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Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement

Last updated: 6 October 2026 · Version 2026-10-06

Applying to college is hard enough. Bema should not be the part that makes it harder, and a student who uses a screen reader, a keyboard, or a magnifier should be able to do everything here that anyone else can.

This statement says what we are aiming for, what is true today, and what to do when something is not working.

Our target

Bema aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. That is the standard referenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act in practice, by Section 508 for federal procurement, and by most school districts when they evaluate a tool.

We treat AA as the floor rather than the finish line.

What we have done

Structure and navigation

  • Every page has a single, meaningful heading, and headings nest in order.
  • Landmarks (main, nav, header) are marked up so a screen reader user can jump straight to the content.
  • Everything is reachable with a keyboard alone, in a sensible order.
  • Focus is always visible — a solid outline, never removed.
  • Menus, dialogs and sheets trap focus while open, close on Esc, and return focus where you left it.

Color and contrast

  • Body text meets or exceeds a 4.5:1 contrast ratio; large text and interface components meet 3:1.
  • Color is never the only way information is conveyed. Status badges carry words, charts carry direct labels and a table view, and required fields are marked in text as well as color.
  • Our data visualisations are checked against simulated protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia before they ship.

Forms

  • Every input has a real, associated label — never a placeholder standing in for one.
  • Errors are announced, described in words, and tied to the field they concern.
  • Character and word limits are shown live rather than enforced silently, so you are never surprised by truncation.
  • The human check at signup has a text alternative. The default is a grid of pictures to tap; one link switches it to a written question that a screen reader can read, and both are accepted (WCAG 1.1.1). No third-party captcha widget is used.

Touch and motion

  • Interactive targets are at least 44×44px.
  • Text inputs are at least 16px on small screens, so iOS does not zoom the page when you focus one.
  • All motion is decorative and respects prefers-reduced-motion. If your system asks for reduced motion, animation stops.

Text

  • The interface reflows to 320px wide and supports 200% zoom without loss of content.
  • We use the system font stack, so a font you have configured for readability is the font you get.

What is not there yet

We would rather be specific about the gaps than vague about the coverage.

  • The rich-text essay editor is the hardest surface to get right. Basic writing, formatting shortcuts and the review rail work with a keyboard and a screen reader, but the tracked-changes highlights are conveyed visually and are read out less clearly than we would like. The review side panel lists every suggestion and comment as plain text, so no information is only available inside the editor.
  • The Kanban board on the college list is a visual arrangement. The same data is available in list view, which we recommend if the board is awkward for you.
  • Charts carry a table view, but the table is a toggle rather than the default.
  • We have not yet completed a full third-party audit. Our testing to date is internal — keyboard traversal, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and automated checks. An independent audit is planned before general availability.

Assistive technology we test with

  • VoiceOver on macOS (Safari) and iOS (Safari)
  • Keyboard-only navigation in Chrome, Safari and Firefox
  • Browser zoom to 200%, and macOS/iOS text-size settings
  • Automated checks in development

If you use NVDA, JAWS, Dragon, or a switch device and something does not work, we want to hear about it — those are the setups we have tested least.

Tell us when it breaks

If any part of Bema is difficult or impossible for you to use, email getbemaai@gmail.com.

Please tell us the page, what you were trying to do, and what you use — the browser, the operating system, and any assistive technology. That is usually enough for us to reproduce it.

We aim to reply within 3 business days and to tell you either that it is fixed, or when it will be, or how to get the same thing done another way in the meantime.

If something is blocking you right now, say so and we will find a way to help you directly while we work on the fix.

Getting the information another way

If a part of Bema is not accessible to you, we will provide the same information or function another way at no cost — by email, by phone, or by another format that works for you. Ask at getbemaai@gmail.com.

Formal complaints

If we have not resolved your concern, you may contact us at getbemaai@gmail.com, and you retain the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act.