nih.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W29

Automated Accessibility Conformance Report (OpenACR): Download ACR. Machine-readable; compatible with GSA OpenACR tooling. Automated tools find ~⅓ of real barriers — supplement with manual AT testing.

Training priorities

Top WCAG success criteria by pages affected this week. Use these to focus team training on the highest-impact issues.

SC	Criterion	Pages	Rules	Notes
1.4.1	Use of Color	4681	2
2.5.5	WCAG 2.5.5	1550	1
1.4.6	WCAG 1.4.6	1548	1
1.4.8	WCAG 1.4.8	1548	1
1.3.1	Info and Relationships (semantic structure)	250	3	Component inconsistency

Next 10 actions

Clusters are fingerprinted by normalized selector path + rule id + snippet shape. Rank score = (severity weight × pages affected) / distinct components for the rule. This supersedes the template threshold heuristic while still surfacing it as a validation signal.

Top 10 clustered component fixes for this week.
Cluster	Severity	Pages	Who it affects	How to fix	Evidence	Decision
All page content should be contained by landmarks · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~3113 finding(s) on 3113 page(s). XPath / selector: `#system-breadcrumb` `<h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2>`	Serious	3113	Requires manual testing.	Wrap all page content in landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) so users can navigate by region.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Form field label is visible · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1548 finding(s) on 1548 page(s). XPath / selector: `{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys`	Moderate	1548	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1468 finding(s) on 1468 page(s). XPath / selector: `#block-nih2-uswds-search` `<div class="search-block-form usa-form block block-search container-inline" data-drupal-selector="search-block-form" id="block-nih2-uswds-search" role="search">`	Moderate	1468	Requires manual testing.	When a landmark role/type repeats (e.g. two <nav>s), give each a distinct accessible name with aria-label or aria-labelledby (e.g. "Primary" and "Footer" navigation) so screen-reader users can tell them apart.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
All page content should be contained by landmarks · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1059 finding(s) on 1059 page(s). XPath / selector: `.usa-alert` `<div class="usa-alert">`	Serious	1059	Requires manual testing.	Wrap all page content in landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) so users can navigate by region.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1548 finding(s) on 1548 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "Health Information"`	Moderate	1548	Requires manual testing.	Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1548 finding(s) on 1548 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "Grants & Funding"`	Moderate	1548	Requires manual testing.	Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria attribute is permitted for element role · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1545 finding(s) on 1545 page(s). XPath / selector: `@aria-label="Descripción de la agencia"`	Moderate	1545	Requires manual testing.	Only use ARIA states/properties that are allowed on this element/role.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has enhanced contrast · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1030 finding(s) on 1030 page(s). XPath / selector: `text: "News & Events"`	Moderate	1030	Requires manual testing.	Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria attribute is permitted for element role · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1543 finding(s) on 1543 page(s). XPath / selector: `@aria-label="Official website of the Department of Health and Human Services"`	Moderate	1543	Requires manual testing.	Only use ARIA states/properties that are allowed on this element/role.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~1548 finding(s) on 1548 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="usa-banner__header-text">`	Moderate	1548	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes

Bug reports

17 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 35 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 4 critical, 7 serious, 21 moderate, 3 minor. By WCAG category: 13 WCAG 2.0 A, 4 WCAG 2.0 AA, 3 WCAG 2.x AAA, 7 Best Practice, 8 Undetermined. Ordered by severity, key-page impact, WCAG level, and prevalence. Following accessibility bug-reporting best practices. Download: Markdown · JSON (full archive) · JSON (AI diagnostic) · CSV (all findings) · Priority pages CSV · Priority pages JSON.

Automated testing does not establish full WCAG conformance. Findings in the verification lane require manual testing before they are treated as confirmed failures.

Default view shows 17 prioritized issue type(s); 18 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

3 finding(s) marked "possible duplicate" — Alfa and axe-core both flagged the same WCAG SC on overlapping pages. If they target the same element, the axe-core report is authoritative. Filter the CSV by possible_duplicate_of to see these. Two engines flagging the same barrier reduces the chance of a false positive.

Findings needing review

These findings need manual verification before they can be treated as confirmed failures. Obligation remains visible for each finding.

Critical axe link-in-text-block WCAG 2.0 A Links must be distinguishable without relying on color (WCAG 1.4.1) 3133/3333 pages · 17561 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-da22e465
Pattern ID: VS-8ade3360
Combined ID: VS-da22e465 (pattern VS-8ade3360) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Links must be distinguishable without relying on color [link-in-text-block]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: p:nth-child(3) > a[title="(opens in a new window)"][data-extlink=""][rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer"]
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (5 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<a href="https://www.challenge.gov/?challenge=complement-arie" class="ext" data-extlink="" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" title="(opens in a new window)">Complement-ARIE Ideation C

Description

Links must be distinguishable without relying on color. Detected by axe-core rule link-in-text-block on 3133 of 3333 scanned pages (17561 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: p:nth-child(3) > a[title="(opens in a new window)"][data-extlink=""][rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer"]
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

…and more — all 3133 pages (CSV).

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 104/3333 pages · 104 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-1f485843
Pattern ID: VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID: VS-1f485843 (pattern VS-a0bdbdf6) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/heal/award-policy/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-repository?page=14
XPath / selector: .usa-pagination__list
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<ul class="usa-pagination__list pager__items js-pager__items">

Description

<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Detected by axe-core rule list on 104 of 3333 scanned pages (104 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/heal/award-policy/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-repository?page=14.
Locate the element: .usa-pagination__list
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule list against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 104 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use <ul>/<ol> with only <li> children for lists; don't fake lists with <div>s.

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe image-alt WCAG 2.0 A Images must have alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1) 50/3333 pages · 111 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-5ab002fd
Pattern ID: VS-9074b4dd
Combined ID: VS-5ab002fd (pattern VS-9074b4dd) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Images must have alternative text [image-alt]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/2024-nih-research-highlights-human-health-advances
XPath / selector: .thumbnail-teaser.thumbnail-teaser--1col:nth-child(2) > .link--no-tag.thumbnail-teaser__link[typeof="schema:WebPage"] > .thumbnail-teaser__img > .image-style-thumbnail-large[loading="lazy"][width="200"]
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2025-05/20240917-blood-test.jpg?itok=8VWvchu8" width="200" height="auto" class="image-style-thumbnail-large">

Description

Images must have alternative text. Detected by axe-core rule image-alt on 50 of 3333 scanned pages (111 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/2024-nih-research-highlights-human-health-advances.
Locate the element: .thumbnail-teaser.thumbnail-teaser--1col:nth-child(2) > .link--no-tag.thumbnail-teaser__link[typeof="schema:WebPage"] > .thumbnail-teaser__img > .image-style-thumbnail-large[loading="lazy"][width="200"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule image-alt against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 50 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give every <img> a meaningful alt attribute. Use alt="" only for decorative images so screen readers skip them.

Drupal tip: In Drupal's Media Library, fill the "Alternative text" field when uploading or editing an image. For images in body fields, the CKEditor "Image Properties" dialog includes an Alt Text field.

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe aria-allowed-attr WCAG 2.0 A Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes (WCAG 4.1.2) 28/3333 pages · 41 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-edba72fa
Pattern ID: VS-1467ea8a
Combined ID: VS-edba72fa (pattern VS-1467ea8a) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes [aria-allowed-attr]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: div[aria-multiselectable="true"]
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<div aria-multiselectable="true" class="usa-accordion usa-accordion--bordered paragraph paragraph--type--uswds-accordion paragraph--view-mode--default">

Description

Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-attr on 28 of 3333 scanned pages (41 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: div[aria-multiselectable="true"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-allowed-attr against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 28 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Remove ARIA attributes that aren't allowed on this role/element.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/aria-allowed-attr?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe link-name WCAG 2.0 A Links must have discernible text (WCAG 2.4.4) 26/3333 pages · 26 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-6fe78636
Pattern ID: VS-e9fe47ac
Combined ID: VS-6fe78636 (pattern VS-e9fe47ac) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Links must have discernible text [link-name]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: .usa-in-page-nav__link[href="#"]
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<a href="#" class="usa-in-page-nav__link"></a>

Description

Links must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule link-name on 26 of 3333 scanned pages (26 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: .usa-in-page-nav__link[href="#"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule link-name against WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 26 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the link discernible text. Avoid empty links and icon-only links without an aria-label.

Drupal tip: "Read more" links from Drupal Views should use the "Link text" rewrite field to add context, or add aria-label via the Views rewrite output.

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

Triage status Notes

Critical axe label WCAG 2.0 A Form elements must have labels (WCAG 4.1.2) 24/3333 pages · 28 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-1687da13
Pattern ID: VS-fafffee0
Combined ID: VS-1687da13 (pattern VS-fafffee0) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Form elements must have labels [label]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/news-events/news-releases?page=181
XPath / selector: .chosen-search-input
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<input class="chosen-search-input" type="text" autocomplete="off" readonly="" data-bef-auto-submit-exclude="true">

Description

Form elements must have labels. Detected by axe-core rule label on 24 of 3333 scanned pages (28 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/news-events/news-releases?page=181.
Locate the element: .chosen-search-input
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule label against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Associate every form control with a <label> (via for/id) or an aria-label/aria-labelledby.

Drupal tip: Use Drupal's form element "Label" setting. In Webform, every element has a Label field — ensure it's not empty or hidden. Check that twig templates don't strip <label> elements from form fields.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe valid-lang WCAG 2.0 AA lang attribute must have a valid value (WCAG 3.1.2) 20/3333 pages · 40 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-e7a698a2
Pattern ID: VS-dd1c019f
Combined ID: VS-e7a698a2 (pattern VS-dd1c019f) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/public-affairs
XPath / selector: li:nth-child(12) > a[lang="esp"]
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<a href="https://salud.nih.gov/preguntele-a-carla" lang="esp">Pregúntele a Carla</a>

Description

lang attribute must have a valid value. Detected by axe-core rule valid-lang on 20 of 3333 scanned pages (40 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/public-affairs.
Locate the element: li:nth-child(12) > a[lang="esp"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule valid-lang against WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

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/valid-lang?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe color-contrast WCAG 2.0 AA Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds (WCAG 1.4.3) 12/3333 pages · 21 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-9144de23
Pattern ID: VS-be8d563e
Combined ID: VS-9144de23 (pattern VS-be8d563e) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/nih-blueprint-neuroscience-research/research-tools
XPath / selector: .field--name-field-credit
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<div class="field field--name-field-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Sagar/Adobe Stock</div>

Description

Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds. Detected by axe-core rule color-contrast on 12 of 3333 scanned pages (21 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/nih-blueprint-neuroscience-research/research-tools.
Locate the element: .field--name-field-credit
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule color-contrast against WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Impact

Affects Limited vision (2.4%), Without color perception (4.5%).

Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Without color perception — 4.5% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Increase the contrast between text and its background to at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text). Check both light and dark modes.

Drupal tip: Check your Drupal theme's base CSS. Themes like Olivero and Bartik have contrast issues in default color schemes — override failing color pairs in your subtheme's style.css.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe scrollable-region-focusable WCAG 2.0 A Scrollable region must have keyboard access (WCAG 2.1.1) 1/3333 pages · 4 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-d227297d
Pattern ID: VS-c613c153
Combined ID: VS-d227297d (pattern VS-c613c153) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Scrollable region must have keyboard access [scrollable-region-focusable]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/heal/heal-initiative-requirements/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-program
XPath / selector: .usa-table-container--scrollable:nth-child(29)
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<div class="usa-table-container--scrollable">

Description

Scrollable region must have keyboard access. Detected by axe-core rule scrollable-region-focusable on 1 of 3333 scanned pages (4 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/heal/heal-initiative-requirements/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-program.
Locate the element: .usa-table-container--scrollable:nth-child(29)
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule scrollable-region-focusable against WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%), Limited reach (2.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population
Limited reach — 2.0% of population

Affected pages

/heal/heal-initiative-requirements/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-program

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Make scrollable regions keyboard-focusable (tabindex="0") so keyboard users can scroll them.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe region Best Practice All page content should be contained by landmarks (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3122/3333 pages · 4177 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-776fe25a
Pattern ID: VS-f18df681
Combined ID: VS-776fe25a (pattern VS-f18df681) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — All page content should be contained by landmarks [region]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: #system-breadcrumb
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (5 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<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 3122 of 3333 scanned pages (4177 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: #system-breadcrumb
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule region.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 3122 pages (CSV).

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.

Drupal tip: Use Drupal's region system (header, navigation, main, sidebar, footer) and map each to an HTML5 landmark element in your theme's page.html.twig.

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

Triage status Notes

Serious axe heading-order Best Practice Heading levels should only increase by one (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2300/3333 pages · 2442 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-240e2ce9
Pattern ID: VS-d25f622d
Combined ID: VS-240e2ce9 (pattern VS-d25f622d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: .promo-block__heading
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<h3 class="promo-block__heading"><a id="" class="usa-anchor"></a></h3>

Description

Heading levels should only increase by one. Detected by axe-core rule heading-order on 2300 of 3333 scanned pages (2442 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: .promo-block__heading
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule heading-order.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 2300 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use heading levels in order (h1 → h2 → h3) without skipping; structure, not size.

Drupal tip: Drupal Views and blocks can insert headings at arbitrary levels. In the Views UI, set "Title tag" for each display. For block titles, configure the heading level in the block's layout settings.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r62 WCAG 2.0 A Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color (WCAG 1.4.1) 1548/3333 pages · 4493 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-de3dc9bb
Pattern ID: VS-efd91fdd
Combined ID: VS-de3dc9bb (pattern VS-efd91fdd) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <a href="https://www.herox.com/SupplementsFactsFirst/updates" class="ext" data-extlink="" target="_blank">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r62 on 1548 of 3333 scanned pages (4493 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <a href="https://www.herox.com/SupplementsFactsFirst/updates" class="ext" data-extlink="" target="_blank">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r62 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

…and more — all 1548 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Make links visually distinguishable from surrounding text (not by color alone).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r62

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r64 WCAG 2.0 A Element has required owned roles (WCAG 1.3.1) 134/3333 pages · 134 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-5c6075de
Pattern ID: VS-3c632d31
Combined ID: VS-5c6075de (pattern VS-3c632d31) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Element has required owned roles [sia-r64]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <h3 class="promo-block__heading">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (2 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-1f485843 (pattern VS-a0bdbdf6). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Element has required owned roles. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r64 on 134 of 3333 scanned pages (134 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <h3 class="promo-block__heading">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r64 against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 134 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r64

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r2 WCAG 2.0 A Image has accessible name (WCAG 1.1.1) 21/3333 pages · 49 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-0853d725
Pattern ID: VS-a24eaa8c
Combined ID: VS-0853d725 (pattern VS-a24eaa8c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Image has accessible name [sia-r2]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters?page=0
XPath / selector: <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2026-06/20260616-covid.jpg?itok=wK88ho3h" width="200" height="auto">
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Image has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r2 on 21 of 3333 scanned pages (49 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters?page=0.
Locate the element: <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2026-06/20260616-covid.jpg?itok=wK88ho3h" width="200" height="auto">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r2 against WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give every <img> an accessible name (alt text), or alt="" if purely decorative.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r2

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r11 WCAG 2.0 A Link has accessible name (WCAG 2.4.4) 13/3333 pages · 13 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-4f2826ea
Pattern ID: VS-28ebd979
Combined ID: VS-4f2826ea (pattern VS-28ebd979) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Link has accessible name [sia-r11]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <a href="#" class="usa-in-page-nav__link">
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-6fe78636 (pattern VS-e9fe47ac). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Link has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r11 on 13 of 3333 scanned pages (13 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <a href="#" class="usa-in-page-nav__link">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r11 against WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the link an accessible name via text content or aria-label.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r11

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r68 WCAG 2.0 A Presentational children of an element are not focusable (WCAG 1.3.1) 12/3333 pages · 15 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-2f6e6409
Pattern ID: VS-d6097011
Combined ID: VS-2f6e6409 (pattern VS-d6097011) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih
XPath / selector: <ul class="chosen-results">
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Presentational children of an element are not focusable. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r68 on 12 of 3333 scanned pages (15 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih.
Locate the element: <ul class="chosen-results">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r68 against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r68

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r7 WCAG 2.0 AA Element with lang attribute has correct language (WCAG 3.1.2) 11/3333 pages · 22 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-3e6eb6fd
Pattern ID: VS-400f3a18
Combined ID: VS-3e6eb6fd (pattern VS-400f3a18) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-january-10-2019
XPath / selector: @lang="esp"
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-e7a698a2 (pattern VS-dd1c019f). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Element with lang attribute has correct language. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r7 on 11 of 3333 scanned pages (22 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-january-10-2019.
Locate the element: @lang="esp"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r7 against WCAG 3.1.2 Language of Parts.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r7

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 1550/3333 pages · 42751 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-0b07e666
Pattern ID: VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID: VS-0b07e666 (pattern VS-cb53cc4d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.1)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <a href="/virtual-tour">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 1550 of 3333 scanned pages (42751 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <a href="/virtual-tour">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r111 against WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1550 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r18 Undetermined aria attribute is permitted for element role (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1550/3333 pages · 3140 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-179459e3
Pattern ID: VS-e05344b9
Combined ID: VS-179459e3 (pattern VS-e05344b9) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: @aria-labelledby="promo block"
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

aria attribute is permitted for element role. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r18 on 1550 of 3333 scanned pages (3140 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: @aria-labelledby="promo block"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r18.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1550 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Only use ARIA states/properties that are allowed on this element/role.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r18

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r66 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has enhanced contrast (WCAG 1.4.6) 1548/3333 pages · 80442 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-03c515a9
Pattern ID: VS-646b1e0b
Combined ID: VS-03c515a9 (pattern VS-646b1e0b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: text: "Health Information"
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Text has enhanced contrast. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r66 on 1548 of 3333 scanned pages (80442 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: text: "Health Information"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r66 against WCAG 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1548 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AAA (7:1).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r66

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 1548/3333 pages · 5176 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-155b6c41
Pattern ID: VS-2208081b
Combined ID: VS-155b6c41 (pattern VS-2208081b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.8 Visual Presentation (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <p class="usa-banner__header-text">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 1548 of 3333 scanned pages (5176 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <p class="usa-banner__header-text">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1548 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1548/3333 pages · 1548 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-9bbf7b09
Pattern ID: VS-7118fead
Combined ID: VS-9bbf7b09 (pattern VS-7118fead) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Form field label is visible [sia-r61]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 1548 of 3333 scanned pages (1548 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r61.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1548 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r57 Undetermined Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1541/3333 pages · 3621 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-930d02f2
Pattern ID: VS-c18be945
Combined ID: VS-930d02f2 (pattern VS-c18be945) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: text: "Breadcrumb"
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (3 wk)

Description

Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r57 on 1541 of 3333 scanned pages (3621 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: text: "Breadcrumb"
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r57.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1541 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r57

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe landmark-unique Best Practice Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1468/3333 pages · 1473 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-6ad8a6b0
Pattern ID: VS-8806389c
Combined ID: VS-6ad8a6b0 (pattern VS-8806389c) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c [landmark-unique]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer
XPath / selector: #block-nih2-uswds-search
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<div class="search-block-form usa-form block block-search container-inline" data-drupal-selector="search-block-form" id="block-nih2-uswds-search" role="search">

Description

Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) c. Detected by axe-core rule landmark-unique on 1468 of 3333 scanned pages (1473 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer.
Locate the element: #block-nih2-uswds-search
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule landmark-unique.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1468 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: When a landmark role/type repeats (e.g. two <nav>s), give each a distinct accessible name with aria-label or aria-labelledby (e.g. "Primary" and "Footer" navigation) so screen-reader users can tell them apart.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r53 Undetermined Headings are structured hierarchically (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1117/3333 pages · 1182 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-8a6e1bca
Pattern ID: VS-f054f4a4
Combined ID: VS-8a6e1bca (pattern VS-f054f4a4) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <h3 class="promo-block__heading">
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (2 wk)

Description

Headings are structured hierarchically. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r53 on 1117 of 3333 scanned pages (1182 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <h3 class="promo-block__heading">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r53.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 1117 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use headings in a logical, non-skipping order.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r53

Triage status Notes

Minor axe empty-heading Best Practice Headings should not be empty (WCAG criterion undetermined) 271/3333 pages · 271 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-725503c3
Pattern ID: VS-0066c67d
Combined ID: VS-725503c3 (pattern VS-0066c67d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Headings should not be empty [empty-heading]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge
XPath / selector: .promo-block__heading
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (2 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<h3 class="promo-block__heading"><a id="" class="usa-anchor"></a></h3>

Description

Headings should not be empty. Detected by axe-core rule empty-heading on 271 of 3333 scanned pages (271 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge.
Locate the element: .promo-block__heading
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule empty-heading.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 271 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Remove empty headings or give them text. Don't use heading tags for spacing.

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

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r85 Undetermined Keyboard trap does not exist (WCAG criterion undetermined) 212/3333 pages · 258 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-da93b03f
Pattern ID: VS-4c341c77
Combined ID: VS-da93b03f (pattern VS-4c341c77) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Keyboard trap does not exist [sia-r85]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge
XPath / selector: <p class="nih-subtitle">
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Keyboard trap does not exist. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r85 on 212 of 3333 scanned pages (258 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge.
Locate the element: <p class="nih-subtitle">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r85.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 212 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r85

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 80/3333 pages · 110 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-5f56950e
Pattern ID: VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID: VS-5f56950e (pattern VS-2cd767ca) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Table header has scope [sia-r78]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-tuberculous-meningitis-drug-regimen-begins
XPath / selector: <h3>
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 80 of 3333 scanned pages (110 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-tuberculous-meningitis-drug-regimen-begins.
Locate the element: <h3>
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r78.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 80 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r78

Triage status Notes

Moderate axe page-has-heading-one Best Practice Page should contain a level-one heading (WCAG criterion undetermined) 40/3333 pages · 40 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-98baebe9
Pattern ID: VS-fa44f293
Combined ID: VS-98baebe9 (pattern VS-fa44f293) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/node
XPath / selector: html
History: first seen 2026-W25, last seen 2026-W29 (2 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#" class=" js">

Description

Page should contain a level-one heading. Detected by axe-core rule page-has-heading-one on 40 of 3333 scanned pages (40 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/node.
Locate the element: html
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule page-has-heading-one.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 40 pages (CSV).

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/page-has-heading-one?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r8 WCAG 2.0 A Form field has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 6/3333 pages · 8 instances

Bug ID: VS-32ff3c2f
Pattern ID: VS-a48e6078
Combined ID: VS-32ff3c2f (pattern VS-a48e6078) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih
XPath / selector: <input class="chosen-search-input" type="text" autocomplete="off" data-bef-auto-submit-exclude="true">
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Form field has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r8 on 6 of 3333 scanned pages (8 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih.
Locate the element: <input class="chosen-search-input" type="text" autocomplete="off" data-bef-auto-submit-exclude="true">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r8 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Associate the form field with a label.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r8

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r69 WCAG 2.0 AA Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) (WCAG 1.4.3) 5/3333 pages · 10 instances

Bug ID: VS-9f270c85
Pattern ID: VS-f7e99f4b
Combined ID: VS-9f270c85 (pattern VS-f7e99f4b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 AA
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/history
XPath / selector: text: "Dr. Joseph Goldberger seated at a table in a hospital."
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r69 on 5 of 3333 scanned pages (10 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/history.
Locate the element: text: "Dr. Joseph Goldberger seated at a table in a hospital."
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r69 against WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Impact

Affects Limited vision (2.4%), Without color perception (4.5%).

Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Without color perception — 4.5% of population

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Increase text contrast to meet WCAG AA (4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text).

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r69

Triage status Notes

Minor axe aria-allowed-role Best Practice ARIA role should be appropriate for the element (WCAG criterion undetermined) 3/3333 pages · 3 instances

Bug ID: VS-2213531d
Pattern ID: VS-4fac2f41
Combined ID: VS-2213531d (pattern VS-4fac2f41) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/virtual-tour
XPath / selector: video
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<video class="ct-app-background__media--video" autoplay="" muted="" loop="" crossorigin="anonymous" playsinline="" role="presentation">
							<source src="https://nih.hostexp.com/videos/VID_202209131

Description

ARIA role should be appropriate for the element. Detected by axe-core rule aria-allowed-role on 3 of 3333 scanned pages (3 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/virtual-tour.
Locate the element: video
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule aria-allowed-role.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

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

Suggested fix

How to fix: Remove or change the ARIA role — it isn't allowed on this element type.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/aria-allowed-role?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r59 Undetermined Element with orientation is not locked (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/3333 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-50f3880b
Pattern ID: VS-7fbb8b20
Combined ID: VS-50f3880b (pattern VS-7fbb8b20) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Element with orientation is not locked [sia-r59]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/virtual-tour
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

Element with orientation is not locked. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r59 on 2 of 3333 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/virtual-tour.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r59.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r59

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r87 Undetermined First focusable element is link to main content (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/3333 pages · 2 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-9e2e2c2e
Pattern ID: VS-aa242c2d
Combined ID: VS-9e2e2c2e (pattern VS-aa242c2d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87]
Example URL: https://www.nih.gov/virtual-tour
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

Description

First focusable element is link to main content. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r87 on 2 of 3333 scanned pages (2 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://www.nih.gov/virtual-tour.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r87.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r87

Triage status Notes

Minor axe image-redundant-alt Best Practice Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text (WCAG criterion undetermined) 2/3333 pages · 6 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-fb15701e
Pattern ID: VS-f528778d
Combined ID: VS-fb15701e (pattern VS-f528778d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Best Practice
Obligation: advisory
Handling: review
WCAG SC: Best Practice — not a WCAG requirement
Rule: axe-core — Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text [image-redundant-alt]
Example URL: https://nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication
XPath / selector: img[alt="Health Literacy"]
History: first seen 2026-W29, last seen 2026-W29 (1 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_900x527/public/2025-02/clear-comm-health-literacy_0.jpg?itok=WgUQl-_B 1x" width="900" height="auto" src="/sites/default/files/styles/tea

Description

Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text. Detected by axe-core rule image-redundant-alt on 2 of 3333 scanned pages (6 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication.
Locate the element: img[alt="Health Literacy"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule image-redundant-alt.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

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/image-redundant-alt?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (16 rule type(s))

Each failing rule links out to the axe-core documentation. For full element-level detail including HTML snippets and XPaths, see the bug reports above.

axe-core rules failing in 2026-W29, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Links must be distinguishable without relying on color [link-in-text-block]	serious	3133	17561	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer /about-nih/science-health-public-trust/checklist-communicating-science-health-research-public	all 3133 pages (CSV)
All page content should be contained by landmarks [region]	moderate	3122	4177	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer /about-nih/science-health-public-trust/checklist-communicating-science-health-research-public	all 3122 pages (CSV)
Heading levels should only increase by one [heading-order]	moderate	2300	2442	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer /about-nih/science-health-public-trust/checklist-communicating-science-health-research-public	all 2300 pages (CSV)
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination [landmark-unique]	moderate	1468	1473	/news-events/nih-research-matters/mrna-vaccine-treat-pancreatic-cancer /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain /news-events/nih-research-matters/potent-antibodies-found-people-recovered-covid-19	all 1468 pages (CSV)
Headings should not be empty [empty-heading]	minor	271	271	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/2021-research-highlights-human-health-advances-0	all 271 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]	serious	104	104	/heal/award-policy/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-repository /news-events/nih-research-matters /press-room	all 104 pages (CSV)
Images must have alternative text [image-alt]	critical	50	111	/news-events/nih-research-matters/2024-nih-research-highlights-human-health-advances /news-events/nih-research-matters /news-events/nih-research-matters/2024-nih-research-highlights-human-health-advances	all 50 pages (CSV)
Page should contain a level-one heading [page-has-heading-one]	moderate	40	40	/node /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-january-10-2019 /about-nih	all 40 pages (CSV)
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes [aria-allowed-attr]	critical	28	41	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /research-training/medical-research-initiatives/brain-initiative/about/vision/brain-2025-scientific-vision /challenges/ncats-translational-science-education-training-challenge	all 28 pages (CSV)
Links must have discernible text [link-name]	serious	26	26	/challenges/nih-complement-animal-research-experimentation-nams-reduction-practice-challenge /challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /challenges/ncats-translational-science-education-training-challenge	all 26 pages (CSV)
Form elements must have labels [label]	critical	24	28	/news-events/news-releases /news-events/news-releases /about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih	all 24 pages (CSV)
lang attribute must have a valid value [valid-lang]	serious	20	40	/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/public-affairs /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-january-10-2019 /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-september-15-2022	all 20 pages (CSV)
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds [color-contrast]	serious	12	21	/nih-blueprint-neuroscience-research/research-tools /about-nih/history /about-nih/history/tree-hippocrates	all 12 pages (CSV)
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element [aria-allowed-role]	minor	3	3	/virtual-tour /virtual-tour /virtual-tour	all 3 pages (CSV)
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text [image-redundant-alt]	minor	2	6	/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication	all 2 pages (CSV)
Scrollable region must have keyboard access [scrollable-region-focusable]	serious	1	4	/heal/heal-initiative-requirements/data-sharing-policy/common-data-elements-cdes-program	all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (19 rule type(s))

Rule-level summary from Siteimprove Alfa (W3C ACT-based). Findings that overlap with axe-core on the same WCAG success criterion are noted as possible duplicates in the bug reports above.

Alfa rules failing in 2026-W29, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]	n/a	1550	42751	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1550 pages (CSV)
aria attribute is permitted for element role [sia-r18]	n/a	1550	3140	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1550 pages (CSV)
Text has enhanced contrast [sia-r66]	n/a	1548	80442	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1548 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]	n/a	1548	5176	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1548 pages (CSV)
Link in text block is visually distinguishable without color [sia-r62]	n/a	1548	4493	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1548 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61]	n/a	1548	1548	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1548 pages (CSV)
Scrolling content can be accessed by keyboard [sia-r57]	n/a	1541	3621	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/freedom-information-act-office/other-public-information-servers /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain	all 1541 pages (CSV)
Headings are structured hierarchically [sia-r53]	n/a	1117	1182	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/immune-cells-control-waste-clearance-brain /about-nih/voices-nih-community/they-cant-be-talking-about-me	all 1117 pages (CSV)
Keyboard trap does not exist [sia-r85]	n/a	212	258	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-clinical-trial-links-frequent-anger-increased-risk-heart-disease /news-events/news-releases/brain-scan-guided-emergency-stroke-treatment-can-save-more-lives	all 212 pages (CSV)
Element has required owned roles [sia-r64]	n/a	134	134	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /news-events/nih-research-matters/2021-research-highlights-human-health-advances-0 /news-events/news-releases/brain-scan-guided-emergency-stroke-treatment-can-save-more-lives	all 134 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78]	n/a	80	110	/news-events/news-releases/nih-clinical-trial-tuberculous-meningitis-drug-regimen-begins /news-events/news-releases/nih-mobilizes-national-innovation-initiative-covid-19-diagnostics /news-events/news-releases/roadmap-guide-progress-toward-replacing-animal-use-toxicity-testing	all 80 pages (CSV)
Image has accessible name [sia-r2]	n/a	21	49	/news-events/nih-research-matters /news-events/nih-research-matters/research-in-context /research-training	all 21 pages (CSV)
Link has accessible name [sia-r11]	n/a	13	13	/challenges/supplements-facts-first-digital-adventure-every-age-challenge /challenges/ncats-translational-science-education-training-challenge /challenges/community-champions-disability-health-challenge	all 13 pages (CSV)
Presentational children of an element are not focusable [sia-r68]	n/a	12	15	/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih /news-events/news-releases /heal/heal-funding-opportunities	all 12 pages (CSV)
Element with lang attribute has correct language [sia-r7]	n/a	11	22	/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/community-liaison-council-meeting-minutes-thursday-january-10-2019 /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison /institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/public-information	all 11 pages (CSV)
Form field has accessible name [sia-r8]	n/a	6	8	/about-nih/visitor-information/request-tour-nih /news-events/news-releases /news-events/news-releases	all 6 pages (CSV)
Text has sufficient color contrast (Enhanced) [sia-r69]	n/a	5	10	/about-nih/history /nih-blueprint-neuroscience-research/training /about-nih/history	all 5 pages (CSV)
Element with orientation is not locked [sia-r59]	n/a	2	2	/virtual-tour /virtual-tour	all 2 pages (CSV)
First focusable element is link to main content [sia-r87]	n/a	2	2	/virtual-tour /virtual-tour	all 2 pages (CSV)

Unique accessibility issues (axe + Alfa consolidated)

axe and Alfa both implement W3C ACT rules, so the same issue is often caught by both. These are deduplicated by ACT rule and page, so a shared finding counts once (23052 raw engine findings → 22855 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page): 22855
Caught by both engines: 197 highest confidence
axe only: 10407
Alfa only: 12251

6 rule type(s) caught by both engines — highest confidence

Two independent ACT-rule implementations (Deque axe-core and Siteimprove Alfa) flagged the same issue on the same pages. Agreement between separate engines is strong evidence the barrier is real, not a single-tool false positive — the best place to start.

Rules flagged by both axe-core and Alfa in 2026-W29, by pages affected.
Issue	Pages	Rule references
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes	1566	axe aria-allowed-attr · Alfa sia-r18 · ACT 5c01ea
Headings should not be empty	271	axe empty-heading · Alfa sia-r64 · ACT ffd0e9
Images must have alternative text	50	axe image-alt · Alfa sia-r2 · ACT 23a2a8
Links must have discernible text	26	axe link-name · Alfa sia-r11 · ACT c487ae
Form elements must have labels	24	axe label · Alfa sia-r8 · ACT e086e5
lang attribute must have a valid value	20	axe valid-lang · Alfa sia-r7 · ACT de46e4