WCAG 2.2 AA Partial Audit of the IJsselstein 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.ijsselstein.nl/hond-uitlaten
The page features an interactive map under the heading "Dog Walking Map." Online maps fall under the legal exception, but that exception applies only to the mapping technology, not to the information provided via the map. The map displays two types of information: the off-leash areas and the routes between those areas. The off-leash areas are also available as text on the page, in the list under "Off-leash Areas in IJsselstein." The routes are not. The text only states that these routes exist and that leash and cleanup requirements apply on them, but which streets or paths the routes follow can only be determined via the map. Thus, the map is the only way to obtain this information. 

Recommendation: 

Add a text description of the dog-walking routes to the page, such as a list of streets or paths for each route. This way, the information is also available to users who cannot use the map.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The two images of QR-FIT posts include alt text. The images are decorative because they do not contain any information that is not already included in the surrounding text. 

Recommendation: 

Add an empty alt text to both images: alt="".

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The two promotional images are clickable links that open the image in a larger view. The alt texts describe the image, not the link destination. Screen readers announce the links as "QR route IJsselstein" and "QR route IJsselveld," without making it clear what happens when you click them.

Advice

Update the alt text so that the link destination is clear, for example, alt="Enlarge QR-FIT route promotional map for IJsselstein" and alt="Enlarge QR-FIT route promotional map for IJsselveld".

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/economische-visie-2030
The page features an infographic on the Economic Vision 2024–2030. The alt text reads: "Economic Vision 2024–2030. Read the full text on this page." This text refers to the page text as an alternative, but the page text does not fully cover the content of the infographic. For example, the slogan "Strongly rooted entrepreneurship with a broad perspective" and the three visual clusters labeled "stakeholders," "location," and "ambition," including the accompanying descriptions, are missing. Users who cannot see the image therefore miss out on part of the content.

Advice

Copy the entire content of the infographic as text onto the page, including the slogan, the three clusters, and the corresponding labels. Update the alt text so that it links to the location on the page where that description appears.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Aanvraagformulier%20bekostiging%20leerlingenvervoer%20schooljaar%202025-2026.pdf?cb=pfRlMcJj
The PDF document contains the IJsselstein Municipality logo without a text alternative. Because the image is not tagged, the logo does not appear in the tag structure and is not accessible to assistive technology.

Advice

Add the alternative text "Municipality of IJsselstein" to the logo in the source file and re-export the document as a PDF.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/
All pages of the website feature three headings in the footer ("IJsselstein Municipality," "More Information," and "Follow Us"). The text of these headings is contained within a `strong` element. The `strong` element unintentionally marks the text as emphasized. As a result, screen reader users hear the text announced as emphasized unnecessarily. This also applies to the link text of the buttons "Contact and opening hours" and "Sign up for the newsletter". This occurs on multiple pages, such as: https://www.ijsselstein.nl/evenementenvergunninghttps://www.ijsselstein.nl/hitteschild-2-tot-4 

Recommendation: 

Remove the `strong` element from the footer headers and buttons.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/identiteitskaart-id-kaart
On the page, the warnings “We expect a large number of applications this year” and “Make an appointment in advance” are formatted using the `strong` and `em` elements. These elements are used here for visual formatting rather than to emphasize content.

Recommendation: 

Use the `strong` and `em` elements only when the emphasis is substantively important. In these cases, remove the bold and italic formatting and control the visual presentation using CSS.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/
In the footer, under the heading "More information," there is a group of three links ("About this site," "Help with the website," "Web archive"). Visually, this appears as a list, but in the code, they are contained within a single paragraph separated by `br` tags. As a result, the list structure cannot be programmatically determined.

Recommendation: 

Place the three links in the footer under "More information" in an unordered list.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/klein-evenement-organiseren
The entire "Fun Fact" sentence is enclosed in an `em` element, and the word "Fun Fact:" is also enclosed in a `strong` element. The `em` and `strong` tags are intended for a single word or phrase, not for an entire sentence. By wrapping the entire sentence in an `em` tag, the emphasis loses its meaning.

Recommendation: 

Limit the formatting to the word "Fun fact:" and use either `em` or `strong`, but not both at the same time.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/oplaadpunten-elektrisch-rijden
On the page, under the "Request a public charging station" button, there is text that is entirely enclosed in `em` tags. However, the italic formatting is already applied via the `italic` CSS class on the `span` element. The `em` tags are redundant and can be omitted.

Recommendation: 

Remove the italic formatting in the CMS. The text will retain its appearance using the "italic" class.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/contact-en-openingstijden
The page contains an empty h2 heading immediately following the text "P.O. Box 26, 3400 AA IJsselstein". The heading contains no text. Screen readers announce this heading as having no content, which is confusing for users who navigate using headings.

Recommendation: 

Remove the empty h2 heading.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Aanvraagformulier%20bekostiging%20leerlingenvervoer%20schooljaar%202025-2026.pdf?cb=pfRlMcJj
In the PDF document, on page 1, the box containing the text “IMPORTANT!” and the accompanying list is formatted as a table, even though it is used solely for layout purposes. As a result, assistive software incorrectly identifies this as a table. The same applies to the options under “3. Type of education.” These are also formatted as a table without containing any tabular data. As a result, assistive software incorrectly identifies them as a table.

Recommendation: 

Do not use tables for formatting. Replace them in the source file with a list or plain text that has a logical structure, and then export the document again as a PDF.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Aanvraagformulier%20bekostiging%20leerlingenvervoer%20schooljaar%202025-2026.pdf?cb=pfRlMcJj
The PDF document is missing headings in its structure. The title “Application Form for School Transportation Funding for the 2025-2026 School Year” and the section headings, such as “1. Student Information” and “2. School Information,” are visually formatted as headings but are not tagged as such. As a result, the document’s structure is not programmatically defined.

Recommendation: 

Make sure all headings in the document are formatted correctly using heading styles in the source application, and then re-export the document as a tagged PDF so that the headings are included in the structure as H1, H2, H3, and so on.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Organogram%20gemeente%20IJsselstein.pdf?cb=LgQK_Frq
The PDF document visually represents the organizational chart using positioning and connecting lines. The hierarchical relationships between the components are conveyed only visually and are not defined programmatically. The various components are formatted as separate paragraphs (P-elements), which means that the relationships between them cannot be determined.

Recommendation: 

Ensure that the hierarchical structure of the organizational chart is conveyed programmatically. This can be done, for example, by adding a nested list structure or a text alternative that clearly describes the relationships between the components.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Aanvraagformulier%20bekostiging%20leerlingenvervoer%20schooljaar%202025-2026.pdf?cb=pfRlMcJj
In the PDF document, the answer options include checkboxes that are displayed only visually (for example, as squares or symbols). The relationship that these elements represent choices is not defined programmatically. As a result, it is not clear to users of assistive technology that these are options from which a selection can be made.

Recommendation: 

Ensure that the meaning of the checkboxes is conveyed programmatically. For example, by providing the checkboxes with a text equivalent (such as “checkbox”) and incorporating them correctly into the document’s structure, so that assistive technology can recognize that they represent options.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The page was checked with high-contrast mode enabled. The promotional images “SCAN JE FIT!” (IJsselstein and IJsselveld) contain text with insufficient contrast. The text “Download the free QR-FIT app:” and the map labels “IJsselstein” and “IJsselveld” have a contrast ratio of 3.1:1 (#949494 on white), while a minimum of 4.5:1 is required.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the text in the promotional images has sufficient contrast. For example, use a darker color, such as #767676 or darker, to ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The page features two promotional images for the IJsselstein route and the IJsselveld route. These images contain textual information, such as the route name, a description, app features, and route distances. This information is not available as text on the page.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the information in the images is also available as text on the page so that assistive technology can read it and users can customize it.

https://cuatro.sim-cdn.nl/ijsselstein13cb44/uploads/Organogram%20gemeente%20IJsselstein.pdf?cb=LgQK_Frq
The PDF document does not have a document title. As a result, the document's title cannot be determined programmatically.

Recommendation: 

Add a document title in the PDF’s document properties and set it to appear in the document’s title bar. For example: “Organization Chart for the Municipality of IJsselstein”.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/
On every page of the website, the phone number “14 030” appears as a link in the footer. The link text does not describe the purpose of the link.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the link text clearly describes the link’s destination. For example, use “Call 14 030” or “Phone number: 14 030”.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The page contains two images formatted as links that point to a larger version of the route map. The link text is determined by the image’s alt text (“QR-route IJsselstein” and “QR-route IJsselveld”). This does not indicate that the link leads to a larger version.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the link destination is clear from the link text. Update the alt text for the images, for example, to “QR route IJsselstein, view larger version” and “QR route IJsselveld, view larger version”.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/een-voordelig-groen-dak
The page contains a button labeled “Sign Up.” This link text does not describe the purpose of the link.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the link text clearly describes the link’s purpose. For example, use “Sign up for the green roofs campaign.”

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/evenementenvergunning
The sidebar contains two links labeled “Sample Safety Plan” that point to different files. The file format appears outside the link and is not part of the link text. As a result, the links cannot be distinguished from one another.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the links are distinguishable from one another by including the file format in the link text, for example, “Sample Safety Plan (docx)” and “Sample Safety Plan (pdf).”

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/qr-fit-routes
The quick menu contains a link with the visible text “Submit a report”. However, the accessible name of this link is “Report, complaint, or objection”. The visible text does not appear in the accessible name.

Recommendation: 

Make sure the visible text is part of the accessible name. For example, update the `aria-label` to “Submit a report, complaint, or objection” or remove the `aria-label` so that the visible text is used as the accessible name.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/
On every page in the main menu, there are two links that lead to the same page (/werken-bij-de-gemeente-ijsselstein) but have different labels: “Working at the Municipality of IJsselstein” and “Job Openings”.

Recommendation: 

Make sure that links pointing to the same page have the same label. Use a single, consistent name—such as “Job Openings” or “Careers at the Municipality”—and apply it to both menu items.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/identiteitskaart-id-kaart
https://www.ijsselstein.nl/sportparken-en-sporthallen
Under the heading "Urgent Request," there is a list with only one item. A list should contain two or more items. The text should be formatted as a paragraph. This also applies to the page "Sports Parks and Sports Halls" under the heading "Meeting Room 1." 

Advice

Replace the list under the heading with a paragraph

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/
In the footer, under the heading "Municipality of IJsselstein," the address and phone number are listed together in a single paragraph (), separated by a -tag. These are two different types of information, each of which should have its own paragraph.

Advice

Break the address and phone number into two separate paragraphs

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 in the standard version. These have not been further evaluated.

Advice

Ensure that the standard version also provides sufficient color contrast for all graphic elements. This improves the website’s accessibility for visitors with visual impairments. The high-contrast version can then be used to provide “enhanced contrast.”

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/sportparken-en-sporthallen
The page contains a link to a PDF document. The link text reads "Terms and Conditions for Municipal Sports Facilities in IJsselstein". The notation "(PDF, 95 KB)" appears in the same list item but outside the link. In the context of the page, it is therefore clear that the link opens a PDF document. Users navigating via a list of links see only the link text without that notation. This is particularly important for screen reader users.

Advice

Include the file name in the link text itself.

https://www.ijsselstein.nl/identiteitskaart-id-kaart
The page contains a heading that reads “Learn more.” This heading does not describe the topic of the section.

Advice

Make sure the heading clearly describes the topic of the section. For example, use “More information about the ID card.”