WCAG 2.2 AA Partial Audit of the Blaricum Municipality Website Content

This sub-study pertains exclusively to the content of the website that the organization can enter or modify via the content management system.

This study evaluated 30 of the 55 success criteria of WCAG 2.2 Levels A and AA.

The remaining 25 success criteria relate to the technical aspects of the website and are evaluated in the separate technical sub-study.

Together, these two sub-studies constitute the complete evaluation of the website.

Success criteria assessed in the technical sub-study

The following success criteria were not evaluated in this content study and are covered in the separate technical sub-study:

The study was conducted using a representative sample. Within this sample, the accessibility issues identified were described as specifically as possible. Where possible, recommendations were included to address the issues.

This study does not provide an exhaustive overview of all possible accessibility issues. The findings represent a snapshot of the situation at the time of the study.

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) are internationally recognized guidelines for digital accessibility, based on four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Measurable success criteria have been established within these principles.
More information: WCAG 2.2 (Dutch translation)

The table below shows, for each WCAG principle and each WCAG level, how many success criteria were tested and how many of those were approved.

https://www.blaricum.nl/overhangend-groen

The page includes an image showing examples of properly and improperly trimmed hedges. The text associated with the image (the alt text) is exactly the same as the caption below the image. As a result, the same information is read aloud twice to users of assistive technology, such as screen readers. Since the caption already adequately describes the image, alt text is not necessary.

Recommendation: 

Use an empty alt text (alt="") so that the information isn't read aloud twice.

https://www.blaricum.nl/strooien-bij-gladheid

The page includes an interactive map showing the snowplowing routes for the municipality of Blaricum. This map is embedded via an iframe. Online maps and mapping services are subject to an exception to the accessibility requirements, but this exception applies only to the mapping technology, not to the information provided through the map.

Information about the snowplow routes is currently available only via the map. The page lacks a text-based alternative that makes this information accessible.
The map includes a search function, but that function itself is not accessible to users of assistive technology.

Recommendation: 

Ensure that the key information from the map (such as which streets are covered by which snow-clearing routes) is also presented in an accessible format, for example through a text-based overview, a table, or a search function that is demonstrably accessible.

https://www.blaricum.nl/wethouder-anne-marie-kennis 

The "Alderman Anne-Marie Kennis" page features a portrait photo of the alderman. The alt text reads: "Person wearing a light-colored outfit against a light and gray background." This text describes the appearance and the background, but does not make it clear that it is a portrait photo of the alderwoman herself. As a result, users of assistive technology, such as a screen reader, hear the physical details without the context that this is a portrait of the alderwoman.

Advice

Provide the portrait photo with an alternative text that makes it clear that it is a portrait and identifies the person, for example, alt="Portrait of Councilwoman Anne-Marie Kennis".

https://www.blaricum.nl
On the homepage, under the heading “Or are you looking for...”, there is a list of twelve links, such as News, Municipal Taxes, and Moving. Visually, this appears as a list. However, in the code, these links are not formatted as a list. As a result, assistive technology cannot recognize that it is a list. In the footer, under the heading “Follow the municipality,” there are two links to social media (Facebook and Instagram). These links are placed within a p element, even though they visually form a list. Consequently, the list structure is not defined programmatically, and assistive software cannot determine that this is a list with multiple items.

Recommendation:

Place the links in an unordered list.

https://www.blaricum.nl/bekendmakingen-en-verordeningen
https://www.blaricum.nl/duurzaam

On several pages, the heading structure is incorrect, which means that the content hierarchy is not properly conveyed to assistive technology.

On the Announcements and Regulations page, the page title (h1) is immediately followed by several h3-level headings such as “Announcements,” “Regulations,” and “Announcements in Your Neighborhood or District.” The h2 level is missing, causing the structure to skip a level.

On the Sustainability page, the heading “Blaricum Sustainability” is formatted as an h2. The subheadings, such as “Insulation Campaign” and “Energy Project,” are also formatted as h2s. As a result, it is not clear that these sections fall under “Blaricum Sustainability.” This makes it harder for screen reader users to understand the page’s structure and navigate it.

Recommendation:

Ensure that the heading structure is logical and sequential, without skipping any levels. On the “Announcements and Regulations” page, use h2 headings instead of h3. On the “Sustainability” page, keep the heading “Blaricum Sustainability” as an h2 and assign a lower heading level to the subheadings.

https://www.blaricum.nl/evenementenkalender
The page contains a table in which the months (such as April and May) are formatted as headings using a `head` element. That is not the correct way to do it.
In a table, you should use special header cells () to indicate headings. Because `head` is used here, screen readers have difficulty interpreting the table.

Advice

Remove the H2 headings from the table. There are two ways to solve this problem:

• Create a separate table for each month with the month's name as the title, or
• Include the month with the date (for example, “April 5 and 6, 2026”).
  Also, remove the empty rows.

https://www.blaricum.nl/evenementenkalender
The page contains a table whose top row is visually formatted as column headers but consists of regular data cells (td) in the code. The first cell of each data row (the date column) is also a data cell, even though it functions as a row header. As a result, assistive technologies cannot determine which column and which row correspond to which information.

Advice

Mark the top row as column headers by tagging the cells as `th`. Also mark the first cell of each data row as a row header by tagging it as `th`. In addition, remove the `strong` elements, since headers are already displayed in bold via CSS.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Handreiking%20participatie%20BEL%20gemeenten.pdf?cb=L9e4BfDV
The PDF document contains several highlighted text boxes with a yellow background that have not been tagged and are therefore not read aloud by assistive software. An example is the text on page 4: "Determine which form of participation is appropriate." This issue occurs on multiple pages.

Advice

Tag the highlighted text boxes as paragraph elements in the source file, and then export the document again as a PDF.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Handreiking%20participatie%20BEL%20gemeenten.pdf?cb=L9e4BfDV
On page 4 of the PDF document is the overview "Calculate form of participation" with three rows, each linking a point range to a description and a participation level. Visually, this is a summary table. In the tag structure, the three rows are tagged as separate paragraphs. The relationship between the point range, description, and participation level is not defined programmatically.

Advice

Mark this overview as a table in the source file, with one row per score range and column headers for score range, description, and participation type. Then export the document again as a PDF.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Handreiking%20participatie%20BEL%20gemeenten.pdf?cb=L9e4BfDV
On page 10 of the PDF document, there is a clickable link to the Omgevingsloket. The link is not tagged as a link in the tag structure. A screen reader user hears the URL read aloud as plain text and cannot activate the link.

Advice

Tag the URL as a clickable link in the source file, and then export the document again as a PDF.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Jaarverslag%20klachtenco%C3%B6rdinator%202025.pdf?cb=TIGttiXs
The following PDF document is not tagged. This means that no structure has been specified in the file using tags. As a result, assistive software (such as a screen reader) cannot determine what constitutes headings, lists, and the like, and will ignore images.

Advice

If the file is tagged correctly, assistive software can better determine its structure and relationships. For example, it can then announce that certain sections are headings. In many cases, this problem can be resolved by re-exporting the document from the source file (usually in Word or InDesign) to PDF, but this time including tags or labels.
Because the tags are currently missing, other success criteria such as 1.1.1 and 1.3.2 cannot be assessed. Therefore, be aware that resolving this issue may create new accessibility problems.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Jaarverslag%20klachtenco%C3%B6rdinator%202025.pdf?cb=TIGttiXs
Each page of the PDF document contains a blue column with white text. The text color #FFFFFF does not provide sufficient contrast with the background color #629DD1. The color contrast ratio is 2.9:1. As a result, the text is difficult to read for people with low vision.

Advice

The contrast ratio for normal text must be at least 4.5:1, and for large text, at least 3.0:1. Darken the blue background color so that the contrast with the white text meets the requirement.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Jaarverslag%20klachtenco%C3%B6rdinator%202025.pdf?cb=TIGttiXs
The PDF does have a title (“Anonymized document”), but it does not adequately describe the document’s content. As a result, users of assistive technology, such as a screen reader, do not hear a descriptive document title.

Advice

Set a descriptive title that reflects the document's content. It is best to do this in the source file (such as Word or InDesign) before exporting to PDF.

https://www.blaricum.nl/openingstijden
The page contains an empty heading directly below the page title. Users who navigate using headings will encounter an empty heading.

Advice

Enter a descriptive text in the title field of the opening hours component in the CMS, such as "Civil Affairs Counter."

https://www.blaricum.nl/form/contactformulier-blaricum/contactformulier-blaricum-0
The h1 and h2 headings for step 1 of the form are virtually identical: the h1 reads "Contact Form - Blaricum" and the h2 reads "Contact Form Blaricum". The h2 does not describe the content of the step; it merely repeats the form name.

Advice

Replace the h2 with a descriptive step title that explains what is required in this step. For example, "About this form."

https://www.blaricum.nl
The homepage features an H2 heading that reads "Or are you looking for...". This heading does not describe the section's content; instead, it poses a question. As a result, users who navigate by headings cannot easily tell what this section contains.

Advice

Replace the heading with a descriptive title that indicates what the section contains, such as "Frequently Asked Questions" or "Popular Topics."

https://www.blaricum.nl/overhangend-groen
The heading “Be prepared for this” on this page does not clearly describe the section’s topic. Even within the context of the page, the meaning remains unclear. As a result, users who navigate by headings cannot tell what to expect in this section.

Advice

Use a descriptive heading that reflects the topic of the paragraph, such as "Regular maintenance prevents inconvenience."

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Jaarverslag%20klachtenco%C3%B6rdinator%202025.pdf?cb=TIGttiXs
The PDF document is in Dutch, but English is set as the language in the document properties. As a result, a screen reader reads the Dutch text using English pronunciation rules. This makes it difficult or impossible for users who are blind or visually impaired and rely on a screen reader to follow the text.

Advice

In the source file, set the document language to Dutch, and then export the document again as a PDF.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Jaarverslag%20klachtenco%C3%B6rdinator%202025.pdf?cb=TIGttiXs
The following PDF document is not tagged. As a result, informational images are not marked as such and do not have text alternatives. As a result, people who are blind and use a screen reader do not receive this information. Because the document is not tagged, it is impossible to determine whether images have been processed correctly. Consequently, this is not currently flagged as an issue. Once the document is tagged, it may turn out that descriptive images are missing or have been tagged incorrectly.

Advice

Ensure that the PDF includes a complete tag structure and distinguish between informational and decorative images.
Tag informational images as and provide them with a short, descriptive text alternative that summarizes the image’s function or content.
Mark decorative images as so that they are ignored by screen readers.

https://www.blaricum.nl/college-van-burgemeester-en-wethouders
The "City Council" page features portrait photos of the mayor and aldermen. The alt text for these photos describes the person’s appearance (for example, alt="Mayor wearing a chain of office, dressed in a dark jacket with a light blue scarf"), but does not make it clear that it is a portrait photo. As a result, users of assistive technology, such as a screen reader, hear physical details without the context that this is a portrait of the person in question.

Advice

Provide portrait photos with a text alternative that clearly indicates that it is a portrait and identifies the person, for example, alt="Portrait photo of Mayor Barbara de Reijke" or alt="Portrait photo of Councilwoman Anne-Marie Kennis".

https://www.blaricum.nl/personen-met-verward-gedrag
The "Submit Care Report" button is formatted as a link, with the entire button text enclosed in a `` element. The `` element is intended to indicate emphasis and is not necessary here. Button styling should be controlled via CSS.

Advice

Remove the element and style it using CSS.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/blaricum8fbaa4/uploads/Handreiking%20participatie%20BEL%20gemeenten.pdf?cb=L9e4BfDV
On page 10, there is a clickable link to the Omgevingsloket. The link is not underlined and does not differ in color from the surrounding text. As a result, the link is not visually recognizable to all users as a clickable element.

Advice

Underline the link or highlight it in a different color so that it is clearly identifiable as a clickable element.

The website offers a high-contrast version. This can be enabled using a "contrast switch." This success criterion has been fully tested in high-contrast mode. The high-contrast version is considered an alternative to the standard version.

This may cause contrast issues in the standard version. These issues have not been further evaluated.

Advice

We recommend ensuring that the standard version also includes sufficient color contrast in all text. This improves the website’s accessibility for visitors with visual impairments.

Texts with sufficient color contrast are also easier for all readers to read. This makes reading less taxing, requires less energy, and is (subconsciously) perceived as more enjoyable. As a result, readers are more likely to take action.

The high-contrast version can then be used to provide "enhanced contrast," thereby meeting the WCAG 1.4.6 Enhanced Contrast success criterion (Level AAA).

A high-contrast version is available on the website. It can be enabled using a "contrast switch."
This success criterion has been fully tested in high-contrast mode. The high-contrast version is considered an alternative to the standard version.
As a result, there may be contrast issues with graphic elements in the standard version. These have not been further evaluated.

Advice

We recommend ensuring that the standard version also provides sufficient contrast for graphic elements, such as icons, buttons, and form fields. This improves the website’s accessibility for visitors with visual impairments.
The high-contrast version can then be used to provide “enhanced contrast.”