Accessibility

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility consists in making online public communication services accessible to people with disabilities, meaning they must be:

perceivable: for example, facilitating the visual and auditory perception of content by the user; providing text alternatives for all non-text content; creating content that can be presented in different ways without loss of information or structure (for example with a simplified layout);
operable: for example, providing users with navigation aids to find content; making all functionality accessible by keyboard; allowing users sufficient time to read and use content; not designing content that may trigger epileptic seizures;
understandable: for example, ensuring that pages function in a predictable manner; helping users to correct input errors.
robust: for example, optimising compatibility with current and future technologies, including assistive technologies.

Digital accessibility commitments

The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space is committed to making its websites accessible in accordance with (Opens a new window) Article 47 of Law No. 2005-102 of 11 February 2005 on equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship for people with disabilities.

To this end, we are implementing the following strategy and actions:

This accessibility statement applies to the national doctoral platform (Opens a new window) Doctorat.gouv.fr.

Declaration of partial compliance with the General Accessibility Improvement Framework (RGAA)

Compliance status

(Opens a new window) Doctorat.gouv.fr is partially compliant with the (Opens a new window) General Accessibility Improvement Framework (RGAA), version 4.1.2.

Test results

The initial compliance audit against RGAA version 4.1.2, carried out in February 2026 by (Opens a new window) Access42, revealed that across the sample of audited pages, the overall compliance rate was 61.82% (a rate obtained by dividing the number of compliant criteria by the number of applicable criteria).

Non-accessible content

Non-conformities

Out of 55 applicable criteria, Doctorat.gouv.fr is compliant on 34 criteria and non-compliant on the following 21 criteria:

Is each decorative image correctly ignored by assistive technologies?
Does each frame have a frame title?
On each web page, is the contrast between the text colour and its background colour sufficiently high (except in special cases)?
On each web page, are the colours used in interface components or information-bearing graphic elements sufficiently contrasted (except in special cases)?
Is each script, where necessary, compatible with assistive technologies?
Is each script controllable by keyboard and by any pointing device (except in special cases)?
For each script that initiates a change of context, is the user warned or given control over it?
For each web page that has a page title, is that title relevant?
On each web page, tags must not be used solely for presentational purposes. Is this rule observed?
On each web page, is information structured through the appropriate use of headings?
On each web page, is the document structure consistent (except in special cases)?
On each web page, is each list correctly structured?
On the website, are style sheets used to control the presentation of information?
On each web page, for each element receiving focus, is the focus indicator visible?
On each web page, information must not be conveyed solely through shape, size, or position. Is this rule observed?
For each web page, can content be presented without loss of information or functionality, and without requiring either vertical scrolling for a window with a height of 256 px, or horizontal scrolling for a window with a width of 320 px (except in special cases)?
On each web page, can text spacing properties be overridden by the user without loss of content or functionality (except in special cases)?
Does each form field have a label?
In each form, are fields of the same type grouped together where necessary?
In each form, is input validation accompanied, where necessary, by suggestions to help users correct input errors?
Can the purpose of an input field be determined in order to facilitate the automatic completion of fields with the user's data?

Content not subject to the accessibility obligation

The following elements have been exempted on the grounds that they constitute third-party content. They have therefore not been subject to a full and detailed audit. However, it has been verified that their presence does not prevent the use or browsing of the rest of the website.

On the "Funding" page, the chart display modules are exempted:

Parts Financement Doctorants 1A-Graphique_des_financements_des_inscrits_en_1A_doctorat;
Effectifs Financement Doctorants 1A-Des_inscrits_en_1ere_annee_de_doctorat_selon_leur_financement.

Accessibility statement

This statement was established on 27 February 2026.

Technologies used in the development of the website

HTML5
SVG
ARIA
CSS
JavaScript

Testing environment

The audit methodology used by Access42 is based on the (Opens a new window) latest version of the General Accessibility Improvement Framework (RGAA 4).

The audit was carried out by Access42 using web browsers and specialised manual detection tools.

Rendering tests are also carried out in accordance with the testing environment defined by RGAA 4 where necessary.

Tools used during the evaluation

The following tools are referenced in the audit report produced by Access42:

Firefox WCAG Contrast Checker extension
Colour Contrast Analyser
Firefox HeadingsMap extension
Text Spacing Bookmarklet
Contrast Finder

Website pages subject to compliance verification

The audit covered the sample of pages listed below.

Feedback and contact

If you are unable to access a piece of content or a service, you may contact the website manager to be directed towards an accessible alternative or to obtain the content in another format. To do so, please contact us:

Contact form: (Opens a new window) Contact us
E-mail : contact-site-web-doctorat@enseignementsup.gouv.fr

Complaints procedure

This procedure is to be used in the following situation.

You have reported an accessibility issue to the website manager that prevents you from accessing a piece of content or one of the portal's services, and you have not received a satisfactory response.

Write to the Défenseur des droits (French Ombudsman) ( (Opens a new window) https://www.defenseurdesdroits.fr/nous-contacter-355)
Contact the local representative of the Défenseur des droits near you ( (Opens a new window) https://www.defenseurdesdroits.fr/carte-des-delegues)
Send a letter by post (free of charge, no stamp required):
Défenseur des droits
Libre réponse 71120
75342 Paris CEDEX 07

Accessibility