Accessibility Statement

Daniel Thomas Heessel, as the operator of CertMap (certmap.de), is required under the German Accessibility Reinforcement Act (Barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz, BFSG) to make this website and the paid online service offered through it (1:1 cybersecurity consulting) accessible. This statement applies to all content and functions available at https://certmap.de.

Legal basis: BFSG (in force since 28 June 2025) in conjunction with the BFSGV. The applicable technical standard is WCAG 2.2 conformance level AA in conjunction with EN 301 549 V3.2.1.

1. Conformance Status

This website is partially conformant with the requirements of the BFSG and WCAG 2.2 AA.

The non-conformances are listed in Section 2. The underlying assessment is based on a self-assessment carried out by the operator on 6 May 2026. An external conformity assessment by an independent BFSG auditor is planned for the third quarter of 2026, following the technical-debt remediation listed below.

The design system used (DESIGNSYSTEM_TOKENS v1.1) is built for WCAG 2.2 AA: color contrasts are systematically documented (example mint text on white: 5.68:1, meets WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum), focus indicators are defined globally, and semantic HTML is mandatory in all new components.

2. Non-Accessible Content

The content listed below is not, or not fully, accessible for the reasons stated. Planned remediation dates are binding.

2.1 Quadrant Visualisation (Interactive SVG)

The interactive quadrant map in the "Explore" mode displays cybersecurity certifications as positioned SVG bubbles within a two-dimensional coordinate system.

Identified non-conformances:

• The bubbles cannot currently be fully focused and activated by keyboard (failure of WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard).
• The position and meaning of the bubbles is conveyed visually only; a programmatically determinable data structure (e.g. table equivalent) for screen readers is missing (failure of WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships).
• A textual alternative for the complex graphic in the sense of WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content is not available.
• Drag interactions used for filtering cannot currently be triggered via an alternative single-pointer click (failure of WCAG 2.5.7 Dragging Movements).

Planned remediation: Provision of an equivalent table view containing all bubble data as an accessible alternative, full keyboard navigation of the bubbles, ARIA pattern for selection, and click alternative for drag operations. Implementation in the sprint following the initial launch, target date 31 July 2026.

2.2 Career Path Visualisation

The career path mode visualises certification sequences as a Sankey-style flow diagram.

Identified non-conformances:

• Keyboard navigation between path nodes is not implemented consistently (failure of WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard).
• The order of nodes and their connections is not exposed to screen readers in a linearly readable form (failure of WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, WCAG 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence).

Planned remediation: Linearly structured list alternative with full path descriptions, keyboard navigation. Target date 31 July 2026.

2.3 Inline Styles in Legacy Components (Tech Debt from Sprint 12)

The components DonutChart, FilterBar and QuadrantLayout still contain inline styles and, in places, non-tokenised colour values. This is documented internally as tech debt from Sprint 12 (Polish & Finetune).

Identified non-conformances:

• Risk of contrast ratios diverging from the verified token set (potential failure of WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum, WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast).
• Reduced ability for users to override styles via custom stylesheets (possible failure of WCAG 1.4.12 Text Spacing in individual cases).

Planned remediation: Full migration to design system tokens, removal of all inline styles, lint rule no-inline-styles as CI block. Target date 30 June 2026.

2.4 Plain Language and Sign Language

A plain-language version of the platform content as well as sign-language videos for key pages are not available. For private-sector providers this is a recommendation rather than a mandatory requirement under the BFSG. Provision will be reviewed once the mandatory remediation listed under 2.1 to 2.3 has been completed.

3. Date of Preparation and Assessment Method

This statement was prepared on 6 May 2026.

The basis is a self-assessment by the operator dated 6 May 2026, applying WCAG 2.2 AA and EN 301 549 V3.2.1. All publicly accessible pages were reviewed, as were the forms and payment steps within the consulting booking process. Improvements are made on an ongoing basis.

The statement is reviewed at least once a year and updated for every major release of the platform. Next scheduled review: 6 May 2027.

4. Feedback and Contact

If you have noticed defects in the accessible access to content on CertMap, or if you require information that is not presented accessibly, please contact:

Email: barrierefreiheit@certmap.de

Postal address: Daniel Thomas Heessel Ober-Saulheimer Str. 15 55291 Saulheim Germany

Response times:

• Acknowledgement of receipt: within 3 working days.
• Substantive response and proposed solution: within 14 days from receipt.
• Resolution of the reported barrier: within 4 weeks from receipt. If resolution within this period is not possible, you will receive a reasoned notice with a concrete target date.

Incoming requests are logged internally in a processing log (docs/legal/accessibility-requests-log.md) to provide a verifiable record of compliance with these deadlines. The log is not public.

5. Conciliation Procedure

If the feedback you provided to the operator did not lead to a satisfactory resolution, you may contact the conciliation body established under Section 16 of the German Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act (BGG). This body is tasked with the out-of-court resolution of conflicts between persons with disabilities and providers of services covered by the BFSG. The conciliation procedure is free of charge to you. No legal counsel is required.

Conciliation body contact:

Schlichtungsstelle nach dem Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz bei dem Beauftragten der Bundesregierung fuer die Belange von Menschen mit Behinderungen Mauerstrasse 53 10117 Berlin Germany

Phone: +49 30 18 527-2805 Email: info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de Web: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de

6. Market Surveillance Authority

Market surveillance for compliance with accessibility requirements for services of private economic operators lies under the BFSG with the bodies designated by the federal states. For the operator's seat in Rhineland-Palatinate, the competent authority is:

Ministerium fuer Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau Rheinland-Pfalz (Ministry for Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture of Rhineland-Palatinate) Stiftsstrasse 9 55116 Mainz Germany

Phone: +49 6131 16-0 Web: mwvlw.rlp.de

Operational market surveillance may be delegated to a subordinate authority or to the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion. Consumers may nevertheless contact the ministry first; internal forwarding to the responsible body will be handled from there.

7. Updates to this Statement

This statement is updated:

• on every material change to the platform (in particular new tools, changes to the booking flow),
• when non-conformances listed in Section 2 are remediated,
• at least once a year as part of the scheduled WCAG review.

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Status: 6 May 2026