1. Our commitment
We want Businest to be usable by everyone, including people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice controls, or other assistive technologies. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, and we treat accessibility as an ongoing process — not a one-time checklist.
2. What we've done
- Semantic HTML structure with proper heading hierarchy and landmarks (
header,main,nav,footer). - Alt text on meaningful images. Decorative images use
alt=""so screen readers skip them. - Focus states on every interactive element (buttons, links, form fields).
- Forms with proper labels and error messages associated with inputs.
- Colour contrast that meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text and UI).
- Skip-to-content link at the top of every page.
- ARIA attributes where native HTML doesn't carry enough meaning.
- Keyboard-accessible navigation throughout, including dropdowns, modals, and the search.
3. Known limitations
We're being honest: there are still gaps. The areas we're actively working on:
- Map search — the interactive map (Leaflet) is challenging for screen readers. We provide an equivalent list view that's fully accessible.
- Some images on listings — listings uploaded by businesses may have missing or generic alt text. We're working on tools that will require alt text on upload.
- Embedded third-party content — Google Maps embeds and similar may not meet our accessibility standards. We don't control them.
4. Compatibility
Businest should work with:
- Latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
- Screen readers including VoiceOver (macOS/iOS), NVDA (Windows), and TalkBack (Android).
- Keyboard-only navigation.
- Browser zoom up to 200%.
Older browsers may have a degraded experience but core functions should still work.
5. Tell us if something is broken
If you run into an accessibility barrier — anything from a missing alt text to something that doesn't work with your screen reader — please tell us. We'll prioritise it.
- Email: accessibility@businest.africa
- Or use our contact page
When reporting an issue, it helps if you can include: the page URL, what you were trying to do, what assistive technology you're using, and what happened. We aim to respond within 5 business days.
6. Standards we follow
This site is being developed against:
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA
- WAI-ARIA 1.2 for dynamic UI components
- HTML5 semantics
7. Updates to this statement
We update this statement as the site changes. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.