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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
52
GRADE
F
FIX
7
REVIEW
1
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 1 REVIEW 7 FIX
D
Landmark Structure
Action
No landmarks
FIX
No landmarks
Critical::
No <main> landmark found
Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.
Warning::
No <nav> landmark found
Info::
No banner (header) landmark
Info::
No contentinfo (footer) landmark
Warning::
Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

No landmarks detected

Screen reader users have no way to navigate by region.

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

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

F
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 403, custom page
FIX
HTTP 403, custom page
Warning::
Unexpected status code: HTTP 403
Expected HTTP 404 but received 403. This may confuse search engine crawlers.
Got: HTTP 403
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 403 ✗Page Title Just a moment... ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
F
Favicon & Branding
Action
No icons detected
FIX
No icons 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::
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'>.
Critical::
No favicon or icon links detected
Your site will show the browser's generic page icon in tabs, bookmarks, and home screens.
✗ favicon.ico Missing
✗ 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 ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
0 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 84/100 — 5 failing, 22 passed
REVIEW
84

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
div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7 div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7
div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7 div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7

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.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7 div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7
div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7 div.css-o526ag > div.css-2i4w5k > nav > button.css-yop8v7

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
1 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button.active
2 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
3 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
1 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button.active
2 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
3 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
4 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
5 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
6 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
7 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
8 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
9 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button
10 div.items > div.css-ixig9i > div.blaze-pagination > button

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 html

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
The End of Fat article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
POLITICS section.__home__LhGmX > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Official Bilingualism Has Failed Canada article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Air Travel Sucks. It Doesn’t Have To. article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
PHOTO ESSAY section.__home__LhGmX > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
A Tour of Canada’s Nostalgic Fry Trucks article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
POLITICS section.__home__LhGmX > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
The Welcome Return of Boring Politics article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Atlantic Canada Won’t Survive a Population Decline article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Official Bilingualism Has Failed Canada article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Air Travel Sucks. It Doesn’t Have To. article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The End of Fat article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Will Outrageous Gas Prices Restart the EV Boom? article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Good Luck Getting World Cup Tickets article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Will Outrageous Gas Prices Restart the EV Boom? article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Foreign Worker Clampdown Is Killing My Restaurant article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Free the Wine article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Hunt for Mr. Deepfakes article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Office Wars article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
A Renter’s Nightmare article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Menace on the Streets article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Justice for Stablecoins article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Canada’s Entrepreneur Opportunity article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
A Moon Hotel? Why Not? article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Drone Highways Are Coming to Canada’s Skies article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Rich List article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
How AI Gave Me My Voice Back article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Canadian Immigration Has an AI Problem article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
An AI Became My Best Friend article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
AI Has Entered the Cubicle article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Doom Spenders article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
POLITICS div.blaze-track > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Trump Wants the Western Hemisphere—Canada Included article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The American Hotel Chain Wooing Canadians Back article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Living With My Ex article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
POLITICS div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Canada’s Reconciliation Panic article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
PHOTO ESSAY div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Inside B.C.’s Perilous Forestry Industry article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
How to Fight Loneliness article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
LEFT BRAIN div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Where Does the NDP Go From Here? article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
THE INTERVIEW div.previews > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Can AI Do Good? article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Little House in the County article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Home Prices Are Finally Dropping article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
THE BUILDINGS div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
The Uglification of Canada article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Second Life of a St. Lawrence Chalet article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
20 Reasons to Eat Canadian Right Now article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
EDUCATION div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Introducing the 2026 Maclean’s Ultimate Guide to Canadian Universities article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
UNIVERSITY RANKINGS div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Canada’s Best Comprehensive Universities for 2026 article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
UNIVERSITY RANKINGS div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Canada’s Best Primarily Undergraduate Universities for 2026 article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
UNIVERSITY RANKINGS div.items > article.preview > div.content > a.cat
Canada’s Best Medical Doctoral Universities for 2026 article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
READ MORE div.css-1kaaq5b-FormattedContentWrapper > section.previews > footer > a.btn
Why Businesses Need to Ask Harder Questions About Recycling article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
More Than a Place to Live: How Student Residences Are Becoming Career Hubs article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Cancer Care Doesn’t End with Medical Treatment—Here’s Where Canadians Can Find … article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Closing the Gap: How Purpose-Driven Innovation Is Reshaping Canadian Health Care article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Faces of the Trade War article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The End of Fat article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Menace on the Streets article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Hunt for Mr. Deepfakes article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
A Renter’s Nightmare article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
AI Has Entered the Cubicle article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Office Wars article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
My Secret Addiction article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Battle for the Soul of the University article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Rich List article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
Big Tech v. Me article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
The Doom Spenders article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
My Misadventures in Gentle Parenting article.preview > div.content > h3.title > a
ABOUT MACLEAN’S footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-1umsmbj > li.e9gglj61 > a
FAQS footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-1umsmbj > li.e9gglj61 > a
THE MACLEAN’S TEAM footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-1umsmbj > li.e9gglj61 > a
CONTACT US footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-1umsmbj > li.e9gglj61 > a
PRIVACY POLICY footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-blh3w4 > li.e9gglj61 > a
TERMS OF USE footer.css-5jcne7 > ul.css-blh3w4 > li.e9gglj61 > a
○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
●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.
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●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
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●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-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
○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
○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
○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.
○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+
Heading Hierarchy
4 headings
PASS
4 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 Sorry, you have been blocked
  • H2 You are unable to access macleans.ca
  • H2 Why have I been blocked?
  • H2 What can I do to resolve this?
A+
Alt Text Quality
No images
PASS
No images
Info::
No images on this page
No images on this page.
A+
Form Accessibility
No form controls
PASS
No form controls
Info::
No form controls on this page
No form controls found.
A+
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
18 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.

18 pass
Show all checked elements (18)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Sorry, you have been…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 macleans.ca21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Why have I been bloc…19.43:13.0:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
h2 What can I do to res…17.62:13.0:1
#000000
#EBEBEB
Pass
title Attention Required! …21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
div Please enable cookie…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span You are unable to ac…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
p This website is usin…17.62:14.5:1
#000000
#EBEBEB
Pass
p You can email the si…17.62:14.5:1
#000000
#EBEBEB
Pass
span Cloudflare Ray ID:17.62:14.5:1
#000000
#EBEBEB
Pass
strong 9f07fedd0fb443a817.62:13.0:1
#000000
#EBEBEB
Pass
span •18.76:14.5:1
#000000
#F2F2F2
Pass
span Your IP:21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
button Click to reveal21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span 2001:41d0:ab00::4:0:…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span •21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Performance & securi…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Cloudflare21.00:14.5:1
#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.

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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