Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

13 PASS 5 REVIEW 6 FIX

Mobile Keyboard & Autofill

Action

2/2 eligible field(s) missing autocomplete or inputmode

FIX

2/2 eligible field(s) missing autocomplete or inputmode

1 field(s) missing recommended autocomplete attribute

WCAG 1.3.5 (Level AA): inputs whose purpose maps to a Common Input Purpose value should declare it via `autocomplete=`. Required for password managers, browser autofill, and assistive tech that customizes inputs (e.g., simplified keyboards). Mobile autofill in particular cuts form-completion time by 30-50% when these are present. Affected purposes: email.

Got: <input type="email" name="EMAIL" id="mce-EMAIL">

1 field(s) would benefit from inputmode attribute

Mobile browsers pick the on-screen keyboard layout from `inputmode=` when present (numeric pad, tel dialpad, email keyboard). Without it, users see the default text keyboard and must mode-switch -- 2-3 extra taps per phone-number or numeric-ID field. Type-based defaults exist (`type=tel` shows the tel keyboard on most browsers) but `inputmode` is the explicit, cross-browser way to control this. Affected types: email.

Got: <input type="email" name="EMAIL" id="mce-EMAIL">

Tabindex Anti-Patterns

Action

0 positive, 66 -1-on-focusable

FIX

0 positive, 66 -1-on-focusable

tabindex="-1" on naturally-focusable <a>

tabindex="-1" removes an element from the keyboard tab order. Naturally-focusable elements (links, buttons, form controls) become unreachable for keyboard users. (Common false-positive: hidden honeypot fields. Verify the element is genuinely interactive before removing the tabindex.)

tabindex="-1" on naturally-focusable <a>

tabindex="-1" on naturally-focusable <input>

Favicon & Branding

Action

3 icon(s) detected

FIX

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

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✗ Multiple Sizes Missing

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.

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 ✗

Heading Hierarchy

61 headings

REVIEW

61 headings

No H1 heading found

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

H2 Secondary navigation
H2 Main navigation
H2 Reading 101
H2 In the Classroom
H2 Helping All Readers
H2 Books & Authors
H2 Literacy at Home
H2 Reading Rockets offers a rich library of evidence-based classroom strategies to help young children become skilled readers.
H3 Looking at Writing
H3 Teaching Text Structure
H3 Classroom Strategies that Support SEL
H3 Story Sequence
H4 Additional Comprehension Strategies
H2 Put Research into Action
H3 Reading 101: Self-Paced Learning Modules
H3 Why Some Kids Struggle and How to Help
H3 Looking at Reading Interventions
H3 Reading Research Library
H3 Dive Deep into LiteracyThe ability to understand oral language, read fluently, and write well. with Our Learning Library
H2 Learn from Our Experts
H2 From Our Blogs
H3 Picture Book Power
H3 AI and Reading Comprehension Instruction: Part 2
H3 AI in Reading Comprehension Instruction: Part 1
H3 Expert Q&A
H3 Video Interviews with Literacy Experts
H2 Support Literacy at Home
H3 Reading and Writing SOS: Expert Answers to Family Questions
H3 Reading 101: A Guide for Parents
H3 Growing Readers: Bilingual Tip Sheets
H3 Literacy in the Sciences
H2 Help Children Discover Their Love of Books
H3 Our Book Finder
H3 Featured Booklists
H3 From the American Revolution to a New Nation
H3 Graphic Novels: Read the Pictures
H3 Outdoor Adventures
H3 Choosing and Using  Kids Books
H3 Interviews with Top Children’s Authors and Illustrators
H3 The Diverse Bookshelf
H3 Start with a Book: Read, Explore, Learn!
H2 Stay Up to Date on Literacy Education’s Latest
H2 Today’s Literacy Headlines
H3 Takeaways from the Ed Dept-HHS special ed agreement (opens in a new window)
H3 Summer Program Boosts Learning for Tens of Thousands of Charter Kids (opens in a new window)
H3 Five Picture Books That Foster Belonging in Math Class (opens in a new window)
H2 Join the Conversation
H2 Social Media Links
H2 Subscribe to Our Newsletters
H2 Liked it? Share it!
H2 Visit our sister websites:
H3 Start with a Book Read. Explore. Learn!(opens in a new window)
H3 Colorín Colorado Helping ELLs Succeed(opens in a new window)
H3 AdLitAll About Adolescent Literacy(opens in a new window)
H3 LD OnLine All About Learning Disabilities and ADHD(opens in a new window)
H3 Reading Universe All About Teaching Reading and Writing(opens in a new window)
H2 Helpful Links
H2 Visit Our Sites
H2 Sign Up for Our Newsletter
H2 Footer Bottom Menu
H2 Social Media Links

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

Form Accessibility

2 of 6 controls have issues

REVIEW

2 of 6 controls have issues

2 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="edit-submit">; <input type="submit" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe">

4 control(s) properly labeled

6 controls

4 labeled

0 placeholder only

2 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#edit-search	text	Search	for/id
#mce-EMAIL	email	Email Address *	for/id
#mce-group[13]-13-0	checkbox	Newsletter	for/id
#mce-group[13]-13-2	checkbox	Weekly News Blast	for/id
#edit-submit	submit	(none)	none
#mc-embedded-subscribe	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 150 links and 8 buttons

REVIEW

1 issue(s) across 150 links and 8 buttons

1 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: a#main-content

18 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://give.weta.org/page/40067/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=readingrockets; https://www.k12dive.com/news/takeaways-from-the-ed-dept-hhs-special-education…; https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-summer-program-boosts-learning…; https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-now/2026/06/23/belonging-in-m…; https://mailchi.mp/colorincolorado/readingrockets_april2022-16550609; https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.readingrockets.org/h…; https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Reading%20Rockets%3A%20Launching%20Youn…; mailto:?subject=Reading%20Rockets%3A%20Launching%20Young%20Readers&body=https…; https://www.startwithabook.org/; https://www.colorincolorado.org/ (+8 more)

131 link(s) with descriptive text

150 links

1 empty

0 generic text

18 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.readingrockets.org/	Home	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
https://give.weta.org/page/40067/donate/…	Donate(opens in a new window)	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.k12dive.com/news/takeaways-f…	Takeaways from the Ed Dept-HHS…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.the74million.org/article/exc…	Summer Program Boosts Learning…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/l…	Five Picture Books That Foster…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://mailchi.mp/colorincolorado/readi…	Earth Day and literacy, joyful…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.p…	Share to Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Re…	Share to X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
mailto:?subject=Reading%20Rockets%3A%20L…	Share to Email	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.startwithabook.org/	Start with a Book Read. Explor…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.colorincolorado.org/	Colorín Colorado Helping ELLs…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://adlit.org/	AdLitAll About Adolescent Lite…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.ldonline.org/	LD OnLine All About Learning D…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.readinguniverse.org/	Reading Universe All About Tea…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://adlit.org/	AdLit(opens in a new window)	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.colorincolorado.org/	Colorín Colorado(opens in a n…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.ldonline.org/	LD OnLine(opens in a new windo…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://readinguniverse.org/	Reading Universe(opens in a ne…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.startwithabook.org/	Start with a Book(opens in a n…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

139 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

a#main-content

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

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

https://give.weta.org/page/40067/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=readingrockets; https://www.k12dive.com/news/takeaways-from-the-ed-dept-hhs-special-education…; https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-summer-program-boosts-learning…; https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-now/2026/06/23/belonging-in-m…; https://mailchi.mp/colorincolorado/readingrockets_april2022-16550609; https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.readingrockets.org/h…; https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Reading%20Rockets%3A%20Launching%20Youn…; mailto:?subject=Reading%20Rockets%3A%20Launching%20Young%20Readers&body=https…; https://www.startwithabook.org/; https://www.colorincolorado.org/ (+8 more)

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

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 | Reading Rockets ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Dark Mode Support

Dark mode detected

REVIEW

Dark mode detected

prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

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

Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Landmark Structure

14 landmarks

PASS

14 landmarks

<main> landmark present

7 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

Skip navigation link present

Skip link target(s) don't exist on page: #main-content

The skip-link anchor (e.g., `href="#main"`) points at an ID that has no corresponding element on the page. Activating the link does nothing -- a silent WCAG 2.4.1 failure that the visual link presence hides. Add `id="main"` (or whichever matches the href) to the target landmark.

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Why this matters

Skip link points at an ID that doesn't exist on the page. The link looks fine visually but does nothing when activated -- silent WCAG 2.4.1 failure.

Learn more ▾

Find the target landmark (typically <main> or the first <h1>) and add `id="..."` matching the skip link's href fragment. Test by tabbing to the skip link and pressing Enter -- focus should jump to the target.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

Heading Text Quality

1 heading-text-quality issue(s) detected

PASS

1 heading-text-quality issue(s) detected

2 heading(s) are over 120 characters -- likely a misformatted paragraph

Headings beyond 120 characters are almost always full sentences or paragraphs that received heading semantics by mistake (e.g., a CMS editor selected the wrong block type, or a template wrapped a body paragraph in `<h2>`). Screen readers will announce these as "heading" and read the entire paragraph at heading prosody. Affected: - H2: 123 chars - H3: 121 chars

Got: 2 >120-char heading(s)

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 44 images OK

PASS

All 44 images OK

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

43 image(s) with good alt text

44 images 43 good alt text 1 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Input Types

1 input(s) using type=text where a specific type would help

PASS

1 input(s) using type=text where a specific type would help

Input "search" should use type="search" (currently type="text")

Field name "search" suggests type="search". Wrong type loses mobile keyboard hints, browser autofill, and free format validation. Change to <input type="search">.

A+

Form Input Quality

6 form control(s) checked, no input-semantic issues

PASS

6 form control(s) checked, no input-semantic issues

All form input semantics look correct

A+

Document Language

Lang attribute set to "en"

PASS

Lang attribute set to "en"

<html lang="en"> is set and valid

Got: en

A+

Iframe Accessibility

No iframes on this page

PASS

No iframes on this page

A+

Tap Target Adequacy

All tap targets meet WCAG 2.5.5/2.5.8 sizing

PASS

All tap targets meet WCAG 2.5.5/2.5.8 sizing

All tap targets meet WCAG 2.5.5 (44x44px) sizing

A+

Mobile-Readable Font Sizes

All 26 visible text node(s) render at >= 12 CSS pixels

PASS

All 26 visible text node(s) render at >= 12 CSS pixels

All text uses legible mobile font sizes (>= 12 CSS px)

A+

PWA Depth

No PWA depth issues detected

PASS

No PWA depth issues detected

A+

Mobile UX Depth

1 mobile-depth signal(s) detected

PASS

1 mobile-depth signal(s) detected

No `<meta name="theme-color">` -- browser chrome falls back to default

Without `theme-color`, Android Chrome's status bar and iOS Safari's toolbar fall back to a generic gray. Adding a single hex color in `<meta name="theme-color" content="#0066cc">` tints them to your brand color across all mobile browsers.

A+

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA

PASS

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

20 pass

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Secondary navigation	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Main navigation	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Reading 101	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 In the Classroom	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Helping All Readers	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Books & Authors	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Literacy at Home	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Reading Rockets offe…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 to help young childr…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 From Our Blogs	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Today’s Literacy H…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Join the Conversatio…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Social Media Links	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Subscribe to Our New…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Visit our sister web…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Helpful Links	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Visit Our Sites	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Sign Up for Our News…	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Footer Bottom Menu	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	Pass
h2 Social Media Links	20.12:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FAFAFA	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+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 100/100 — 0 failing, 27 passed

PASS

100

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.

○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

●`[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.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●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 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 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.

○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.

○`[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.