Using Pope Tech at the SFBRN

Get started with Pope Tech

The SFBRN Accessible Technology Initiative scans every campus website with Pope Tech, the official web accessibility scanning tool used across our three campuses (Sonoma State, San Francisco State, and CSU East Bay). This guide walks a campus content owner through logging in, reading your report, fixing the most common issues in Drupal, and getting help.

On this page

What Pope Tech is, and your role

Pope Tech is an automated tool that scans your website for accessibility problems and reports them in a dashboard. SFBRN runs the scans centrally. Your job as a content owner is to review your results and correct your content.

  • You have a view-only account: you can see your site's results and read how to fix each issue.
  • You do not run scans or change settings. SFBRN handles that.
  • You fix issues in the Drupal content editor, the same one you already use to edit your pages.

Log in and find your site

  1. Go to app.pope.tech.
  2. Sign in with your campus login using the single sign-on option. It is the same login you use for other campus systems, so there is no separate password.
  3. You land in your campus organization. Because your account is scoped to your area, your view is already focused on your site or sites.
  4. Open the Dashboard (or your Websites list) and select your site to open its accessibility report.

Please verify your assignments. Sign in and confirm the site or sites listed for you are correct. If you cannot sign in, or you see the wrong site or too many sites, contact us (see Get help). Site assignments can only be changed by an administrator.

Read your report

Pope Tech sorts results into categories. Fix errors and contrast first.

  • Errors: likely WCAG failures to fix first, such as missing alternative text or empty links.
  • Contrast: text that does not have enough contrast with its background.
  • Alerts: items to review by hand, such as a possible heading or suspicious link text.
  • Features, Structure, and ARIA: positive detections and structural elements to confirm are used correctly.

Click a number to drill from a total down to the specific pages, and then to the specific elements. Every result has a ? button that opens documentation: what it means, why it matters, and how to fix it.

Video: Getting started with your results (how to drill into your results by type).

Fix the most common issues

Most issues are content you can correct yourself in the Drupal editor. Our quick reference lists each common issue, its fix in Drupal, and a link to a fuller article: SFBRN ATI Accessibility Resources.

The issues Pope Tech reports most often:

  • Missing or unhelpful alternative text on images.
  • Low color contrast (the most common issue of all).
  • Vague link text such as "click here" or "read more".
  • Skipped or fake headings (bold text used instead of a real heading).
  • Tables without header cells, or tables used for layout.
  • Video without accurate captions.
  • Links to inaccessible PDFs and documents.

Test your own pages with WAVE

You do not have to wait for the next scan. Install the free WAVE browser extension and run it on any page as you edit it. WAVE highlights the same kinds of issues Pope Tech finds, right on the page, so you can catch and fix problems early.

Training and resources

WebAIM articles (deeper background)

Standards and deadlines

Our target is WCAG 2.1 AA, under CSU Executive Order 1111 and Section 508. The U.S. Department of Justice has set an ADA Title II web accessibility compliance deadline of April 26, 2027 for public entities of our size. Keeping your content accessible now is the simplest way to be ready.

Get help

Open a support ticket: support@sfbrn.calstate.edu

 

These are the issues Pope Tech reports most often. Each one has a short explanation, how to fix it in the Drupal editor, and a link to a fuller WebAIM article.

Images with no alternative text

  • What it is: Every image needs alternative text (alt text) describing what it shows or does. Without it, screen reader users get nothing.
  • Fix in Drupal: When you add or edit an image, fill in the Alternative text field with a short, specific description. If the image is purely decorative and its meaning is already in nearby text, mark it decorative or leave the alt text empty so screen readers skip it.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Alternative Text

Unhelpful alternative text

  • What it is: Alt text like "image," "photo," or a file name (IMG_1234.jpg) tells the reader nothing. Pope Tech flags this as suspicious alternative text.
  • Fix in Drupal: In the image's Alternative text field, replace placeholder or file-name text with a description of the content. Do not start with "image of" — the screen reader already says it is an image.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Alternative Text

Low color contrast

  • What it is: Text that is too light against its background is hard to read. WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 contrast for normal text (3:1 for large text). This is the single most common issue Pope Tech finds.
  • Fix in Drupal: Use your theme's default text colors instead of the text-color buttons. If you must set a color, choose one dark enough to pass, and check it with the WAVE browser extension. Avoid light grey text and text placed over busy images.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Contrast and Color Accessibility

Vague link text ("click here," "read more")

  • What it is: Screen reader users often browse a page by its links, out of context. "Click here" and "read more" give no idea where the link goes.
  • Fix in Drupal: Link words that describe the destination. Type "2026 parking permit form," select it, then add the link — instead of linking "click here." To fix an existing link, retype the visible text to describe where it goes.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Links and Hypertext

Empty links and buttons

  • What it is: A link or button with no text — or only an image with no alt text — gives no clue what it does.
  • Fix in Drupal: Make sure every link and button has visible text. If it is an icon or image link, give the image alt text that describes the action (for example, "Search"). Delete any stray empty links.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Links and Hypertext

Skipped heading levels

  • What it is: Headings should follow in order (Heading 2, then Heading 3, then Heading 4) without skipping. Jumping from Heading 2 to Heading 4 breaks screen reader navigation.
  • Fix in Drupal: Set headings with the Format (or Styles) dropdown in the toolbar. The page title is Heading 1, so start your content at Heading 2 and only go one level deeper at a time.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Headings

Fake headings (bold text used as a heading)

  • What it is: Bold text that looks like a heading is not a real heading, so screen readers cannot use it to navigate. Pope Tech flags this as a possible heading.
  • Fix in Drupal: Instead of bolding a line to make it a heading, select it and choose a real heading (Heading 2 or Heading 3) from the Format dropdown.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Headings

Lists that are not real lists

  • What it is: A list typed with dashes, asterisks, or numbers is not announced as a list. Pope Tech flags this as a possible list.
  • Fix in Drupal: Select the items and use the Bulleted list or Numbered list button in the toolbar.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Semantic Structure (Headings and Lists)

Data tables without header cells

  • What it is: Tables of data need header cells so screen readers can announce which row or column a value belongs to. Tables used only to position content on the page cause problems.
  • Fix in Drupal: When you insert a table, set the first row (and the first column, if needed) as Headers in the table properties. Use tables for data only, never to lay out a page.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Creating Accessible Tables

Justified text

  • What it is: Fully justified text creates uneven gaps ("rivers" of white space) that are hard to read, especially for people with dyslexia.
  • Fix in Drupal: Use left alignment. Select the text and choose Align left, and remove any justify formatting.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Text/Typographical Layout

Underlined text that is not a link

  • What it is: On the web, underlines mean links. Underlining other text makes people try to click it.
  • Fix in Drupal: Use bold for emphasis instead of underline. Remove underline formatting from any text that is not a link.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Links and Hypertext

Videos without captions

  • What it is: Videos need accurate captions for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Auto-generated captions on their own are usually not accurate enough.
  • Fix in Drupal: Only embed videos that have real, reviewed captions. Add or correct the captions in YouTube first, then confirm the embedded video shows a CC button with accurate text.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions

Links to inaccessible PDFs and documents

  • What it is: PDFs, Word files, and slides are often inaccessible. Pope Tech flags linked documents so you can review them.
  • Fix in Drupal: Put the content on a web page instead of a PDF whenever you can. If you must link a document, make it accessible first (real headings, alt text, tagged) and name the file and type in the link, for example "Parking map (PDF)."
  • Learn more: WebAIM: PDF Accessibility

Vague or missing page title

  • What it is: Each page needs a clear, unique title. It shows in the browser tab and search results, and it is the first thing a screen reader announces.
  • Fix in Drupal: Give the page a clear, specific Title when you create or edit the content. Describe the page — avoid "Untitled" or a single generic word.
  • Learn more: WebAIM: Page Titles