Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

4 PASS 4 REVIEW 5 FIX

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 403, custom page

FIX

HTTP 403, custom page

Unexpected status code: HTTP 403

Expected HTTP 404 but received 403. This may confuse search engine crawlers.

Got: HTTP 403

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 ✗

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

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.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

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.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

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 ✗

Form Accessibility

2 of 4 controls have issues

REVIEW

2 of 4 controls have issues

2 control(s) without accessible label

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

Got: <input type="submit" name="op" id="edit-submit">; <input type="submit" name="op" id="edit-submit">

2 control(s) properly labeled

4 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

2 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#edit-edan-q	search	Search	for/id
#edit-edan-q	search	Search	for/id
#edit-submit	submit	(none)	none
#edit-submit	submit	(none)	none

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

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

Link & Button Quality

3 issue(s) across 101 links and 20 buttons

REVIEW

3 issue(s) across 101 links and 20 buttons

3 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: https://www.si.edu/cdn-cgi/content?id=Jq2O7FFWVeaj1WjSe1xjuKZORB1oMPN9iYdJVcV…; a#top; a#main-content

98 link(s) with descriptive text

101 links

3 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.si.edu/cdn-cgi/content?id=Jq…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label

118 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

https://www.si.edu/cdn-cgi/content?id=Jq2O7FFWVeaj1WjSe1xjuKZORB1oMPN9iYdJVcV…; a#top; a#main-content

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Favicon & Branding

Action

13 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

13 icon(s) detected

No favicon.ico at site root

Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

0 pass 20 fail WCAG AA

h1 Smithsonian Homepage

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h2 Slideshow

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Explore from Anywhere!

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Plan Your Visit

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 What interests you?

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Featured

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Sidedoor Podcast

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Membership

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

title Smithsonian Institution | Home

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Skip to main content

2.92:1

#000000

#57575C

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Skip to main navigation

1.93:1

#000000

#423B41

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span heart-solid

1.86:1

#000000

#3E3940

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span My Visit

1.70:1

#000000

#35343A

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Donate

1.65:1

#000000

#323237

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Smithsonian Institution

1.65:1

#000000

#323237

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Donate

1.65:1

#000000

#323237

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Menu

1.63:1

#000000

#323136

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

label Search

1.63:1

#000000

#323136

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

div Press Enter to activate a submenu, down …

2.01:1

#000000

#3F3F44

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

span Visit

2.78:1

#000000

#53545A

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

1 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)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Smithsonian Homepage	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Slideshow	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Explore from Anywher…	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Plan Your Visit	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 What interests you?	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Featured	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Sidedoor Podcast	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
h2 Membership	2.92:1	3.0:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
title Smithsonian Institut…	2.92:1	4.5:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
a Skip to main content	2.92:1	4.5:1	#000000	#57575C	Fail
a Skip to main navigat…	1.93:1	4.5:1	#000000	#423B41	Fail
span heart-solid	1.86:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3E3940	Fail
span My Visit	1.70:1	4.5:1	#000000	#35343A	Fail
span Donate	1.65:1	4.5:1	#000000	#323237	Fail
span Smithsonian Institut…	1.65:1	4.5:1	#000000	#323237	Fail
span Donate	1.65:1	4.5:1	#000000	#323237	Fail
span Menu	1.63:1	4.5:1	#000000	#323136	Fail
label Search	1.63:1	4.5:1	#000000	#323136	Fail
div Press Enter to activ…	2.01:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3F3F44	Fail
span Visit	2.78:1	4.5:1	#000000	#53545A	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.

A+

Landmark Structure

11 landmarks

PASS

11 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

A+

Heading Hierarchy

37 headings

PASS

37 headings

Single H1 present

H2 Slideshow
H2 Our Shared Future: 250 arrow-right
H2 2026 National Education Summit, July 14-16 arrow-right
H2 Broad Stripes, Bright Stars, and White Lies arrow-right
H2 Celebrate Earth Month with the Smithsonian arrow-right
H2 Smithsonian Open Access arrow-right
H1 Smithsonian Homepage
H2 Explore from Anywhere!
H2 Plan Your Visit
H2 What interests you?
H3 Art & Design arrow-right
H3 History & Culture arrow-right
H3 Science & Nature arrow-right
H3 Technology & Innovation arrow-right
H2 Featured
H3 Meet Linh Mai! arrow-right
H3 Jazz Appreciation Month arrow-right
H3 All About the Artemis Program arrow-right
H3 Round and Round We Go arrow-right
H3 Music and Fashion: Culture in Conversation arrow-right
H3 Natural History arrow-right
H3 Digital Backgrounds arrow-right
H3 Mysteries of the Universe arrow-right
H3 Duke Ellington arrow-right
H3 Signs of Spring arrow-right
H3 A History of Earth Day arrow-right
H3 Six Animals the Smithsonian Has Helped Save from Extinction arrow-right
H2 Sidedoor Podcast
H3 The Curse of the Hope Diamond arrow-right
H3 The 'Gentle Anarchy' of the Muppets arrow-right
H3 Monkeyin' Around on the Devil's Island arrow-right
H3 Zoo's Clues arrow-right
H2 Membership
H3 Shop arrow-right
H3 Magazine arrow-right
H3 Channel arrow-right
H3 Travel arrow-right

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 33 images OK

PASS

All 33 images OK

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

32 image(s) with good alt text

33 images 32 good alt text 1 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 95/100 — 1 failing, 29 passed

PASS

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

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.c-site-header__lower > divy.c-site-header__lower-inner > div#c-menu > button#nav-trigger `div.c-site-header__lower > divy.c-site-header__lower-inner > div#c-menu > button#nav-trigger`

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

●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 have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●`[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

●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

●`<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.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●ARIA IDs are unique

●Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○`[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

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<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.

○`[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.

○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.