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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
69
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
3
PASS
6
INFO
0
Checks
13
6 PASS 3 REVIEW 4 FIX
F
Web Manifest
Action
Valid manifest
FIX
Valid manifest
Warning::
No name or short_name
Add a name field to identify the app.
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
PWA Install Criteria Not Installable
Name ✗192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode ✗
Icons 2 icon(s)
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::
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
Heading Hierarchy
14 headings, 2 skip(s)
REVIEW
14 headings, 2 skip(s)
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H1 → H4 (missing H2)
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.
  • H1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • H4 Top resources for skipped
  • H4 Featured topic
  • H2 Spotlight: Apr 16, 2026
  • H4 Apr 16, 2026 skipped
  • H4 Share:
  • H2 Research and Education that Matter
  • H3 Benefits for Maine fisheries
  • H3 Improving hydrogen production
  • H3 Technology for Artemis II
  • H3 Tracking hand gestures
  • H3 A world without MIT
  • H3 Contributions to the nation
  • H4 Want more about MIT?

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

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 | MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 2 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

18 pass 2 fail WCAG AA 3 pass AA only
title MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technol…
1.77:1
#000000
on
#750014
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Skip to content ↓
1.77:1
#000000
on
#750014
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Massachusetts Instit…19.60:13.0:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
h2 Research and Educati…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
title MIT - Massachusetts …1.77:14.5:1
#000000
#750014
Fail
a Skip to content ↓1.77:14.5:1
#000000
#750014
Fail
a Education19.43:14.5:1
#000000
#F6F6F6
Pass
a Research18.93:14.5:1
#000000
#F3F3F3
Pass
a Innovation19.09:14.5:1
#000000
#F4F4F4
Pass
a Admissions + Aid19.60:14.5:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
a Campus Life19.60:14.5:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
a News19.60:14.5:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
a Alumni19.60:14.5:1
#000000
#F7F7F7
Pass
a About MIT5.53:14.5:1
#000000
#8B817D
Pass
a Lifelong Learning5.44:14.5:1
#000000
#9B7C5E
Pass
a Give7.53:14.5:1
#000000
#C69144
Pass
button More6.73:14.5:1
#000000
#BF8735
Pass
span ↓8.52:14.5:1
#000000
#C49F6B
Pass
a Admissions + Aid14.73:14.5:1
#000000
#D7D8DB
Pass
a Campus Life13.50:14.5:1
#000000
#CFCFD1
Pass
a News12.34:14.5:1
#000000
#C7C6C8
Pass
a Alumni21.00:14.5:1
#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+
Landmark Structure
4 landmarks
PASS
4 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
1 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
No banner (header) landmark
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER (missing!) NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 7 images OK
PASS
All 7 images OK
Info::
7 image(s) with good alt text
7 images 7 good alt text
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Form Accessibility
All 1 controls labeled
PASS
All 1 controls labeled
Info::
1 control(s) properly labeled
1 controls
1 labeled
0 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#es-search-form-inputqueryExplore websites, people, and locationsfor/id
A
Favicon & Branding
6 icon(s) detected
PASS
6 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✓ SVG Favicon Present
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
A
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 90/100 — 3 failing, 23 passed
PASS
90

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

Each ARIA `role` supports a specific subset of `aria-*` attributes. Mismatching these invalidates the `aria-*` attributes. Learn how to match ARIA attributes to their roles.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.es-search__width > form#es-search-form > div.es-search__box-mod > input#es-search-form-input div.es-search__width > form#es-search-form > div.es-search__box-mod > input#es-search-form-input

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.

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
Apr 16, 2026 article.spotlight > div.spotlight-inner > div.spotlight__meta > h4.spotlight__date

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

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
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA footer.site-footer > div.site-footer__utility-mod > div.site-footer__contact-info > a.site-footer__contact-info-link
Visit div.site-footer__utility-mod > ul.site-footer__utility-list > li.site-footer__utility-item > a.site-footer__utility__text-link
Events div.site-footer__utility-mod > ul.site-footer__utility-list > li.site-footer__utility-item > a.site-footer__utility__text-link
Jobs div.site-footer__utility-mod > ul.site-footer__utility-list > li.site-footer__utility-item > a.site-footer__utility__text-link
Privacy div.site-footer__utility-mod > ul.site-footer__utility-list > li.site-footer__utility-item > a.site-footer__utility__text-link
Accessibility div.site-footer__utility-mod > ul.site-footer__utility-list > li.site-footer__utility-item > a.site-footer__utility__text-link
Social Media Hub li.site-footer__utility-item > ul.site-footer__social-list > li.site-footer__social-item > a.site-footer__social-item--connect-link

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-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
●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
●`[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
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
○`[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
○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.
○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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