Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

7 PASS 3 REVIEW 3 FIX

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

FIX

Valid manifest

Name present: App

192x192 icon present

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name App ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✗Start URL ✗Display Mode ✗

Name App Icons 6 icon(s)

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found – UC Santa Cruz ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Navigation UX

Action

2 navigation pattern(s)

REVIEW

2 navigation pattern(s)

Search functionality detected

Got: role-search

Skip navigation link detected

3 navigation landmark(s) detected

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

Breadcrumbs

Search role='search' landmark

Skip Link Skip link detected

Labeled Navigation 3 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

4 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 18 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

2 pass 18 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only

h2 Leading at the intersection of innovatio…

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 News

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Inspiring Change: The Campaign for UC Sa…

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 To lead means

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Become a Banana Slug, and lead the chang…

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Get ready for your future

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 See for yourself

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Here to help

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Your journey awaits.

1.97:1

#000000

#4A3C2B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

title UC Santa Cruz – A world-class public r…

3.67:1

#000000

#006AAD

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Skip to content

3.67:1

#000000

#006AAD

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a MyUCSC

3.67:1

#000000

#006AAD

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a People

3.67:1

#000000

#006AAD

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Calendars

2.74:1

#000000

#005691

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a Maps

1.92:1

#000000

#003E70

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a A-Z Index

3.63:1

#000000

#1569A9

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

label Search

3.63:1

#000000

#1569A9

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a About

3.63:1

#000000

#1569A9

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Leading at the inter…	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 News	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 Inspiring Change: Th…	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 To lead means	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 Become a Banana Slug…	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 Get ready for your f…	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 See for yourself	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 Here to help	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
h2 Your journey awaits.	1.97:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4A3C2B	Fail
title UC Santa Cruz – A …	3.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006AAD	Fail
a Skip to content	3.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006AAD	Fail
a MyUCSC	3.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006AAD	Fail
a People	3.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006AAD	Fail
a Calendars	2.74:1	4.5:1	#000000	#005691	Fail
a Maps	1.92:1	4.5:1	#000000	#003E70	Fail
a A-Z Index	3.63:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1569A9	Fail
label Search	3.63:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1569A9	Fail
strong Our voices will defi…	3.63:1	3.0:1	#000000	#1569A9	Pass
a About	3.63:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1569A9	Fail
a Overview	11.30:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CCBF79	Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Landmark Structure

10 landmarks

PASS

10 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

2 of 3 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Search landmark present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

A+

Heading Hierarchy

16 headings

PASS

16 headings

Single H1 present

1 empty heading(s)

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

H1 (empty)
H2 Leading at the intersection of innovation and social justice.
H2 News
H2 Art, ecology, and interconnection: UC Santa Cruz launches inaugural Earth Day festival
H2 Engineering student wins NVIDIA Agents for Impact Hackathon
H2 An adventurous vulture’s plight
H2 Inspiring Change: The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz
H2 To lead means
H3 Creating real change
H3 Serving our society
H3 Shaping our future
H2 Become a Banana Slug, and lead the change.
H2 Get ready for your future
H2 See for yourself
H2 Here to help
H2 Your journey awaits.

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 7 images OK

PASS

All 7 images OK

7 image(s) with good alt text

7 images 7 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

Form Accessibility

1 of 2 controls have issues

PASS

1 of 2 controls have issues

1 control(s) without accessible label

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Got: <input type="submit">

1 control(s) properly labeled

2 controls

1 labeled

0 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#s	text	Search	for/id
input	submit	(none)	none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

Link & Button Quality

1 issue(s) across 77 links and 7 buttons

PASS

1 issue(s) across 77 links and 7 buttons

1 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/04/art-ecology-and-interconnection-uc-santa-cruz-l…

76 link(s) with descriptive text

77 links

1 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/04/art-ecolog…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label

83 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/04/art-ecology-and-interconnection-uc-santa-cruz-l…

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Favicon & Branding

13 icon(s) detected

PASS

13 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 93/100 — 2 failing, 26 passed

PASS

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

ARIA

Focusable descendents within an `[aria-hidden="true"]` element prevent those interactive elements from being available to users of assistive technologies like screen readers. Learn how `aria-hidden` affects focusable elements.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
ABOUT Overview Achievements, Facts, and Figures Leadership Our Mascot: Sammy th… `header.header-region > div.site-header > div.wp-block-group > nav.site-header__navigation`

These are opportunities to improve the usage of ARIA in your application which may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Names and labels

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.wp-block-columns > div.wp-block-column > h2.wp-block-heading > a `div.wp-block-columns > div.wp-block-column > h2.wp-block-heading > a`

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●Input buttons have discernible text.

●Form elements have associated labels

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Skip links are focusable.

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Identical links have the same purpose.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.