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 2 REVIEW 4 FIX

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

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.

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 ✗

Favicon & Branding

Action

4 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

4 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

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✗ Multiple Sizes Missing

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 9 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

11 pass 9 fail WCAG AA

h1 Turn classroom learning into real-world …

1.37:1

#000000

#32211C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · mid-page

title Home | University of Waterloo

1.00:1

#000000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Skip to main content

1.00:1

#000000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Jump to

3.18:1

#000000

#595E5D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Jump to

3.22:1

#000000

#595F5D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Admissions

3.12:1

#000000

#575D5B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span About Waterloo

2.30:1

#000000

#3F4A4D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

span Faculties & Academics

1.25:1

#000000

#1C1D21

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

span Offices & Services

1.49:1

#000000

#35291F

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

3 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 Turn classroom learn…	1.37:1	3.0:1	#000000	#32211C	Fail
h2 Latest news	12.71:1	3.0:1	#000000	#EEC547	Pass
h2 Upcoming events	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h2 Information about th…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h2 We use cookies on th…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 Building Canada’s …	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 Diagnosing cancer wi…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 Student rocketry fir…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 Harnessing the funda…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 W3+ Presents: Holdin…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 CareNext Collective:…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
h3 Campus living labs f…	13.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F8CE4A	Pass
title Home \| University of…	1.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
a Skip to main content	1.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
span Jump to	3.18:1	4.5:1	#000000	#595E5D	Fail
span Jump to	3.22:1	4.5:1	#000000	#595F5D	Fail
span Admissions	3.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#575D5B	Fail
span About Waterloo	2.30:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3F4A4D	Fail
span Faculties & Academic…	1.25:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1C1D21	Fail
span Offices & Services	1.49:1	4.5:1	#000000	#35291F	Fail

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

4 landmarks

PASS

4 landmarks

<main> landmark present

1 <nav> landmark(s) found

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Heading Hierarchy

13 headings, 1 skip(s)

PASS

13 headings, 1 skip(s)

Single H1 present

Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

H1 Turn classroom learning into real-world impact
H3 Discover Waterloo by the numbers → skipped
H2 Latest news
H3 Building Canada’s capacity to address climate change
H3 Diagnosing cancer with a drop of blood
H3 Student rocketry fires up with an advanced engine design
H3 Harnessing the fundamental rules of the universe
H2 Upcoming events
H3 W3+ Presents: Holding It Together
H3 CareNext Collective: AI‑empowered patients
H3 Campus living labs for climate learning and action in all disciplines
H2 Information about the University of Waterloo
H2 We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 3 images OK

PASS

All 3 images OK

3 image(s) with good alt text

3 images 3 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

Form Accessibility

1 of 3 controls have issues

PASS

1 of 3 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" name="op" id="uw-search-submit">

2 control(s) properly labeled

3 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#uw-search	text	Search for	for/id
#uw-select-site	select	Search Location	for/id
#uw-search-submit	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

A+

Link & Button Quality

41 links, 2 buttons — all OK

PASS

41 links, 2 buttons — all OK

41 link(s) with descriptive text

41 links

0 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

All links and buttons have descriptive accessible text.

43 links and buttons have descriptive text

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

PASS

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

Search form present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title On It Check ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 2 failing, 28 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

ARIA dialog elements without accessible names may prevent screen readers users from discerning the purpose of these elements. Learn how to make ARIA dialog elements more accessible.

Why this matters

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

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience Select 'Accept all… `body.org-default > div#sliding-popup > div.eu-cookie-compliance-banner > div.popup-content`

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.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Discover Waterloo by the numbers → `div.uw-text-align--center > div.uw-copy-text > div.uw-copy-text__wrapper > h3`

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

○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

●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.

●Select elements have associated label elements.

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

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

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●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 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.

●`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○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

○`<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

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

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Skip links are focusable.

○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.

○`<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.