MedlinePlusmedlineplus.gov
Accessibility Score
Issues Found
Issues Found
ModerateDocument should have one main landmark1 element
Every page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.
Failing Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
Fix all of the following:
- Document does not have a main landmark
ModerateAll page content should be contained by landmarks5 elements
Content should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.
Failing Elements
<div class="welcome">
Fix any of the following:
- Some page content is not contained by landmarks
<div class="featured-image"> <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html " title="Healthy Sleep"> <img id="feature-img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/featured/HealthySleep_share2_featured.jpg" alt="Healthy Sleep"> </a> </div>
Fix any of the following:
- Some page content is not contained by landmarks
<div class="featured-content">
Fix any of the following:
- Some page content is not contained by landmarks
<div class="main-nav">
Fix any of the following:
- Some page content is not contained by landmarks
<div class="bottom-links">
Fix any of the following:
- Some page content is not contained by landmarks
Passed Audits
<dl> elements must only directly contain properly-ordered <dt> and <dd> groups, <script>, <template> or <div> elements1 element
Screen readers announce definition lists in a specific way that helps users understand term-definition relationships. When definition lists aren't properly marked up with dl, dt, and dd elements, screen readers produce confusing or inaccurate output that prevents users from understanding the content structure.
Audit Elements
<dl>
<dt> and <dd> elements must be contained by a <dl>4 elements
Definition list items must follow a specific hierarchy: dl as parent, with alternating dt (term) and dd (description) children. Without this proper structure, the list becomes invalid and screen readers cannot inform users they're listening to a list or convey the relationships between terms and their definitions.
Audit Elements
<dt class="feature-def">FEATURED TOPIC </dt>
<dd class="feature-term">Healthy Sleep</dd>
<dt class="feature-def2">Sleep is a natural process that helps your body restore energy, supports learning and memory, and keeps you healthy. You can take steps to improve your sleep habits.</dt>
<dd><a class="link-nav" title="Learn more about Healthy Sleep" href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthysleep.html ">Learn more</a></dd>
<html> element must have a lang attribute1 element
Screen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
<html> element must have a valid value for the lang attribute1 element
Screen readers use language-specific sound libraries for proper pronunciation. Invalid language attributes cause screen readers to use the wrong library, making text sound like a confusing accent or completely unintelligible, especially for multilingual users who access content in multiple languages.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>19 elements
Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.
Audit Elements
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/"><span>About MedlinePlus</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/whatsnew/">What's New</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/sitemap.html"><span>Site Map</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=medlineplus&from=https%3A//medlineplus.gov/" target="_blank"><span>Customer Support</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html">Health Topics</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html">Drugs & Supplements</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/">Genetics</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/">Medical Tests</a></li>
<li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html">Medical Encyclopedia</a></li>
<li>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/rss.html" class="follow-item">Subscribe to RSS<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/feed.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="RSS" title="RSS"></a>
</li>Showing first 10 of 19 audited elements.
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements4 elements
Lists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.
Audit Elements
<ul class="nav-list">
<ul class="nav-list">
<ul class="follow-footer">
<ul>
All page content should be contained by landmarks192 elements
Content should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.
Audit Elements
<a name="top" id="top"></a>
<a class="hide-offscreen" href="#start">Skip navigation</a>
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<div class="usa-accordion">
<header class="usa-banner__header">
<div class="usa-banner__inner">
<div class="grid-col-auto">
<img aria-hidden="true" class="usa-banner__header-flag" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/us_flag_small.png" alt="">
</div><button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
<div id="mplus-wrap">
Showing first 10 of 192 audited elements.
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text4 elements
Duplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.
Audit Elements
<img class="nihlogo" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nihlogo.png" alt="National Institutes of Health">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/m_logo_primary.png" alt="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" class="primary">
<img id="feature-img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/featured/HealthySleep_share2_featured.jpg" alt="Healthy Sleep">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/feed.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="RSS" title="RSS">
ARIA attributes must be used as specified for the element's role4 elements
Using ARIA attributes where they're not expected causes unpredictable behavior in assistive technologies. Following the ARIA specification ensures that screen readers and other tools can properly interpret and communicate your content's meaning to people with disabilities.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<div aria-live="polite" class="live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
ARIA attributes must conform to valid names4 elements
Misspelled or non-existent ARIA attributes cannot perform their intended accessibility function. Assistive technologies rely on correctly spelled, current ARIA attributes to convey proper user interface behaviors and structural information to people with disabilities.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<div aria-live="polite" class="live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
ARIA attributes must conform to valid values4 elements
ARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<div aria-live="polite" class="live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements4 elements
Elements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.
Audit Elements
<img aria-hidden="true" class="usa-banner__header-flag" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/us_flag_small.png" alt="">
<div class="grid-col-fill tablet:grid-col-auto" aria-hidden="true">
<p class="usa-banner__header-text">
An official website of the United States government
</p>
<p class="usa-banner__header-action">Here’s how you know</p>
</div><img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-dot-gov.svg" role="img" alt="" aria-hidden="true">
<img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-https.svg" role="img" alt="" aria-hidden="true">
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element6 elements
Invalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.
Audit Elements
<img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-dot-gov.svg" role="img" alt="" aria-hidden="true">
<img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/uswds/img/icon-https.svg" role="img" alt="" aria-hidden="true">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="52" height="64" viewBox="0 0 52 64" class="usa-banner__lock-image" role="img" aria-labelledby="banner-lock-description-default" focusable="false">
<button id="sm-menu-btn" class="navmenu-btn" title="Menu" role="button" aria-controls="mplus-menu-list" type="submit" aria-pressed="false" tabindex="0">Menu<span class="icon icon-nav-menu"></span></button>
<button id="sm-search-btn" class="navmenu-btn" title="Search" role="button" aria-controls="mplus-search" type="submit" aria-pressed="false" tabindex="0"><span class="hide-offscreen">Show </span>Search<span class="icon icon-nav-search"></span></button>
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
ARIA roles used must conform to valid values1 element
Invalid ARIA role values prevent assistive technologies from understanding and communicating the element's purpose to users. Without valid roles, screen readers cannot provide information about the element's features, properties, or how users should interact with it.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
aria-hidden="true" must not be present on the document body1 element
Setting <body aria-hidden="true" hides all page content from assistive technologies while leaving it visible on screen. This creates a confusing experience where keyboard users can still tab to elements, but screen readers remain completely silent, providing no information about what's focused.
Audit Elements
<body>
autocomplete attribute must be used correctly1 element
Missing or incorrect autocomplete values make forms inaccessible to screen reader users. Screen readers cannot provide adequate information about form fields without proper autocomplete attributes, preventing users from understanding what information is required and how to complete forms correctly.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmark1 element
Banner landmarks must be top-level to effectively designate the header portion of the page. Nested banner landmarks fail to provide the structural information screen reader users need to navigate efficiently through the page layout.
Audit Elements
<header>
Buttons must have discernible text2 elements
Screen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.
Audit Elements
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><button class="form-btn" title="Search MedlinePlus" alt="Search MedlinePlus" type="submit">GO</button>
Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmark1 element
The contentinfo landmark must be at the top level to help screen reader users quickly navigate to footer information. When nested inside another landmark, it becomes harder to find, defeating its purpose of providing quick access to content information.
Audit Elements
<footer>
Deprecated ARIA roles must not be used1 element
Deprecated ARIA roles are not recognized by modern screen readers and assistive technologies. Using outdated roles means some users cannot access essential information or functionality on your site.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Document should not have more than one banner landmark1 element
Multiple banner landmarks force screen reader users to sort through duplicate options to find header information. Each page should have only one banner landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation to the header without overwhelming users with unnecessary choices.
Audit Elements
<header class="usa-banner__header">
Document should not have more than one contentinfo landmark1 element
Multiple contentinfo landmarks force screen reader users to sort through extra options to find footer information. Each page should have only one content info landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation without overwhelming users with duplicate structural markers.
Audit Elements
<footer>
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigation1 element
The page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds51 elements
People with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.
Audit Elements
<p class="usa-banner__header-text">
An official website of the United States government
</p><span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
<a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/" target="_blank"> National Library of Medicine</a>
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<span>About MedlinePlus</span>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/whatsnew/">What's New</a>
<span>Site Map</span>
<span>Customer Support</span>
<h1>Welcome to MedlinePlus</h1>
<p>
Showing first 10 of 51 audited elements.
Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes4 elements
Using prohibited ARIA attributes prevents important information from reaching assistive technology users. It also causes assistive technologies to behave inconsistently as they attempt to compensate for the error.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<div aria-live="polite" class="live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes4 elements
Using ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
<div aria-live="polite" class="live-area hide-offscreen"></div>
Form elements must have labels1 element
Form labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Form elements should have a visible label1 element
The title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Form field must not have multiple label elements1 element
Multiple labels on the same form field cause inconsistent behavior across screen reader and browser combinations. Some will read the first label, others the last, and some will read both, creating confusion about what information the field requires.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Heading levels should only increase by one1 element
Headings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.
Audit Elements
<h1>Welcome to MedlinePlus</h1>
Headings should not be empty1 element
Screen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.
Audit Elements
<h1>Welcome to MedlinePlus</h1>
IDs used in ARIA and labels must be unique5 elements
Duplicate IDs break the accessibility of ARIA elements, form labels, and table headers. When IDs are duplicated, assistive technologies and scripts only reference the first instance, causing subsequent elements with the same ID to be ignored or incorrectly associated.
Audit Elements
<div class="usa-banner__content usa-accordion__content" id="gov-banner-default-default" hidden="">
<desc id="banner-lock-description-default">Locked padlock icon</desc>
<ul id="mplus-menu-list" class="nav-list">
<form id="mplus-search" method="get" action="https://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta" title="Search MedlinePlus" target="_self">
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Images must have alternative text4 elements
Screen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.
Audit Elements
<img class="nihlogo" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nihlogo.png" alt="National Institutes of Health">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/m_logo_primary.png" alt="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" class="primary">
<img id="feature-img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/featured/HealthySleep_share2_featured.jpg" alt="Healthy Sleep">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/feed.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="RSS" title="RSS">
Interactive controls must not be nested6 elements
Nested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.
Audit Elements
<button type="button" class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner-default-default">
<span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span>
</button><img class="nihlogo" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nihlogo.png" alt="National Institutes of Health">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/m_logo_primary.png" alt="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" class="primary">
<button class="form-btn" title="Search MedlinePlus" alt="Search MedlinePlus" type="submit">GO</button>
<img id="feature-img" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/featured/HealthySleep_share2_featured.jpg" alt="Healthy Sleep">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/feed.png" class="social-media-toolkit-icon" alt="RSS" title="RSS">
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination3 elements
Each landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.
Audit Elements
<section class="usa-banner" aria-label="Official website of the United States government">
<header>
<footer>
Links must have discernible text45 elements
Keyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.
Audit Elements
<a class="hide-offscreen" href="#start">Skip navigation</a>
<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" class="nih-org" target="_blank" title="National Institutes of Health">
<img class="nihlogo" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nihlogo.png" alt="National Institutes of Health">
</a><a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/" target="_blank"> National Library of Medicine</a>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/">
<img src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/m_logo_primary.png" alt="MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You" class="primary">
</a><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/about/"><span>About MedlinePlus</span></a>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/whatsnew/">What's New</a>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/sitemap.html"><span>Site Map</span></a>
<a href="https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/category/?id=CAT-01231&category=medlineplus&from=https%3A//medlineplus.gov/" target="_blank"><span>Customer Support</span></a>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html">Health Topics</a>
<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html">Drugs & Supplements</a>
Showing first 10 of 45 audited elements.
Page must have means to bypass repeated blocks1 element
Keyboard-only users must tab through all navigation and header content before reaching the main content, which can take several minutes and cause physical pain for users with motor limitations. Bypass mechanisms like skip links allow these users to jump directly to main content, saving time and reducing fatigue.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
Page should contain a level-one heading1 element
Screen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html lang="en" id="home" class="us" data-root="https://medlineplus.gov/">
Required ARIA attributes must be provided1 element
ARIA widget roles need required attributes to describe their current state. Without these attributes, screen readers cannot communicate essential information like whether a checkbox is checked or a slider's current value, leaving users unable to interact effectively with the widget.
Audit Elements
<input id="searchtext_primary" class="form-text" type="text" placeholder="Search MedlinePlus" alt="#Site Search input" title="Site Search input" maxlength="400" size="40" name="query" autocomplete="off" role="textbox" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-haspopup="true">
Users should be able to zoom and scale the text up to 500%1 element
The user-scalable="no" and restrictive maximum-scale parameters prevent people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who rely on browser zoom to enlarge text are blocked from accessing content at a readable size, violating their need to scale pages up to 5x zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled1 element
Setting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">