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https://chicago.gov

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
57
GRADE
D
FIX
5
REVIEW
4
PASS
4
INFO
0
Checks
13
4 PASS 4 REVIEW 5 FIX
F
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 403, bare page
FIX
HTTP 403, bare page
Warning::
Unexpected status code: HTTP 403
Expected HTTP 404 but received 403. This may confuse search engine crawlers.
Got: HTTP 403
Warning::
Bare server default 404 page
The 404 page has no custom styling. Users hitting a broken link see a generic error with no way to navigate back. Add a custom 404 page with your site navigation and a search bar.
404 Page Quality Default 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 403 ✗Page Title Access Denied ✓Custom Styling ✗Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
No web manifest found
No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
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.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
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 ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 2 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
2 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
C
Form Accessibility
Action
5 of 7 controls have issues
REVIEW
5 of 7 controls have issues
Critical::
5 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="text" name="sl" id="goog-gt-votingInputSrcLang">; <input type="text" name="tl" id="goog-gt-votingInputTrgLang">; <input type="text" name="query" id="goog-gt-votingInputSrcText">; <input type="text" name="gtrans" id="goog-gt-votingInputTrgText">; <input type="text" name="vote" id="goog-gt-votingInputVote">
Info::
2 control(s) properly labeled
7 controls
2 labeled
0 placeholder only
5 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#cdsSearchTexttextSearcharia-label
#languageDropdownselectLanguagenone
#goog-gt-votingInputSrcLangtext(none)none
#goog-gt-votingInputTrgLangtext(none)none
#goog-gt-votingInputSrcTexttext(none)none
#goog-gt-votingInputTrgTexttext(none)none
#goog-gt-votingInputVotetext(none)none

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

<input type="text" name="sl" id="goog-gt-votingInputSrcLang">; <input type="text" name="tl" id="goog-gt-votingInputTrgLang">; <input type="text" name="query" id="goog-gt-votingInputSrcText">; <input type="text" name="gtrans" id="goog-gt-votingInputTrgText">; <input type="text" name="vote" id="goog-gt-votingInputVote">

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

C
Favicon & Branding
Action
4 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
4 icon(s) detected
Warning::
No favicon.ico at site root
Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✗ favicon.ico Missing
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 2 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

18 pass 2 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only
h1 Chicago
2.50:1
#000000
on
#44531B
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · mid-page · over background image/gradient
a Chicago.gov/COVIDVax
3.43:1
#000000
on
#576653
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

2 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Chicago2.50:13.0:1
#000000
#44531B
Fail
title City of Chicago18.59:14.5:1
#000000
#F1F1F1
Pass
a Skip to main content19.60:14.5:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
span An official website …21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Here's how you know21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
div The .gov means it's …8.44:14.5:1
#000000
#66ACD6
Pass
div Municipal government…6.64:14.5:1
#000000
#3D99CD
Pass
div The site is secure.10.89:14.5:1
#000000
#96C1D5
Pass
div The8.90:14.5:1
#000000
#90ADBD
Pass
strong https://8.93:13.0:1
#000000
#92ADBC
Pass
div ensures that you are…8.33:14.5:1
#000000
#92A6B3
Pass
div Get the new, updated…8.54:14.5:1
#000000
#B3A298
Pass
a Chicago.gov/COVIDVax3.43:14.5:1
#000000
#576653
Fail
button MENU7.06:14.5:1
#000000
#A19572
Pass
span I Want To19.74:14.5:1
#000000
#F8F8F5
Pass
span Apply For21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Check Status Of21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Find / Get21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Pay for/ buy21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Register21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
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.

A
Landmark Structure
8 landmarks
PASS
8 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
2 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
2 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

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
8 headings
PASS
8 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 Chicago
  • H2 Chicago is a Welcoming City!
  • H2 Protecting Chicago
  • H2 Mayor Brandon Johnson
  • H2 Pay Utility Bill
  • H2 Work for the City
  • H2 Parking Tickets
  • H2 Street Operations
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 53 images OK
PASS
All 53 images OK
Info::
29 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
24 image(s) with good alt text
53 images 24 good alt text 29 decorative
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 97/100 — 1 failing, 29 passed
PASS
97

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
Work for the City div#cds-cardsSlider-53244564 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Parking Tickets div#cds-cardsSlider-53244564 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Street Operations div#cds-cardsSlider-53244564 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Chicago 311 div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Public Safety Reform div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Uncashed Healthcare Premium Refund Checks div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Cannabis Information Center div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Protect Your Every Day div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Chicago Climate Action Plan div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell
Chicago Recovery Plan div#cds-cardsSlider-625815377 > div.flickity-viewport > div.flickity-slider > div.carousel-cell

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.

○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
●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
●`[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
●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
●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
●Links have a discernible name
●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
●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
○`[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 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 buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○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
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○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.

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