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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
62
GRADE
D
FIX
3
REVIEW
7
PASS
3
INFO
0
Checks
13
3 PASS 7 REVIEW 3 FIX
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
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
1 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Alt Text Quality
2 of 5 images have issues
REVIEW
2 of 5 images have issues
Critical::
2 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Info::
1 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
2 image(s) with good alt text
5 images 2 good alt text 1 decorative 2 missing
IssueCount
missing2 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

C
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title 404 - Page not found | MIT Technology Review ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
C
Favicon & Branding
Action
4 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
4 icon(s) 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::
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'>.
Info::
SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✗ favicon.ico Missing
✓ PNG Icons Present
✗ Apple Touch Missing
✓ SVG Favicon Present
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
C
Web Manifest
Action
Valid manifest
REVIEW
Valid manifest
Info::
Name present: MIT Technology Review
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
PWA Install Criteria Not Installable
Name MIT Technology Review ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode ✗
Name MIT Technology Review Icons 3 icon(s)
B
Dark Mode Support
Dark mode detected
REVIEW
Dark mode detected
Info::
prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

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
h1 MIT Technology Review
1.37:1
#000000
on
#242525
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · top of page (header area) · over background image/gradient
h3 Chinese tech workers are starting to tra…
1.00:1
#FFFFFF
on
#FFFFFF
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 The case for fixing everything
1.00:1
#FFFFFF
on
#FFFFFF
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 How robots learn: A brief, contemporary …
1.00:1
#FFFFFF
on
#FFFFFF
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport

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)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 MIT Technology Revie…1.37:13.0:1
#000000
#242525
Fail
h2 Featured Story21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Most Popular21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Features21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Related Story21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 MIT Technology Revie…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Highlights21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 What's Next21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Magazine21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Hype Correction21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 MIT Alumni News21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 The Feed21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Cookie Policy21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Do Not Sell My Perso…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Colossal Biosciences…19.91:13.0:1
#08090C
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Chinese tech workers…1.00:13.0:1
#FFFFFF
#FFFFFF
Fail
h3 The case for fixing …1.00:13.0:1
#FFFFFF
#FFFFFF
Fail
h3 How robots learn: A …1.00:13.0:1
#FFFFFF
#FFFFFF
Fail
h3 How Pokémon Go is g…19.91:13.0:1
#08090C
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Inside the stealthy …19.91:13.0:1
#08090C
#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.

B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 88/100 — 4 failing, 26 passed
REVIEW
88

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

ARIA dialog elements without accessible names may prevent screen readers users from discerning the purpose of these elements. Learn how to make ARIA dialog elements more accessible.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-busy body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-busy
body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper

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
header.headerTemplate__container--ecd80005f4f4080205fa3a10b73ba2fd > div.headerTemplate__navigationRow--3a62ddafd8db50d42d8385fb402f956f > div.headerTemplate__rightNavHolder--da5465c8554116beccc869269e47c946 > button.headerTemplate__hamburgerIcon--0d1c332876d1598bcd81275ee2ce7a7c header.headerTemplate__container--ecd80005f4f4080205fa3a10b73ba2fd > div.headerTemplate__navigationRow--3a62ddafd8db50d42d8385fb402f956f > div.headerTemplate__rightNavHolder--da5465c8554116beccc869269e47c946 > button.headerTemplate__hamburgerIcon--0d1c332876d1598bcd81275ee2ce7a7c
body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper > button.tp-close body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper > button.tp-close

Screen reader users rely on frame titles to describe the contents of frames. Learn more about frame titles.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.heroSection__leftColumn--bd04310f1ffae986372c9d3df8a58082 > div#homepage_hero_banner > div.tp-container-inner > iframe#offer_77db7b4abc203285213a-0 div.heroSection__leftColumn--bd04310f1ffae986372c9d3df8a58082 > div#homepage_hero_banner > div.tp-container-inner > iframe#offer_77db7b4abc203285213a-0
div > div#homepage_full_width > div.tp-container-inner > iframe#offer_c3c323db275cddae019e-0 div > div#homepage_full_width > div.tp-container-inner > iframe#offer_c3c323db275cddae019e-0
body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper > iframe#offer_aee99e6decef32da11da-0 body.body--homepage-version > div.tp-modal > div.tp-iframe-wrapper > iframe#offer_aee99e6decef32da11da-0

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.

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
See our cookie policy div.ot-sdk-eight > div#onetrust-policy > p#onetrust-policy-text > 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 have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●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
●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Skip links are focusable.
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements 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
○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
○Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
○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.
○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
Landmark Structure
5 landmarks
PASS
5 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Warning::
No <nav> landmark found
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header MAIN ASIDE "Related Story - Big Tech's big bet on a controversial carbon removal tactic" CONTENTINFO footer
A+
Heading Hierarchy
100 headings
PASS
100 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 MIT Technology Review
  • H2 Featured Story
  • H3 Colossal Biosciences said it cloned red wolves. Is it for real?
  • H3 Chinese tech workers are starting to train their AI doubles—and pushing back
  • H3 The case for fixing everything
  • H3 How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history
  • H2 Most Popular
  • H3 How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world
  • H3 Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones
  • H3 Want to understand the current state of AI? Check out these charts.
  • H3 Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon
  • H3 This startup wants to change how mathematicians do math
  • H3 America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.
  • H3 A woman’s uterus has been kept alive outside the body for the first time
  • H3 AI benchmarks are broken. Here’s what we need instead.
  • H3 Hustlers are cashing in on China’s OpenClaw AI craze
  • H3 NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft. How will it work?
  • H2 Features
  • H3 America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.
  • H3 This startup claims it can stop lightning and prevent catastrophic wildfires
  • H3 This scientist rewarmed and studied pieces of his friend’s cryopreserved brain
  • H3 Mustafa Suleyman: AI development won’t hit a wall anytime soon—here’s why
  • H3 The snow gods: How a couple of ski bums built the internet’s best weather app
  • H3 OpenAI’s “compromise” with the Pentagon is what Anthropic feared
  • H3 Is carbon removal in trouble?
  • H2 Related Story
  • H2 MIT Technology Review Explains
  • H3 What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste?
  • H3 Peptides are everywhere. Here’s what you need to know.
  • H3 This is the most misunderstood graph in AI
  • H3 LLMs contain a LOT of parameters. But what’s a parameter?
  • H3 What we still don’t know about weight-loss drugs
  • H3 What is the chance your plane will be hit by space debris?
  • H3 How do our bodies remember?
  • H3 Trump is pushing leucovorin as a treatment for autism. What is it?
  • H3 How to measure the returns on R&D spending
  • H3 How do AI models generate videos?
  • H2 Highlights
  • H3 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2026
  • H3 Why AI predictions are so hard
  • H3 Three technologies that will shape biotech in 2026
  • H3 Why some “breakthrough” technologies don’t work out
  • H3 Next-gen nuclear: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2026
  • H3 Commercial space stations: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2026
  • H2 What's Next
  • H3 What’s next for AI in 2026
  • H3 What’s next for carbon removal?
  • H3 What’s next for AlphaFold: A conversation with a Google DeepMind Nobel laureate
  • H3 What’s next for AI and math
  • H3 What’s next for nuclear power
  • H3 What’s next for our privacy?
  • H3 Why EVs are (mostly) set for solid growth in 2025
  • H3 What’s next for NASA’s giant moon rocket?
  • H3 What’s next for drones
  • H3 What’s next in chips
  • H2 Magazine
  • H3 The Crime issue
  • H3 AI is already making online crimes easier. It could get much worse.
  • H3 Welcome to the dark side of crypto’s permissionless dream
  • H3 How uncrewed narco subs could transform the Colombian drug trade
  • H3 Hackers made death threats against this security researcher. Big mistake.
  • H3 Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon
  • H2 Hype Correction
  • H3 The great AI hype correction of 2025
  • H3 What even is the AI bubble?
  • H3 AI materials discovery now needs to move into the real world
  • H3 AI coding is now everywhere. But not everyone is convinced.
  • H3 A brief history of Sam Altman’s hype
  • H3 AI might not be coming for lawyers’ jobs anytime soon
  • H2 MIT Alumni News
  • H3 A boost for manufacturing
  • H3 Using big data for good
  • H3 A retinal reboot for amblyopia
  • H3 Innovation on the move
  • H3 A Q&A with RankoBot
  • H3 A I-designed proteins may help spot cancer
  • H3 Just pull a string to turn these tile patterns into useful 3D structures
  • H3 Vine-inspired robot fingers can reach out and grab someone
  • H3 A new way to rejuvenate the immune system
  • H3 MIT Alumni News
  • H3 Bridging the operational AI gap
  • H2 The Feed
  • H3 Digging for clues about the North Pole’s past
  • H3 Colossal Biosciences said it cloned red wolves. Is it for real?
  • H3 Chinese tech workers are starting to train their AI doubles—and pushing back
  • H3 Building agent-first governance and security
  • H3 How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history
  • H3 The case for fixing everything
  • H3 The latest iteration of a legacy
  • H3 Advertise with MIT Technology Review
  • H3 About
  • H3 Help
  • H2 Cookie Policy
  • H2 Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • H3 Manage Consent Preferences
  • H4 Strictly Necessary Cookies
  • H4 Sale of Personal Data
  • H5 Performance Cookies
  • H5 Targeting Cookies
  • H3 Performance Cookies
A
Form Accessibility
1 of 7 controls have issues
PASS
1 of 7 controls have issues
Critical::
1 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="text" name="vendor-search-handler" id="vendor-search-handler">
Info::
6 control(s) properly labeled
7 controls
6 labeled
0 placeholder only
1 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#newsletterSignupemailEnter your emailfor/id
#ot-group-id-BG18checkboxSale of Personal Datafor/id
#chkbox-idcheckboxcheckbox labelfor/id
#select-all-hosts-groups-handlercheckboxcheckbox labelfor/id
#select-all-vendor-groups-handlercheckboxcheckbox labelfor/id
#select-all-vendor-leg-handlercheckboxcheckbox labelfor/id
#vendor-search-handlertext(none)none

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

<input type="text" name="vendor-search-handler" id="vendor-search-handler">

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

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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