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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
61
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
8
PASS
1
INFO
0
Checks
13
1 PASS 8 REVIEW 4 FIX
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::
7 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
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 7 <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
13 landmarks
REVIEW
13 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
7 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
2 of 7 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
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.
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "global" 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

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

C
Alt Text Quality
Action
4 of 30 images have issues
REVIEW
4 of 30 images have issues
Critical::
4 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Info::
5 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
21 image(s) with good alt text
30 images 21 good alt text 5 decorative 4 missing
IssueCount
missing4 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

B
Form Accessibility
2 of 4 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 4 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="submit">; <input type="submit">
Info::
2 control(s) properly labeled
4 controls
2 labeled
0 placeholder only
2 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
querysearchSearch for:none
querysearchSearch for:none
inputsubmit(none)none
inputsubmit(none)none

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

<input type="submit">; <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

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::
Search form present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found - Northeastern University ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✓
B
Favicon & Branding
19 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
19 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
B
Web Manifest
Valid manifest
REVIEW
Valid manifest
Info::
Name present: Northeastern University
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: minimal-ui
PWA Install Criteria Not Installable
Name Northeastern University ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode minimal-ui ✓
Name Northeastern University Display Mode minimal-ui Theme Color #ffffff Background Color black Icons 7 icon(s)
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 17 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

3 pass 17 fail WCAG AA 2 pass AA only
h1 Experience
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · bottom of viewport
h1 Research
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · bottom of viewport
h1 Global
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · bottom of viewport
h2 Explore our global campuses
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 #LikeAHusky
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Athletics
1.66:1
#000000
on
#333333
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
title Home - Northeastern University
1.11:1
#000000
on
#111111
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Skip to main content
1.11:1
#000000
on
#111111
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
span Explore Northeastern
2.13:1
#000000
on
#47442E
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area) · over background image/gradient
span My Northeastern
2.01:1
#000000
on
#42411D
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a About Northeastern
1.67:1
#000000
on
#40311C
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a University Leadership
1.07:1
#000000
on
#0B0B0B
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Institutional Accomplishments
1.24:1
#000000
on
#261A12
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a Student Life
3.06:1
#000000
on
#725440
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Sustainability
1.18:1
#000000
on
#14181D
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Maps and Directions
1.14:1
#000000
on
#14141A
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Art at Northeastern
1.14:1
#000000
on
#141318
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · mid-page

4 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
h1 Experience1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
h1 Research1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
h1 Global1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
h2 Explore our global c…1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
h2 #LikeAHusky1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
h2 Athletics1.66:13.0:1
#000000
#333333
Fail
title Home - Northeastern …1.11:14.5:1
#000000
#111111
Fail
a Skip to main content1.11:14.5:1
#000000
#111111
Fail
span Explore Northeastern2.13:14.5:1
#000000
#47442E
Fail
span Close4.79:14.5:1
#000000
#80776F
Pass
span My Northeastern2.01:14.5:1
#000000
#42411D
Fail
span Find Faculty & Staff5.86:14.5:1
#000000
#968476
Pass
span About8.39:14.5:1
#000000
#ADA297
Pass
a About Northeastern1.67:14.5:1
#000000
#40311C
Fail
a University Leadershi…1.07:14.5:1
#000000
#0B0B0B
Fail
a Institutional Accomp…1.24:14.5:1
#000000
#261A12
Fail
a Student Life3.06:14.5:1
#000000
#725440
Fail
a Sustainability1.18:14.5:1
#000000
#14181D
Fail
a Maps and Directions1.14:14.5:1
#000000
#14141A
Fail
a Art at Northeastern1.14:14.5:1
#000000
#141318
Fail

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 85/100 — 4 failing, 25 passed
REVIEW
85

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.

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
ul > li.grid-item > figure > img ul > li.grid-item > figure > img
ul > li.grid-item > figure > img ul > li.grid-item > figure > img
ul > li.grid-item > figure > img ul > li.grid-item > figure > img
ul > li.grid-item > figure > img ul > li.grid-item > figure > img

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
nav.takeover-nav-buttons > div.wp-block-buttons > div.wp-block-custom-icon-button > a.wp-block-button__link nav.takeover-nav-buttons > div.wp-block-buttons > div.wp-block-custom-icon-button > a.wp-block-button__link
div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area
div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area
div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area
div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area div.nu-block-featured-ngn-stories > ul > li.grid-item > a.contains-clickable-area

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.

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 div#truste-consent-track > div#truste-consent-content > div#truste-consent-text > a#truste-cookie-button

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Tables and lists

Screen readers have a specific way of announcing lists. Ensuring proper list structure aids screen reader output. Learn more about proper list structure.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Arlington VIRGINIA Our hub for research and graduate education at the interse… div.wp-block-column > div#posts-grid--block_11fe7e38a5262cfe0d2588fc65b37f43 > div.nu__grid > ul#swiper-wrapper-35595ffdc7d3624b

These are opportunities to improve the experience of reading tabular or list data using 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
●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
●`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
●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
●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.
●`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○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
○Form elements have associated labels
○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.
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
○All heading elements contain content.
○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
Heading Hierarchy
9 headings
PASS
9 headings
Warning::
Multiple H1 headings (3 found)
A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.
  • H1 Experience
  • H1 Research duplicate H1
  • H1 Global duplicate H1
  • H2 Undergraduate
  • H2 Graduate
  • H2 Doctoral
  • H2 Explore our global campuses
  • H2 #LikeAHusky
  • H2 Athletics

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

Why this matters

Multiple H1s blur the page's primary topic — screen-reader users and Google both prefer one H1.

Learn more ▾

HTML5's outline algorithm technically allows multiple H1s within sectioning content, but no browser implements it. In practice: one H1 per page. Use H2-H6 for subsections.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

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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