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

Favicon & Branding

Action

2 icon(s) detected

FIX

2 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

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ 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 ✗

Landmark Structure

Action

4 landmarks

REVIEW

4 landmarks

No <main> landmark found

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

No <nav> landmark found

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

Why this matters

Without a <main> landmark, screen-reader users can't skip past the navigation to the page content — every page starts with re-reading the menu.

Learn more ▾

The <main> element marks the page's primary content area. Assistive tech offers a 'jump to main' shortcut — but only if <main> exists. Without it, every page navigation forces re-reading the header. Wrap your primary content in a single <main>.

Source: WAI-ARIA / WCAG 2.4.1

Link & Button Quality

Action

3 issue(s) across 58 links and 4 buttons

REVIEW

3 issue(s) across 58 links and 4 buttons

2 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: a#top; a#start

1 link(s) with generic text

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

Got: https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html ("Learn more")

14 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.nih.gov/; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/; https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=med…; https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/; https://clinicaltrials.gov; https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=med…; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/socialmedia/index.html; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.html; https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/index.html; https://www.nlm.nih.gov (+4 more)

41 link(s) with descriptive text

58 links

2 empty

1 generic text

14 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.nih.gov/	National Institutes of Health	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/	National Library of Medicine	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebas…	Customer Support	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.htm…	Learn more	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Learn more Suggested: Healthysleep.Html
https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/	NIH MedlinePlus Magazine	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://clinicaltrials.gov	Clinical Trials	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebas…	Customer Support	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/socialmedia/inde…	Connect with NLM	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.ht…	NLM Web Policies	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclo…	HHS Vulnerability Disclosure	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nlm.nih.gov	National Library of Medicine	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hhs.gov	U.S. Department of Health and …	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nih.gov	National Institutes of Health	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nih.gov/icd/od/foia/index.ht…	FOIA	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.usa.gov/	USA.gov	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

45 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

a#top; a#start

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

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

https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html ("Learn 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.nih.gov/; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/; https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=med…; https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/; https://clinicaltrials.gov; https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=med…; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/socialmedia/index.html; https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.html; https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/index.html; https://www.nlm.nih.gov (+4 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

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

A+

Heading Hierarchy

1 headings

PASS

1 headings

Single H1 present

H1 Welcome to MedlinePlus

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 8 images OK

PASS

All 8 images OK

3 decorative image(s) correctly marked

5 image(s) with good alt text

8 images 5 good alt text 3 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 1 controls labeled

PASS

All 1 controls labeled

1 control(s) properly labeled

1 controls

1 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#searchtext_primary	text	Search MedlinePlus	for/id

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
h1 Welcome to MedlinePl…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title MedlinePlus - Health…	18.43:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F0F0F0	Pass
a Skip navigation	10.94:1	4.5:1	#000000	#90C2DC	Pass
p An official website …	12.03:1	4.5:1	#000000	#99CBE5	Pass
p Here’s how you kno…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Here’s how you kno…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
strong Official websites us…	19.60:1	3.0:1	#000000	#F7F7F7	Pass
strong .gov	20.82:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FEFEFE	Pass
p website belongs to a…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
strong Secure .gov websites…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
strong lock	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p ) or	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
strong https://	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p means you’ve safel…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a National Library of …	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
button Menu	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Health Topics	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Drugs & Supplements	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Genetics	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Medical Tests	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	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 95/100 — 2 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
About MedlinePlus `div.footer1 > ul.secondarynav > li > a`
What's New `div.footer1 > ul.secondarynav > li > a`
Site Map `div.footer1 > ul.secondarynav > li > a`
Customer Support `div.footer1 > ul.secondarynav > li > a`
NLM Web Policies `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
Copyright `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
Accessibility `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
Guidelines for Links `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
Viewers & Players `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
HHS Vulnerability Disclosure `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
MedlinePlus Connect for EHRs `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
For Developers `div.footer2 > ul > li > a`
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services `div#mplus-footer > div.footer2 > div.address > a`
National Institutes of Health `div#mplus-footer > div.footer2 > div.address > a`
FOIA `div#mplus-footer > div.footer2 > div.address > a`
USA.gov `div#mplus-footer > div.footer2 > div.address > a`

One main landmark helps screen reader users navigate a web page. Learn more about landmarks.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
html#home `html#home`

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

●`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

●Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

●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

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●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

○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.

○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.