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 2 REVIEW 6 FIX

404 Error Page

Action

Soft 404 detected

FIX

Soft 404 detected

Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages

The server returns HTTP 200 for a path that does not exist. Search engines will index these pages, diluting your real content. Configure your server to return a proper 404 status code for missing pages.

Got: Status: 200 for /beavercheck-404-test-su4skk

404 Page Quality ✗ Soft 404 (HTTP 200)

Status Code: HTTP 200

The server returned HTTP 200 for a non-existent path. Search engines will index this page as real content. Configure your server to return HTTP 404 for missing pages.

Favicon & Branding

Action

1 icon(s) detected

FIX

1 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

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 Present

✗ PNG Icons Missing

✗ Apple Touch Missing

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✗ Multiple Sizes Missing

Web Manifest

Action

Invalid JSON

FIX

Invalid JSON

Manifest contains invalid JSON

Manifest at https://sc.edu/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.

Got: https://sc.edu/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

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 ✗

Form Accessibility

2 of 4 controls have issues

REVIEW

2 of 4 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">; <input type="submit">

2 control(s) properly labeled

4 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

2 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#search-mobile	text	Search sc.edu	for/id
#search-dt	text	Search sc.edu	for/id
input	submit	(none)	none
input	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

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

0 pass 20 fail WCAG AA

h1 Tools & Resources

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h2 What will you study?

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 University News and Events

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 A Next Generation Education

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Foundations of Learning

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Colleges & Schools

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Offices & Divisions

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Tools

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 University of South Carolina recognized …

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Associate vice president and vice provos…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 USC has five Goldwater Scholars in 2026

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

title University of South Carolina | Universit…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Skip to Content

1.00:1

#000000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span University of South Carolina Home

1.17:1

#000000

#1D1517

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

button Search University of South Carolina

1.23:1

#000000

#2B1618

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

button University of South Carolina Navigation

1.35:1

#000000

#3E181A

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

label Search sc.edu

1.54:1

#000000

#4E1F21

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

strong Gateways For:

1.76:1

#000000

#532C2A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

16px · above the fold

span STUDENTS

2.00:1

#000000

#533934

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span FACULTY & STAFF

2.30:1

#000000

#58443B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Tools & Resources	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 What will you study?	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 University News and …	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 A Next Generation Ed…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Foundations of Learn…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Colleges & Schools	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Offices & Divisions	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Tools	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h3 University of South …	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h3 Associate vice presi…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h3 USC has five Goldwat…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
title University of South …	1.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
span Skip to Content	1.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
span University of South …	1.17:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1D1517	Fail
button Search University of…	1.23:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2B1618	Fail
button University of South …	1.35:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3E181A	Fail
label Search sc.edu	1.54:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4E1F21	Fail
strong Gateways For:	1.76:1	3.0:1	#000000	#532C2A	Fail
span STUDENTS	2.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#533934	Fail
span FACULTY & STAFF	2.30:1	4.5:1	#000000	#58443B	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.

Landmark Structure

6 landmarks

PASS

6 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

2 of 3 <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

12 headings

PASS

12 headings

Single H1 present

H1 Tools & Resources
H2 Championship Rein
H2 What will you study?
H2 University News and Events
H3 University of South Carolina recognized as national leader in advancing first-generation student success
H3 Associate vice president and vice provost for AI strategy announced
H3 USC has five Goldwater Scholars in 2026
H2 A Next Generation Education
H2 Foundations of Learning
H2 Colleges & Schools
H2 Offices & Divisions
H2 Tools

Alt Text Quality

1 of 11 images have issues

PASS

1 of 11 images have issues

1 image(s) missing alt attribute

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

1 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

8 image(s) with good alt text

11 images 8 good alt text 1 decorative 1 missing

Issue	Count
missing	1 image(s)
too long	1 image(s)

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

Why this matters

Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report

Link & Button Quality

243 links, 24 buttons — all OK

PASS

243 links, 24 buttons — all OK

5 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: http://library.sc.edu/p/Collections/SCPC; https://www.facebook.com/uofsc; https://www.instagram.com/uofsc/?hl=en; https://x.com/uofsc; https://outlook.com/email.sc.edu

238 link(s) with descriptive text

243 links

0 empty

0 generic text

5 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
http://library.sc.edu/p/Collections/SCPC	South Carolina Political Colle…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/uofsc	USC Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.instagram.com/uofsc/?hl=en	USC Instagram	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://x.com/uofsc	USC X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://outlook.com/email.sc.edu	Campus Email	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.

http://library.sc.edu/p/Collections/SCPC; https://www.facebook.com/uofsc; https://www.instagram.com/uofsc/?hl=en; https://x.com/uofsc; https://outlook.com/email.sc.edu

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, 24 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.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Privacy `div.row > div.column > small.copyright > a`
Transparency Initiative `div.row > div.column > small.copyright > a`

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○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

●`[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 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

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Skip links are focusable.

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●Identical links have the same purpose.

○`[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 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

○`<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.

○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.