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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
68
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
4
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 4 REVIEW 4 FIX
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
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.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
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.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
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 ✗
B
Alt Text Quality
1 of 306 images have issues
REVIEW
1 of 306 images have issues
Critical::
1 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Info::
3 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
28 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
274 image(s) with good alt text
306 images 274 good alt text 28 decorative 1 missing
IssueCount
missing1 image(s)
too long3 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

B
Favicon & Branding
13 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
13 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
C
Navigation UX
Action
2 navigation pattern(s)
REVIEW
2 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Search functionality detected
Got: role-search
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
4 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
Breadcrumbs
Search role='search' landmark
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 4 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
4 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.
B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 86/100 — 5 failing, 26 passed
REVIEW
86

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

Some ARIA parent roles must contain specific child roles to perform their intended accessibility functions. Learn more about roles and required children elements.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
April 20, 2026 Caltech Faculty Honored with New Horizons Prizes READ FULL ARTI… div.homepage-top-layout-block__left-column-content > section.block-NewsCarouselBlock > div#3f5eec8e-12dd-4173-8a0c-84d4572c0e00 > div.carousel-inner
Caltech scientists are working to produce solar power in space section.block-DidYouKnowBlock > div.did-you-know-block > div#10aa0de0-818d-4355-b5cd-d2c32744fbee > div.d-flex
Beckman Institute Brinson Exploration Hub section.block-AirspaceImageLinkGridCarouselBlock > div.grid-carousel > div#20d85a6f-782d-4e5a-9135-63f951fd9f0b > div.grid-carousel__carousel-inner

When an input field doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it with a generic name, making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn more about input field labels.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
April 20, 2026 Caltech Faculty Honored with New Horizons Prizes READ FULL ARTI… div.homepage-top-layout-block__left-column-content > section.block-NewsCarouselBlock > div#3f5eec8e-12dd-4173-8a0c-84d4572c0e00 > div.carousel-inner
Caltech scientists are working to produce solar power in space section.block-DidYouKnowBlock > div.did-you-know-block > div#10aa0de0-818d-4355-b5cd-d2c32744fbee > div.d-flex
Beckman Institute Brinson Exploration Hub section.block-AirspaceImageLinkGridCarouselBlock > div.grid-carousel > div#20d85a6f-782d-4e5a-9135-63f951fd9f0b > div.grid-carousel__carousel-inner

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. Link text that is discernible improves the experience for users with low vision. Learn how to make links distinguishable.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Sarah Elizabeth McCandless div.events-block__events__event__speakers > div.seminar-speaker > span.seminar-speaker__name > a
Roshan Misra div.events-block__events__event__speakers > div.seminar-speaker > span.seminar-speaker__name > a

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

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
Caltech body.www > header.width-1440-container > div.header > a.header__homepage-link

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

Visible text labels that do not match the accessible name can result in a confusing experience for screen reader users. Learn more about accessible names.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Menu div.header > nav.header__slide-menu-and-search > div.header__slide-menu > button.slide-menu__opener
○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]`s are contained by their required parent element
●`[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
●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●ARIA IDs are unique
●Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
○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
○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
○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.
○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
○Identical links have the same purpose.
○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.
A+
Landmark Structure
9 landmarks
PASS
9 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
4 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
All <nav> elements are properly labeled
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Info::
Search landmark present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "Useful links" SEARCH MAIN CONTENTINFO footer
A+
Heading Hierarchy
17 headings
PASS
17 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
1 empty heading(s)
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
  • H1 Caltech Homepage
  • H2 Research Impact
  • H2 Featured Events
  • H3 Three Sisters
  • H3 In Nomine Terra Calens - a free Earth Week concert
  • H3 Astronomy on Tap
  • H2 Life at Caltech
  • H2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • H3 NASA Shuts Off Instrument on Voyager 1 to Keep Spacecraft Operating
  • H2 News
  • H3 Nayla Abney
  • H3 David Ignacio Fager
  • H3 Ralph Adolphs
  • H3 Katherine de Kleer
  • H2 Connect With Us
  • H2 (empty)
  • H3 Caltech's Commitment to an Inclusive Environment

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

A+
Form Accessibility
All 2 controls labeled
PASS
All 2 controls labeled
Info::
2 control(s) properly labeled
2 controls
2 labeled
0 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
qsearchSearchnone
qsearchSearchnone
A
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
PASS
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
Info::
Homepage link present on 404 page
Info::
Search form present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page Not Found www.caltech.edu ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓
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)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Caltech Homepage18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h2 Research Impact18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h2 Featured Events18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h2 Life at Caltech18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h2 News18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h2 Connect With Us18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h3 Nayla Abney18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h3 David Ignacio Fager18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h3 Ralph Adolphs18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h3 Katherine de Kleer18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
h3 Caltech's Commitment…18.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F0F0F0
Pass
title Home - …21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a skip to main content21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Visit21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Careers15.29:14.5:1
#000000
#DCDEC4
Pass
a Access13.20:14.5:1
#000000
#D6CCB9
Pass
button Quick Links11.21:14.5:1
#000000
#7CC7EA
Pass
a for Faculty8.26:14.5:1
#000000
#97A69E
Pass
a for Students12.28:14.5:1
#000000
#79D3E7
Pass
a for Staff7.84:14.5:1
#000000
#2DABCF
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.

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

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