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https://archives.gov

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
65
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
6
PASS
3
INFO
0
Checks
13
3 PASS 6 REVIEW 4 FIX
F
Favicon & Branding
Action
2 icon(s) detected
FIX
2 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
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 Present
✗ 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
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 ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
1 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 1 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
2 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Landmark Structure
3 landmarks
REVIEW
3 landmarks
Critical::
No <main> landmark found
Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.
Info::
1 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN (missing!) CONTENTINFO footer

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

B
Heading Hierarchy
14 headings
REVIEW
14 headings
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
  • H2 Freedom Plane
  • H2 The American Story
  • H2 Archives News
  • H3 Celebrating the Triumph of the American Spirit
  • H2 Archives.gov
  • H2 Information For…
  • H2 Publications
  • H2 Orgs. & Offices
  • H2 About Us
  • H2 I Want To…
  • H2 Participate
  • H2 Resources
  • H2 Shop Online
  • H2 Connect With Us

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
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
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page Not Found | National Archives ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗
B
Dark Mode Support
Dark mode detected
REVIEW
Dark mode detected
Info::
prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 5 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

15 pass 5 fail WCAG AA 5 pass AA only
a Citizen Archivists
2.46:1
#000000
on
#3B5052
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Contact Us
4.23:1
#000000
on
#337988
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
label Search
1.33:1
#000000
on
#1E2510
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
button Search
1.52:1
#000000
on
#273014
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
span Veterans’ Service Records
2.45:1
#000000
on
#773C1A
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold

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)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 Freedom Plane13.08:13.0:1
#000000
#CCCCCC
Pass
h2 The American Story13.08:13.0:1
#000000
#CCCCCC
Pass
h2 Archives News13.08:13.0:1
#000000
#CCCCCC
Pass
h2 Archives.gov13.08:13.0:1
#000000
#CCCCCC
Pass
h3 Celebrating the Triu…13.08:13.0:1
#000000
#CCCCCC
Pass
title National Archives | …21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Top21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Skip to main content18.10:14.5:1
#000000
#EEEEEE
Pass
a The U.S. National Ar…5.86:14.5:1
#000000
#7C8A8A
Pass
a Citizen Archivists2.46:14.5:1
#000000
#3B5052
Fail
a Bookmark/Share5.89:14.5:1
#000000
#3393AA
Pass
a Contact Us4.23:14.5:1
#000000
#337988
Fail
label Search1.33:14.5:1
#000000
#1E2510
Fail
button Search1.52:14.5:1
#000000
#273014
Fail
span Research Our Records5.46:14.5:1
#000000
#D45F1F
Pass
span Explore our nation…6.70:14.5:1
#000000
#E0742B
Pass
span Veterans’ Service …2.45:14.5:1
#000000
#773C1A
Fail
span Request military rec…5.90:14.5:1
#000000
#A2816E
Pass
span Educator Resources21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Find primary sources…21.00:14.5:1
#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+
Alt Text Quality
All 2 images OK
PASS
All 2 images OK
Info::
2 image(s) with good alt text
2 images 2 good alt text
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Form Accessibility
All 3 controls labeled
PASS
All 3 controls labeled
Info::
3 control(s) properly labeled
3 controls
3 labeled
0 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#qttextSearchfor/id
#a2a_copy_link_texttextCopy linkfor/id
#a2apage_findtextFind any servicefor/id
A+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 98/100 — 1 failing, 21 passed
PASS
98

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

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.js html.js

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>`
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Buttons have an accessible name
●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
●Form elements have associated labels
●`[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
●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
●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
○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
○`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
○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
○`[role]` values are valid
○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
○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.
○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.
○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.

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