Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

6 PASS 3 REVIEW 4 FIX

Web Manifest

Action

Invalid JSON

FIX

Invalid JSON

Manifest contains invalid JSON

Manifest at https://brown.edu/themes/custom/brown/static/site.webmanifest contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.

Got: https://brown.edu/themes/custom/brown/static/site.webmanifest

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

Dark Mode Support

Action

Theme color only

FIX

Theme color only

Theme-color present but no dark variant

A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.

Got: #ffffff

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 ModePartial Dark Mode

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

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page Not Found | Brown University ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗

Favicon & Branding

Action

3 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

3 icon(s) detected

No favicon.ico at site root

Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 1 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

19 pass 1 fail WCAG AA

h2 Site Navigation

1.64:1

#000000

#3D301F

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · mid-page · over background image/gradient

1 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)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Brown University	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Secondary Navigation…	15.27:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8D6B4	Pass
h2 Site Navigation	1.64:1	3.0:1	#000000	#3D301F	Fail
h2 News from Brown	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Academics at Brown U…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Find your way around…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 The Brown community …	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Quick Navigation	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Footer Navigation	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Social Navigation	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Mobile Site Navigati…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Mobile Site Navigati…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h2 Mobile Secondary Nav…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
h3 Brown Loves Providen…	18.70:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F0F2F3	Pass
title Brown University	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Skip to Main Content	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Brown University	12.40:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EEBF80	Pass
span About	15.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FBD8B6	Pass
span Events	16.25:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FDDDBC	Pass
span For You	16.73:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FEE1BE	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

16 landmarks

PASS

16 landmarks

<main> landmark present

9 <nav> landmark(s) found

2 of 9 <nav> elements are unlabeled

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

Skip navigation link 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

47 headings

PASS

47 headings

Single H1 present

H2 Secondary Navigation Navigation
H2 Site Navigation
H1 Brown University
H2 The Brown community is resilient, caring and strong. We are ever true.
H2 News from Brown
H3 Paul McCartney reflects on life beyond the Beatles at ‘Man on the Run’ screening hosted by Brown
H3 Brown’s annual International Festival celebrates culture, connection and a taste of home
H3 Brown University plans new, unified home for world-class economics department
H3 In upcoming Commencement speeches, senior orators to reflect on the meaning of community
H3 Brown’s annual International Festival celebrates culture, connection and a taste of home
H3 Paul McCartney reflects on life beyond the Beatles at ‘Man on the Run’ screening hosted by Brown
H3 Could the mathematical ‘shape’ of the universe solve the cosmological constant problem?
H3 Students in Hawai’i@Brown celebrate third annual Spring Lū’au
H3 Brown University plans new, unified home for world-class economics department
H3 Two Brown faculty members win Guggenheim fellowships
H2 Academics at Brown University
H2 Find your way around Brown
H3 About Brown
H3 The Open Curriculum
H3 Undergraduate Education
H3 Graduate and Professional
H3 Schools and Colleges
H3 Undergraduate Programs
H3 Graduate Programs
H3 Non-Degree Programs
H3 Academics
H3 Schools and Colleges
H3 Academic Departments
H3 Life at Brown
H3 Athletics and Recreation
H3 Housing and Dining
H3 Brown and Providence
H3 University Events
H3 Visit Brown
H3 Driving Directions and Parking Information
H3 Accommodations in Providence
H3 Campus Map
H3 Life in Providence
H3 Brown Loves Providence
H2 The Brown community is ever true.
H2 Quick Navigation
H2 Footer Navigation
H2 Social Navigation
H2 Mobile Site Navigation
H2 Mobile Site Navigation
H2 Mobile Secondary Navigation Navigation
H3 Brown University Homepage

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 52 images OK

PASS

All 52 images OK

20 decorative image(s) correctly marked

32 image(s) with good alt text

52 images 32 good alt text 20 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 5 controls labeled

PASS

All 5 controls labeled

5 control(s) properly labeled

5 controls

5 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
select	select	select a news category	aria-label
select	select	select a set	aria-label
select	select	select a category	aria-label
q	text	Search All of Brown.edu	aria-label
q	text	Search News	aria-label

Link & Button Quality

212 links, 58 buttons — all OK

PASS

212 links, 58 buttons — all OK

8 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Brown%20University%2075%20…; https://www.facebook.com/BrownUniversity; https://instagram.com/brownu; https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=19348; https://www.snapchat.com/add/brown-u; https://twitter.com/BrownUniversity; https://www.youtube.com/brownuniversity; https://www.brown.edu/social/

204 link(s) with descriptive text

212 links

0 empty

0 generic text

8 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&d…	Providence RI 02912	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/BrownUniversity	Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://instagram.com/brownu	Instagram	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=1…	LinkedIn	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.snapchat.com/add/brown-u	Snapchat	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://twitter.com/BrownUniversity	X/Twitter	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/brownuniversity	YouTube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.brown.edu/social/	Social Media Directory	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

262 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Brown%20University%2075%20…; https://www.facebook.com/BrownUniversity; https://instagram.com/brownu; https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=19348; https://www.snapchat.com/add/brown-u; https://twitter.com/BrownUniversity; https://www.youtube.com/brownuniversity; https://www.brown.edu/social/

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 1 failing, 21 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
Featured Most Recent `div.fs-row > div.fs-cell > div.news_selector_inner > header.news_selector_header`
Learn About Brown Academic Offerings Campus & Community Visit Brown `div.fs-row > div.fs-cell > div.news_selector_inner > header.news_selector_header`

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>`

●`[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

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

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

●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

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Skip links are focusable.

●Document has a main landmark.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

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

○Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○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

○`[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

○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

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

○`<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

○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

○`<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.