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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
44
GRADE
F
FIX
8
REVIEW
3
PASS
2
INFO
0
Checks
13
2 PASS 3 REVIEW 8 FIX
F
Heading Hierarchy
Action
54 headings, 4 skip(s)
FIX
54 headings, 4 skip(s)
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H3 → H6 (missing H4)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H4 → H6 (missing H5)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H5 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
2 empty heading(s)
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
  • H3 OUR MISSION
  • H2 Create Technological Surprise for National Security
  • H3 LIVE CHAIN
  • H2 Transforming Battlefield Casualty Care for Modern Warfare
  • H3 VELOCITY TO
  • H2 Break the Boundaries of Possibility
  • H3 TRANSFORM NAPKIN SKETCHES INTO
  • H2 World-Changing Technologies
  • H3 IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE
  • H2 It's DARPA Hard
  • H3 Events
  • H4 DARPAConnect Mission Connect: Michigan
  • H4 Proposers Day: DISCORD
  • H4 Proposers Day: AMPED
  • H4 SOF Week 2026
  • H4 BTO Innovation Opportunity Fair
  • H4 STO Industry Day
  • H3 News
  • H6 For quantum computing, different qubits are better togeth… skipped
  • H6 DARPA-developed autonomous helicopter technology transiti…
  • H6 Translate your bio-attribution research into national se…
  • H3 Latest from DARPA
  • H4 Ride along with RACER
  • H6 (empty)
  • H2 Communities
  • H4 DARPA newcomers skipped
  • H4 Industry
  • H4 Small businesses
  • H4 Defense and government
  • H4 Academia
  • H4 Investors and entrepreneurs
  • H2 (empty)
  • H2 Technical Offices
  • H5 Biological Technologies Office skipped
  • H5 Defense Sciences Office
  • H5 Information Innovation Office
  • H5 Microsystems Technology Office
  • H5 Strategic Technology Office
  • H5 Tactical Technology Office
  • H2 Work at DARPA
  • H2 Contact
  • H3 Work with DARPA
  • H3 Redefining Possible
  • H4 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency To create and prevent technological surprise for our national security
  • H3 Work with Us
  • H3 R&D Opportunities
  • H3 Programs
  • H3 Offices
  • H3 News
  • H3 Events
  • H3 Careers
  • H3 About
  • H2 Footer
  • H2 USA Government Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

F
404 Error Page
Action
Soft 404 detected
FIX
Soft 404 detected
Critical::
Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages
The server returns HTTP 200 for a path that does not exist. Search engines will index these pages, diluting your real content. Configure your server to return a proper 404 status code for missing pages.
Got: Status: 200 for /beavercheck-404-test-xmhei6
404 Page Quality Soft 404 (HTTP 200)
Status Code: HTTP 200

The server returned HTTP 200 for a non-existent path. Search engines will index this page as real content. Configure your server to return HTTP 404 for missing pages.

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
F
Web Manifest
Action
Invalid JSON
FIX
Invalid JSON
Warning::
Manifest contains invalid JSON
Manifest at https://darpa.mil/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.
Got: https://darpa.mil/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

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
F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
3 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 3 <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
Form Accessibility
2 of 12 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 12 controls have issues
Critical::
2 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="range" id="usa-range">; <textarea name="g-recaptcha-response" id="g-recaptcha-response-100000">
Info::
10 control(s) properly labeled
12 controls
10 labeled
0 placeholder only
2 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#Full name*inputFull name*for/id
#Email*emailEmail*for/id
#Phone number*telPhone number*for/id
#Company / Organization*inputCompany / Organization*for/id
#Your Title / Role*inputYour Title / Role*for/id
#Topic*selectTopic*for/id
#OfficeselectOffice (Optional)for/id
#Program ManagerselectProgram Manager (Optional)for/id
#messagetextareaMessage*for/id
#submitsubmitnone
#usa-rangerange(none)none
#g-recaptcha-response-100000textarea(none)none

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

<input type="range" id="usa-range">; <textarea name="g-recaptcha-response" id="g-recaptcha-response-100000">

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

C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 4 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

16 pass 4 fail WCAG AA 2 pass AA only
h2 Create Technological Surprise for Nation…
1.08:1
#000000
on
#060E13
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport · over background image/gradient
h3 OUR MISSION
1.01:1
#000000
on
#010205
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport · over background image/gradient
title Home | DARPA
1.79:1
#000000
on
#163960
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Skip to main content
2.95:1
#000000
on
#405A77
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area) · over background image/gradient

3 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 Create Technological…1.08:13.0:1
#000000
#060E13
Fail
h2 Transforming Battlef…19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 Break the Boundaries…19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 World-Changing Techn…19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 It's DARPA Hard19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 Technical Offices19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 Contact19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 Footer19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h2 USA Government Links19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 OUR MISSION1.01:13.0:1
#000000
#010205
Fail
h3 LIVE CHAIN19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 VELOCITY TO19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 TRANSFORM NAPKIN SKE…19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 Work with DARPA19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
h3 Redefining Possible19.07:13.0:1
#000000
#F2F4F8
Pass
title Home | DARPA1.79:14.5:1
#000000
#163960
Fail
a Skip to main content2.95:14.5:1
#000000
#405A77
Fail
p An official website …6.14:14.5:1
#000000
#828C96
Pass
p Here’s how you kno…6.22:14.5:1
#000000
#838D96
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.

B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 81/100 — 6 failing, 27 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
RACER | 360° video div#react-top-tabs > ul.usa-button-group > li.usa-button-group__item > button.usa-button
Live Chain div#react-top-tabs > ul.usa-button-group > li.usa-button-group__item > button.usa-button
Podcast | Ep 92 div#react-top-tabs > ul.usa-button-group > li.usa-button-group__item > button.usa-button

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.

Names and labels

When a button doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it as "button", making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make buttons more accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.grid-row > div.podcast-player-control > div.display-flex > button.play-pause-btn div.grid-row > div.podcast-player-control > div.display-flex > button.play-pause-btn

Labels ensure that form controls are announced properly by assistive technologies, like screen readers. Learn more about form element labels.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.podcast-player-control > div.display-flex > div.tracker-container > input#usa-range div.podcast-player-control > div.display-flex > div.tracker-container > input#usa-range

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
div.flex > div.flex > div.flex > a.items-center div.flex > div.flex > div.flex > a.items-center
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__footer > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button
div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > a.usa-button

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.

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
For quantum computing, different qubits are better togeth… a.news-container-link > div.mb-3 > div.news-content > h6
DARPA newcomers div.paragraph > div.usa-card__container > div.usa-card__header > h4
Biological Technologies Office div.grid-row > div.desktop:grid-col > div.technical-offices-card > h5.text-center

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

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
Privacy Policy form.width-full > div.grid-col-12 > p.reCAPTCHA-text > a
Terms of Service form.width-full > div.grid-col-12 > p.reCAPTCHA-text > a

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

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
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
`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
Input buttons have discernible text.
`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
Select elements have associated label elements.
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
`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
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
All heading elements contain content.
Identical links have the same purpose.
`[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 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
`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
`<object>` elements have alternate text
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>`.
Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
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.
A
Landmark Structure
11 landmarks
PASS
11 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
3 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
1 of 3 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN ASIDE 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+
Alt Text Quality
All 35 images OK
PASS
All 35 images OK
Info::
1 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
17 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
17 image(s) with good alt text
35 images 17 good alt text 17 decorative
IssueCount
too long1 image(s)
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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