Analysi̇s of the accessi̇bi̇li̇ty of metropoli̇tan muni̇ci̇pali̇ty websi̇tes i̇n Turkey accordi̇ng to wcag 2.2 standards

While the digitalization of public services removes time and space barriers in accessing information and services, ensuring equal opportunity in this transformation is only possible through "web accessibility." This study aims to examine the accessibility levels of websites belonging to 30 metropolitan municipalities in Turkey within the framework of WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and the current WCAG 2.2 standards. A mixed method was employed in the research, where technical data obtained via the Total Validator tool were supported by scenario-based manual tests. As a unique aspect of the study, the level of consistency between the two applied test methods was analyzed using the Jaccard Similarity Index. The findings indicate that municipality websites do not fully meet even the "Level A" (Minimum Level) requirements within the scope of WCAG standards. It was determined that accessibility violations are concentrated particularly in the "Perceivable" and "Operable" principles; missing alternative texts, insufficient color contrasts, and keyboard usage problems were identified as the most frequently encountered errors. Regarding WCAG 2.2 standards, it was observed that municipalities have not yet reached sufficient maturity, especially in terms of enhancing keyboard focus appearance and using mechanisms to prevent erroneous entries. The Jaccard Similarity Index of 40.2%, calculated between automatic and manual assessment results, reveals that the overlap between the two methods remains at a limited level. This rate statistically confirms the views in the literature stating that automatic test tools are not sufficient alone and should be supported by manual examinations. The study serves as a guide for municipalities to develop digital accessibility strategies and adopt holistic assessment methods instead of approaches based solely on automation in testing processes.