Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

5 PASS 3 REVIEW 5 FIX

Link & Button Quality

Action

5 issue(s) across 93 links and 12 buttons

FIX

5 issue(s) across 93 links and 12 buttons

3 link(s) with generic text

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

Got: /about ("Read More"); /trump-administration-announces-deals-totaling-56-billion-during-indo-pacific… ("Read More"); /promises-made-promises-kept ("Read More")

4 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.doi.gov/freedom250; https://www.doi.gov/freedom250; /freedom250; /freedom250

2 button(s) with no accessible text

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

Got: button.usa-nav__close (#140 on page); button.usa-button (#265 on page)

86 link(s) with descriptive text

93 links

0 empty

3 generic text

4 new tab

2 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.doi.gov/freedom250	Freedom 250	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.doi.gov/freedom250	America's 250th Anniversary	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/freedom250	America250	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/freedom250	America250	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/about	Read More	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Read More Suggested: About
/trump-administration-announces-deals-to…	Read More	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Read More Suggested: Trump Administration Announces Deals Totaling 56 Billion During Indo Pacific Energy Security Summit
/promises-made-promises-kept	Read More	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Read More Suggested: Promises Made Promises Kept
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label

96 links and buttons have descriptive text

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

/about ("Read More"); /trump-administration-announces-deals-totaling-56-billion-during-indo-pacific… ("Read More"); /promises-made-promises-kept ("Read More")

Why this matters

Generic anchor text ('click here', 'read more', 'learn more') tells screen readers and search engines nothing about the destination.

Learn more ▾

Out-of-context lists of links read by AT (one navigation pattern) become useless when every link says 'click here'. Use the destination's title or topic as anchor text. Doubles as SEO win — Google passes anchor-text relevance to the destination.

Source: WCAG 2.4.4 / Google Search Central

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

https://www.doi.gov/freedom250; https://www.doi.gov/freedom250; /freedom250; /freedom250

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

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

button.usa-nav__close (#140 on page); button.usa-button (#265 on page)

Why this matters

Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2

Favicon & Branding

Action

1 icon(s) detected

FIX

1 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

No apple-touch-icon detected

iOS devices use this when users add your site to their home screen. Add <link rel='apple-touch-icon' sizes='180x180' href='/apple-touch-icon.png'>.

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✗ Apple Touch Missing

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ 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.

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 ✗

Navigation UX

Action

2 navigation pattern(s)

REVIEW

2 navigation pattern(s)

Search functionality detected

Got: role-search

Skip navigation link detected

5 navigation landmark(s) detected

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

Breadcrumbs

Search role='search' landmark

Skip Link Skip link detected

Labeled Navigation 5 <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, 4 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

16 pass 4 fail WCAG AA 3 pass AA only

p An official website of the United States…

1.96:1

#000000

#01406E

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

p Here's how you know

1.96:1

#000000

#01406E

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Here's how you know

2.26:1

#000000

#1F4E50

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

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

p ) or

2.23:1

#000000

#49463F

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)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Stewarding Conservat…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Latest News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Our Mission	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 More from the Interi…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Section Title	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Section Title	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 U.S. Department of t…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title U.S. Department of t…	19.26:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F5F5F5	Pass
a Skip to main content	8.97:1	4.5:1	#000000	#93ADBF	Pass
p An official website …	1.96:1	4.5:1	#000000	#01406E	Fail
p Here's how you know	1.96:1	4.5:1	#000000	#01406E	Fail
span Here's how you know	2.26:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1F4E50	Fail
strong Official websites us…	3.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#4C6424	Pass
strong .gov	6.54:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8D9092	Pass
p website belongs to a…	6.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#8B8E90	Pass
strong Secure .gov websites…	6.41:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8D8E91	Pass
strong lock	5.08:1	3.0:1	#000000	#7A7D81	Pass
p ) or	2.23:1	4.5:1	#000000	#49463F	Fail
strong https://	3.05:1	3.0:1	#000000	#5C5A55	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.

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 89/100 — 3 failing, 25 passed

REVIEW

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

Assistive technologies, like screen readers, can't interpret ARIA attributes with invalid values. Learn more about valid values for ARIA attributes.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Hero playback control `div.grid-container > div.field > section.paragraph > button.video-reel__toggle`

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.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
04/13/2026 `div.info > div.publication-info > div.publication-info--dates > div.publication-info--date`
04/03/2026 `div.info > div.publication-info > div.publication-info--dates > div.publication-info--date`
04/02/2026 `div.info > div.publication-info > div.publication-info--dates > div.publication-info--date`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Names and labels

Including a skip link can help users skip to the main content to save time. Learn more about skip links.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Skip to main content `body.path-frontpage > a.usa-sr-only`

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 are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

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

●`[accesskey]` values are unique

●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

●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

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

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

●Identical links have the same purpose.

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`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 buttons have discernible text.

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

○Form elements have associated labels

○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.

○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.

Landmark Structure

17 landmarks

PASS

17 landmarks

<main> landmark present

5 <nav> landmark(s) found

1 of 5 <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

Heading Hierarchy

20 headings

PASS

20 headings

Multiple H1 headings (2 found)

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

H3 About
H3 Bureaus
H3 Media
H1 Stewarding Conservation and Powering Our Future
H1 U.S. Department of the Interior duplicate H1
H2 Recent News
H2 Department of the Interior Reopens Restored Tidal Basin Seawall
H2 Latest News
H3 Department of the Interior Completes Three-Day Probate Outreach Event at Gila River Indian…
H3 Department of the Interior Begins Transition to Marine Minerals Administration
H3 Interior Announces Strategic Initiative to Improve Efficiency, Boost American Energy Independence…
H2 Our Mission
H2 More from the Interior
H2 Securing American Energy Dominance
H2 Promises Made, Promises Kept
H2 Webcams
H2 Hearings and Appeals Case Inventories
H2 Section Title
H2 Section Title
H3 U.S. Department of the Interior

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

Why this matters

Multiple H1s blur the page's primary topic — screen-reader users and Google both prefer one H1.

Learn more ▾

HTML5's outline algorithm technically allows multiple H1s within sectioning content, but no browser implements it. In practice: one H1 per page. Use H2-H6 for subsections.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 31 images OK

PASS

All 31 images OK

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

30 image(s) with good alt text

31 images 30 good alt text 1 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

Form Accessibility

1 of 1 controls have issues

PASS

1 of 1 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="text" name="query" id="extended-search-field-small">

1 controls

0 labeled

0 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#extended-search-field-small	text	(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

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 Lock ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

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