Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

6 PASS 4 REVIEW 3 FIX

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 ✗

Heading Hierarchy

32 headings, 1 skip(s)

REVIEW

32 headings, 1 skip(s)

Multiple H1 headings (2 found)

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

Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

H1 Our website uses cookies
H2 Necessary cookies and anonymous statistical cookies
H3 Optional marketing cookies
H1 Independent minds.Collective spirit. duplicate H1
H3 Search for a course skipped
H3 Browse courses
H3 Undergraduate Open Days
H3 Postgraduate study at York
H2 Explore our research
H3 Biological cold case
H3 Yorkshire life
H3 Air pollution vulnerability
H3 The power of play
H2 News and events
H3 Global recognition
H3 Boundaries of Love
H3 Athena Swan success
H3 Best foot forward
H3 Driving health innovation
H3 Quantum leap
H3 Study redefines positive mental wellbeing
H3 Lost village on Yorkshire hill may hold secret to long-term prosperity
H3 Physiotherapist awarded fellowship to improve brain tumour care
H3 Cutting emissions is not the only way to save lives from air pollution, according to new study
H2 Campus and city life
H3 Student life
H3 Accommodation
H3 The city of York
H2 Support in difficult times
H2 Information for
H2 Study with us
H2 Popular links

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

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

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title 404, University of York ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

Name present: University of York

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name University of York ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode ✗

Name University of York Theme Color #001e82 Background Color #001e82 Icons 3 icon(s)

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 Our website uses cookies

1.20:1

#000000

#00124E

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · top of page (header area)

h1 Independent minds.

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h1 Collective spirit.

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h2 Necessary cookies and anonymous statisti…

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · above the fold

h2 Explore our research

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 News and events

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Campus and city life

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Support in difficult times

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Information for

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Study with us

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Popular links

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 Optional marketing cookies

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · above the fold

h3 Search for a course

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Browse courses

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

title University of York

1.20:1

#000000

#00124E

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

p You can change your cookie preferences a…

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span For more information, see

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span how we use cookies on our website

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span (Opens in a new window)

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Accept all

1.38:1

#000000

#071D67

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Our website uses coo…	1.20:1	3.0:1	#000000	#00124E	Fail
h1 Independent minds.	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h1 Collective spirit.	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Necessary cookies an…	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Explore our research	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 News and events	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Campus and city life	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Support in difficult…	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Information for	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Study with us	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h2 Popular links	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h3 Optional marketing c…	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h3 Search for a course	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
h3 Browse courses	1.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
title University of York	1.20:1	4.5:1	#000000	#00124E	Fail
p You can change your …	1.38:1	4.5:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
span For more information…	1.38:1	4.5:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
span how we use cookies o…	1.38:1	4.5:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
span (Opens in a new wind…	1.38:1	4.5:1	#000000	#071D67	Fail
span Accept all	1.38:1	4.5:1	#000000	#071D67	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.

Landmark Structure

8 landmarks

PASS

8 landmarks

<main> landmark present

4 <nav> landmark(s) found

4 of 4 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

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

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 18 images OK

PASS

All 18 images OK

16 decorative image(s) correctly marked

2 image(s) with good alt text

18 images 2 good alt text 16 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 8 controls labeled

PASS

All 8 controls labeled

8 control(s) properly labeled

8 controls

8 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
input	checkbox		none
#q-search	text	Search	aria-label
#q-search	text	Search	aria-label
#level-undergraduate	radio		none
#level-postgraduate-taught	radio		none
#level-postgraduate-research	radio		none
#q	text	Search courses	aria-label
#q-search	text	Search	aria-label

A+

Link & Button Quality

218 links, 9 buttons — all OK

PASS

218 links, 9 buttons — all OK

1 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: /about/legal-statements/cookies/

217 link(s) with descriptive text

218 links

0 empty

0 generic text

1 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
/about/legal-statements/cookies/	how we use cookies on our webs…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

226 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

/about/legal-statements/cookies/

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

Favicon & Branding

7 icon(s) detected

PASS

7 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

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 99/100 — 1 failing, 28 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.

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
Search for a course `div.uoy_tabs > div.uoy_tabs_content > div#search-for-a-course > h3.uoy_tab_tabless_heading`

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

○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

●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 with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

●`[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.

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●Identical links have the same purpose.

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`[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

○`<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.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.