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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
67
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
3
PASS
6
INFO
0
Checks
13
6 PASS 3 REVIEW 4 FIX
F
Favicon & Branding
Action
1 icon(s) detected
FIX
1 icon(s) detected
Warning::
No favicon.ico at site root
Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.
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 Missing
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
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.

F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
8 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 8 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
3 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.
B
Form Accessibility
2 of 3 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 3 controls have issues
Critical::
1 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="submit">
Warning::
1 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="text" name="keyword">
Info::
1 control(s) properly labeled
3 controls
1 labeled
1 placeholder only
1 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#audio-player__scrubberrangeScrubberfor/id
keywordtext(What are you looking for?)placeholder only
inputsubmit(none)none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

<input type="submit">

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

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

<input type="text" name="keyword">

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

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 button-close Custom Styling Navigation Homepage Link Search Form
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 1 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

19 pass 1 fail WCAG AA
h2 Departments
2.80:1
#000000
on
#0054A4
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · top of page (header area)
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 CSIS homepage20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Departments2.80:13.0:1
#000000
#0054A4
Fail
h2 Regions20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Topics20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Primary Menu20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About CSIS20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About CSIS20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About Menu20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About CSIS20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About Menu20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 About CSIS20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Executive Ed Navigat…20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Iran War20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Featured Analysis20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Footer20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Footer Social20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h2 Footer secondary nav…20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h3 Last Rounds? Status …20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h3 Media Inquiries20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
h3 Follow20.47:13.0:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
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+
Landmark Structure
15 landmarks
PASS
15 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
8 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
All <nav> elements are properly labeled
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "-menu" MAIN CONTENTINFO footer
A
Heading Hierarchy
75 headings, 1 skip(s)
PASS
75 headings, 1 skip(s)
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
  • H2 Departments submenu
  • H2 Regions submenu
  • H2 Topics submenu
  • H2 Primary Menu
  • H2 About CSIS
  • H2 About CSIS submenu
  • H2 About Menu
  • H2 About CSIS submenu
  • H3 Space Strategic Dialogue: Space and the Future of Warfare with Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command
  • H3 Has the Iran war transformed the Middle East's future? | State of Play
  • H3 Enemies in Agreement: A Virtual Book Talk with Dr. Jane Vaynman
  • H3 Powering Maritime Dominance: A Conversation with ADM William Houston, USN
  • H2 About Menu
  • H2 About CSIS submenu
  • H2 Executive Ed Navigation
  • H1 CSIS homepage
  • H3 Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire skipped
  • H2 Iran War
  • H2 Featured Analysis
  • H3 CSIS Announces Joseph F. Dunford as Next CEO
  • H4 Related
  • H2 Featured Videos
  • H3 Why Supply Chain Adaptability Is Key
  • H3 China’s Support of Iran
  • H3 Building Trust Through Development Delivery
  • H3 U.S. Blockades Strait of Hormuz
  • H3 Gavi as a Model for Future Development
  • H3 Why Supply Chain Adaptability Is Key
  • H3 China’s Support of Iran
  • H3 Building Trust Through Development Delivery
  • H3 U.S. Blockades Strait of Hormuz
  • H3 Gavi as a Model for Future Development
  • H2 Departments
  • H3 Defense and Security
  • H3 Economic Security and Technology
  • H3 Geopolitics and Foreign Policy
  • H3 Global Development
  • H2 Upcoming Events
  • H3 Powering Maritime Dominance: A Conversation with ADM William Houston, USN
  • H3 The Impossible State Live Podcast: Korean Messiah
  • H3 AI for Food Security Forum
  • H3 Advancing the Texas Advanced Packaging Ecosystem
  • H2 Digital Reports
  • H3 Risk Beneath the Waves: Safeguarding Subsea Cables for a Secure Global Network
  • H3 Securing Africa’s Future Water Needs
  • H3 In China's Orbit: Beijing’s Space Diplomacy in the Global South
  • H3 A New Landscape for Development
  • H3 The Electric Vehicle Playbook for Emerging Markets
  • H3 Navigating Disruption: Ally and Partner Responses to U.S. Foreign Policy
  • H3 War and the Modern Battlefield: Insights from Ukraine and the Middle East
  • H3 Weathering ‘High Winds and Stormy Waves’: China’s Search for Economic Security
  • H3 No Safe Harbor: Evaluating the Risk of China's Port Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • H3 The Nature of Strength: Creating a More Secure Future with Agricultural Biodiversity
  • H3 Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War
  • H3 At the Doorstep: A Snapshot of New Activity at Cuban Spy Sites
  • H2 Podcasts
  • H2 Microsites
  • H3 Missile Threat
  • H3 Beyond Parallel
  • H3 China Power
  • H3 LeadershIP
  • H3 Arctic Military Activity Tracker
  • H3 Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
  • H3 Engaging Indian States
  • H3 Aerospace Security
  • H3 Big Data China
  • H2 Executive Education Courses
  • H3 The CSIS Global Strategy Lab
  • H3 Inside DOD’s FY 2027 Budget
  • H3 Meeting China's Military Challenge
  • H2 Footer
  • H3 Media Inquiries
  • H2 Footer Social
  • H3 Follow
  • H2 Footer secondary navigation

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

A
Alt Text Quality
1 of 62 images have issues
PASS
1 of 62 images have issues
Critical::
1 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Info::
2 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
59 image(s) with good alt text
62 images 59 good alt text 2 decorative 1 missing
IssueCount
missing1 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

A+
Print Stylesheet
Print styles detected
PASS
Print styles detected
Info::
External print stylesheet detected
Got: /themes/custom/ts_csis/dist/print.css?tdlxol
Print Stylesheet Print Optimized
Print stylesheet /themes/custom/ts_csis/dist/print.css?tdlxol Inline @media print Not detected
A
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 93/100 — 2 failing, 25 passed
PASS
93

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.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire article.ts-card-featured-overlay > div.relative > div.ts-card-featured-overlay__text > h3.ts-card-featured-overlay__headline

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

Names and labels

Informative elements should aim for short, descriptive alternate text. Decorative elements can be ignored with an empty alt attribute. Learn more about the `alt` attribute.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div > div > picture > img div > div > picture > img

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.

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
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.
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 are distinguishable without relying on color.
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
Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
Document has a main landmark.
Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
ARIA IDs are unique
`[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
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
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.

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