# Accessibility bug reports — nih.gov, week 2026-W28

2 issue type(s) from 103 pages scanned. Generated 2026-07-18 by [vital-scans](https://github.com/mgifford/vital-core), following [accessibility bug-reporting best practices](https://mgifford.github.io/ACCESSIBILITY.md/examples/ACCESSIBILITY_BUG_REPORTING_BEST_PRACTICES.html).

> Automated checks find roughly a third of accessibility barriers. Fields marked "requires manual testing" cannot be observed by an automated scan and need a human with assistive technology.

---
## Links must be distinguishable without relying on color (WCAG 1.4.1)

**Bug ID:** `VS-0c2b9fe8`  
**Pattern ID:** `VS-8ade3360`  
**URL:** https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md  
**XPath / selector:** `.usa-identifier__identity-disclaimer > a[href$="hhs.gov/"]`  
**WCAG SC:** 1.4.1 — Use of Color (Level A)  
**Rule:** axe-core — `link-in-text-block` ([reference](https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/link-in-text-block?application=axeAPI))  
**Severity:** Serious  
**Frequency:** 1 instances; 1 of 103 pages affected
  
**History:** first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W28 (4 weeks)

### HTML snippet
```html
<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/" class="ext" data-extlink="" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" title="(opens in a new window)">Department of Health and Human Services</a>
```

### Description
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color. Detected by axe-core rule link-in-text-block on 1 of 103 scanned pages (1 instances).

### Steps to reproduce
1. Open https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md.
2. Locate the element: .usa-identifier__identity-disclaimer > a[href$="hhs.gov/"]
3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule link-in-text-block against WCAG 1.4.1 Use of Color.

### Impact
Affects Without color perception (4.5%), Limited vision (2.4%).
- **Without color perception** (4.5% of population)
- **Limited vision** (2.4% of population)

### Affected pages
- https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md

### Testing environment
Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

### Suggested fix
See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/link-in-text-block?application=axeAPI

---

## All page content should be contained by landmarks (WCAG criterion undetermined)

**Bug ID:** `VS-d29a5bdf`  
**Pattern ID:** `VS-f18df681`  
**URL:** https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md  
**XPath / selector:** `#system-breadcrumb`  
**WCAG SC:** _undetermined_  
**Rule:** axe-core — `region` ([reference](https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/region?application=axeAPI))  
**Severity:** Moderate  
**Frequency:** 1 instances; 1 of 103 pages affected
  
**History:** first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W28 (4 weeks)

### HTML snippet
```html
<h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2>
```

### Description
All page content should be contained by landmarks. Detected by axe-core rule region on 1 of 103 scanned pages (1 instances).

### Steps to reproduce
1. Open https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md.
2. Locate the element: #system-breadcrumb
3. Confirm the axe-core finding for rule region.

### Impact
Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

### Affected pages
- https://nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/robert-q-marston-md

### Testing environment
Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

### Suggested fix
**How to fix:** Wrap all page content in landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) so users can navigate by region.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/region?application=axeAPI