OWASP / OWASP/owasp.github.io

bug(a11y): Mobile navigation menu is non-functional when JavaScript is disabled

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Dominant language
HTML
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Problem

When JavaScript is disabled, the primary header navigation on https://owasp.org/
becomes inaccessible. This results in a broken mobile navigation experience and
forces users to rely on footer links only.

This behavior breaks progressive enhancement principles and impacts accessibility,
particularly WCAG 2.1 Principle 4 (Robustness).

#Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open https://owasp.org/
  2. Disable JavaScript (Chrome DevTools → Settings → Disable JavaScript)
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Switch to a mobile viewport

#Actual Behavior

  • Hamburger menu icon is visible but does not respond to clicks
  • Primary navigation links (Chapters, Events, About) are hidden
  • Search input is visible but non-functional
  • Users must scroll to the footer to access navigation links

Expected Behavior

  • Core navigation should be accessible without JavaScript
  • Navigation should degrade gracefully when JS is unavailable
  • Site should follow progressive enhancement principles

Suggested Improvement

  • Provide a non-JS fallback navigation (e.g., visible list or CSS-only toggle)
  • Ensure critical navigation is not JS-only
  • Improve robustness for low-bandwidth or restricted environments

Environment

  • Browser: Chrome / Chromium
  • Condition: JavaScript disabled via DevTools
Screenshots

Image

Related to: OWASP/www-committee-project#ISSUE_NUMBER

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at https://owasp.org/ and reproduce the issue with JavaScript disabled in a mobile viewport, then locate the primary header navigation implementation. Done means Chapters, Events, About, and search remain usable without JavaScript and the mobile navigation degrades gracefully.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
html, javascript
Domain
accessibility, frontend, web-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
42/100

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