Website Accessibility Audit Report
chiltoncounty.org | Audit Date: April 10, 2026 | Standard: WCAG 2.1
Executive Summary
This report presents the results of an automated accessibility audit conducted on the Chilton County, Alabama official website (chiltoncounty.org) using the Accessibility Checker plugin. The audit evaluated conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Levels A and AA. A total of 1,970 open issues were identified across 22 distinct issue types. Immediate remediation of Critical and High severity issues is strongly recommended to achieve legal compliance and ensure equal access for all residents.
Critical issues are serious accessibility barriers that block access or functionality for users with disabilities. These represent direct WCAG Level A violations and carry the highest legal risk for ADA non-compliance.
| Issue Type | Type | WCAG | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empty Link | Problem | A | 8 | Links that contain no text or accessible name. Screen readers announce these as “link” with no destination context, making navigation impossible for blind users. Often caused by icon-only links (e.g., social media icons) with no aria-label. |
| Linked Image – Empty Alt Text | Problem | A | 8 | Images inside links that have empty or missing alt attributes. When an image is the only content of a link, its alt text must describe the link destination. Without it, screen reader users hear nothing meaningful. |
| A Video is Present | Needs Review | A | 3 | Videos detected on the site require review to verify captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts are present. Pre-recorded video must have captions and audio descriptions to be accessible to deaf and blind users. |
| Ambiguous Anchor Text | Problem | A | 2 | Links with non-descriptive text like “click here,” “read more,” or “learn more.” Screen reader users often navigate by listing all links on a page — vague text makes it impossible to understand link purpose out of context. |
| A Slider is Present | Needs Review | A | 2 | Carousels/sliders require review to confirm they can be paused, stopped, or controlled by keyboard. Auto-playing content that cannot be paused can be unusable for users with cognitive disabilities or those using screen readers. |
High severity issues create substantial usability problems for assistive technology users. They do not completely block access but make using the site significantly difficult and should be addressed promptly.
| Issue Type | Type | WCAG | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improper Use of Link | Problem | A | 351 | The single largest issue on the site. Links are being used for actions that should use buttons, or links are present with no valid href. Semantic correctness is critical for keyboard and screen reader navigation. |
| Possible Heading | Needs Review | A | 112 | Text that appears visually styled as a heading (large, bold) but is not marked up as an HTML heading element (H1-H6). Screen reader users rely on heading structure to navigate pages; missing headings forces linear reading of all content. |
| Insufficient Color Contrast | Problem | AA | 86 | Text and background color combinations that do not meet the WCAG AA minimum contrast ratios. Affects users with low vision, color blindness, or those in poor lighting conditions. |
| Tab Order Modified | Needs Review | A | 24 | Custom tabindex values are modifying the natural tab order. Illogical keyboard navigation order disorients keyboard-only users and screen reader users who rely on a predictable DOM order. |
| Incorrect Heading Order | Problem | A | 21 | Heading levels are being skipped (e.g., going from H2 directly to H4) or used out of logical order. This breaks the document outline that screen reader users rely on to navigate sections efficiently. |
| Image – Empty Alternative Text | Needs Review | A | 20 | Images with alt=”” that may not be purely decorative. Images conveying information or context must have descriptive alt text. These need human review to determine whether they are informational or decorative. |
| Link to PDF | Needs Review | A | 6 | Links to PDF files that may not be accessible. PDFs must be tagged, have reading order, and proper document structure to work with screen readers. Government PDFs are a common accessibility liability. |
| iframe Missing Title | Problem | A | 3 | Embedded iframes (maps, videos, forms) without a descriptive title attribute. Screen reader users cannot identify the purpose of an iframe without a title and may not know whether to enter or skip it. |
| Missing Transcript | Problem | A | 3 | Audio or video content that lacks a text transcript. Transcripts are required for audio-only content and strongly recommended for video, ensuring access for deaf users and those who cannot play media. |
Medium issues cause frustration or confusion and may have workarounds, but should be addressed as part of a comprehensive remediation plan to improve overall user experience.
| Issue Type | Type | WCAG | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIA Hidden | Needs Review | A | 947 | The largest volume issue on the site. Elements marked aria-hidden=”true” need review to ensure meaningful content is not being hidden from assistive technologies. Hiding meaningful content creates barriers for screen reader users. |
| Duplicate Alternative Text | Needs Review | A | 214 | Multiple images with identical alt text, which may indicate alt text is being reused without describing each image uniquely. If images convey different content, each needs a unique, descriptive alt text. |
| Low-quality Alternative Text | Needs Review | A | 4 | Alt text that is present but unhelpful such as file names or non-descriptive phrases. Alt text must convey the meaning and purpose of the image to be useful. |
| Empty Heading Tag | Problem | A | 1 | An H1-H6 tag with no text content. Empty headings confuse screen readers, which may announce “heading level 2” with no text following, disorienting the user and breaking the page navigational structure. |
Low severity issues may affect some users or cause annoyance but typically do not prevent access. Addressing these demonstrates a commitment to best-in-class accessibility.
| Issue Type | Type | WCAG | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underlined Text | Needs Review | A | 70 | Non-link text that is underlined may be mistaken for hyperlinks, causing confusion for users with cognitive disabilities. Underlines should be reserved for links. |
| Empty Paragraph Tag | Needs Review | Best Practice | 25 | Empty paragraph tags used for visual spacing. Screen readers may announce these as blank, creating unnecessary noise. Spacing should be handled with CSS rather than empty HTML elements. |
| Image Long Alternative Text | Needs Review | A | 1 | An image with alt text that exceeds recommended length. Long alt text is harder for screen reader users to absorb. Complex images should use a visible caption instead. |
The following checks returned zero issues. These represent areas where the site is performing well and must be maintained during future content updates and development work.
| Check Name | Severity | WCAG |
|---|---|---|
| Empty Button | Critical | A |
| Image Map Missing Alternative Text | Critical | A |
| Image Missing Alternative Text | Critical | A |
| Linked Image Missing Alternative Text | Critical | A |
| Zooming and Scaling Disabled | Critical | AA |
| Missing Form Label | Critical | A |
| Missing Table Header | Critical | A |
| Blinking or Scrolling Content | Critical | A |
| Broken ARIA Reference | High | A |
| Broken Skip or Anchor Link | High | A |
| Empty Table Header | High | A |
| Image Animated GIF | High | A |
| Link to MS Office File | High | A |
| Long Description Invalid | High | A |
| Missing Language Declaration | High | A |
| Missing Title | High | A |
| Duplicate Form Label | Medium | A |
| Link Opens New Window or Tab | Medium | A |
| Link to Non-HTML File | Medium | A |
| Missing Subheadings | Medium | A |
| Text Too Small | Medium | AA |
| Text Justified | Low | AAA |
