners to support them in their internationalisation efforts. In the training, we provide information on four different types of limitations that students face: 1) mobility impairments, 2) hearing and vision impairments, 3) neurological differences and 4) learning disabilities. The guidelines identify the additional support and adapted services needed for these groups from the perspective of both the sending and the receiving higher education institution.

As part of the project, we have ensured that all internationalisation specialists involved in student exchanges have completed MOB4ALL online training and are familiar with the guidelines. The application and support processes for student and staff exchanges help us to identify specific learners and provide them with a more targeted, personalised service. A dedicated website has been created to support incoming students and staff visitors with special needs.

When recruiting staff, we ensure that the search allows for a diverse pool of applicants. We always publish our internationalisation job advertisements in English. We will indicate in the advertisement that we particularly welcome applications from applicants who belong to a minority group or whose Finnish language skills are still developing. We believe that a diverse team is more creative and better at problem solving, among other things.

Responsibility: guidance, career and welfare services, continuous learning

Responsibility: careers and guidance services, internationalisation services, library and information services

Communication

Current situation at a good level

We communicate in a multichannel way to our students, applicants, staff, partners and the public. Each target group has its own communication channels for different communication situations.

Our communication is targeted and interactive. We communicate in Finnish and English. Our principles are transparency, timeliness and comprehensibility. We aim to be concrete and clear in our communication.

The accessibility of our website is at a good level. Publishing systems support the production of accessible content. Accessibility guidelines are in place for staff and training has been provided for staff. We comply with the Accessibility Directive and our website has the necessary labels.

In addition to the website, we produce a wide range of other digital materials. We do not have a process to ensure the accessibility of all material in advance. However, we aim to correct any accessibility problems identified as quickly as possible.

We also take accessibility into account in Haaga-Helia’s visual identity. Typography and colour contrasts are taken into account in the graphic design of the website and printed materials.

Responsibility: safety and accountability, communication and marketing

Student selection

Current situation at a good level

You can apply for individual arrangements for the admission tests because of a disability, illness, reading disability or other special reason. This is communicated on the national website ammattikorkeakouluun.fi, on our Haaga-Helia website and in the Opintopolu application instructions. However, applicants with an adapted curriculum for mathematics in upper secondary education will have to take a mathematics selection test. This is due to the national policy that the content of the test will not be modified. The most common individual arrangements are extra time or quiet time for justified reasons.

Some of the messages sent to applicants come from the Finnish National Board of Education and/or Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, which coordinates the national electronic selection tests. In addition, some of the messages come from us. We take accessibility into account in our messages, for example by writing the text of any link in the message footer open, i.e. embedding the link in the written text. The Applicant Services use the Haaga-Helia website, Dynasty, E-Form, Webropol and Liana, whose accessibility is the responsibility of parties other than Haaga-Helia.

We post the application information for English-language ENG applications on our website in English and Finnish. For FI applications in Finnish, the information is in Finnish only, so that applicants understand that sufficient Finnish language skills are required for their studies. In the study path, the texts are only in the main language of instruction. In our Intranet, both Finnish and English are used for staff for applicant services and student selection.

We have made the instructions on the individual arrangements for the selection tests for Finnish-language degrees more visible on the Haaga-Helia website, with a link to the right page of each education card. On these pages there are links to the pages on the individual arrangements for the selection test. We have also linked to the selection tests page and the joint application page.

From an accessibility point of view, we have checked the Haaga-Helia website, the Study Path service and the texts in the email and Word message templates. We have checked that a link to the Study Path website can be embedded. However, it has not been possible to embed links to the Opintopolu application if you have sent messages to applicants from there. It has also been checked that the applicant services have hardly any tables on their website. We do not use much colour coding and no abbreviations at all. The communication team of the Applicant and Student Services is actively reviewing the standard message templates from a plain language perspective. We have checked that links are embedded in the text as required.

Responsibility: department responsible for governance, student services, department responsible for governance, applicant services