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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
59
GRADE
D
FIX
6
REVIEW
2
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 2 REVIEW 6 FIX
F
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 404, bare page
FIX
HTTP 404, bare page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Warning::
Bare server default 404 page
The 404 page has no custom styling. Users hitting a broken link see a generic error with no way to navigate back. Add a custom 404 page with your site navigation and a search bar.
404 Page Quality Default 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title 404 Not Found ✓Custom Styling ✗Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
F
Favicon & Branding
Action
1 icon(s) detected
FIX
1 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
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
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 ✗
C
Navigation UX
Action
3 navigation pattern(s)
REVIEW
3 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Search functionality detected
Got: role-search
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
Back-to-top link detected
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search role='search' landmark
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 2 <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 81/100 — 5 failing, 25 passed
REVIEW
81

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
Time Slider div.mejs__inner > div.mejs__controls > div.mejs__time-rail > span.mejs__time-total

Focusable descendents within an `[aria-hidden="true"]` element prevent those interactive elements from being available to users of assistive technologies like screen readers. Learn how `aria-hidden` affects focusable elements.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
previous main.home-container > nav.horizontal-scrolling-navigation-wrapper > div#horizontalScrollingNavigation > button#horizontalScrollingNavigationAdvancerLeft
next main.home-container > nav.horizontal-scrolling-navigation-wrapper > div#horizontalScrollingNavigation > button#horizontalScrollingNavigationAdvancerRight

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
Benjamin K. Edwards Collection main.home-container > section.public-domain > p > a

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Names and labels

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_1 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_1 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_2 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_2 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_3 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_3 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_4 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_4 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_5 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_5 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_6 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_6 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_7 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_7 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_8 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_8 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_9 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_9 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_10 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_10 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_11 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_11 > figure > a
ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_12 > figure > a ul.search-results > li#featured_public_domain_12 > figure > a

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.

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
Previous main.home-container > section.featured > div#featured-slider > button.slick-prev
Next main.home-container > section.featured > div#featured-slider > button.slick-next

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 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.
●`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●ARIA input fields have accessible names
●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 are distinguishable without relying on color.
●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
●Skip links are focusable.
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` 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
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○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.
○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
6 landmarks
PASS
6 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
2 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
1 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Info::
Search landmark present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "header-menu-button" SEARCH MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

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
46 headings
PASS
46 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 The Library of Congress Homepage
  • H2 Featured Items
  • H3 Congress.gov
  • H3 2026 National Book Festival
  • H3 Lost 19th Century Film by Méliès Discovered at the Library
  • H3 Library of Congress Winter-Spring 2026 Concert Season
  • H3 Thursday Night Fun & Programs
  • H3 Congress.gov
  • H3 2026 National Book Festival
  • H3 Lost 19th Century Film by Méliès Discovered at the Library
  • H3 Library of Congress Winter-Spring 2026 Concert Season
  • H3 Thursday Night Fun & Programs
  • H3 Congress.gov
  • H2 Trending
  • H3 Top Searches:
  • H2 Your Library
  • H2 Free to Use and Reuse: Baseball Cards
  • H2 John M. Ward, New York Giants, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Christopher Mathewson, New York Giants, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Christopher Mathewson, New York Giants (back of card)
  • H2 Clyde Milan/N. Elberfeld, Washington Nationals, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Ezra Sutton, Boston Beaneaters, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Zack D. Wheat/William Bergen, Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Ned Williamson, Chicago White Stockings, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Harry Lyons and Billy Taylor, Philadelphia Quakers, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Ned Hanlon, Detroit Wolverines, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Charlie Getzien, Detroit Wolverines, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Jas. H. Fogarty, Philadelphia Quakers, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Cap Anson, Chicago White Stockings, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Cap Anson, Chicago White Stockings (back of card)
  • H2 Lawton, Haverly Team, baseball card portrait
  • H2 McDowell, Rochester Post Express, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Hardie Henderson, Brooklyn Trolley-Dodgers, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Jimmy Ryan, Chicago White Stockings, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Nagle, Los Angeles Team, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Roger Bresnahan, St. Louis Cardinals, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Kid Elberfeld, New York Highlanders, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Art Devlin, New York Giants, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Hoffman, Raleigh Team, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Eddie Collins, Philadelphia Athletics, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Slim Sallee, St. Louis Cardinals, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Chicago Cubs, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Richard Marquard/John T. Meyers, New York Giants, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Rafael Almeida, Cincinnati Reds, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Zacher, Oakland Team, baseball card portrait
  • H2 Seaton, Seattle Team, baseball card portrait
A
Alt Text Quality
All 62 images OK
PASS
All 62 images OK
Info::
6 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
40 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
16 image(s) with good alt text
62 images 16 good alt text 40 decorative
IssueCount
too long6 image(s)
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
#searchFormatselectFilter search byaria-label
#searchsearchSearchfor/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)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 The Library of Congr…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h2 Featured Items19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h2 Trending19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h2 Your Library19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h2 Free to Use and Reus…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Congress.gov19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 2026 National Book F…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Lost 19th Century Fi…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Library of Congress …19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Thursday Night Fun &…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Congress.gov19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 2026 National Book F…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Lost 19th Century Fi…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Library of Congress …19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Thursday Night Fun &…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Congress.gov19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h3 Top Searches:19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
title Home | Library of Co…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
p Top of page21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Skip to main content10.77:14.5:1
#000000
#C7B7A9
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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