Our Commitment to an Accessible Site
SOSBusinessSearch.org is committed to making the site usable by everyone, including people who use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, magnification, and other assistive technologies. We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA, apply the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and use Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as a private-sector benchmark.
What’s on this page
1. Our Commitment
Looking up a business entity shouldn’t depend on what device you use, what assistive technology is on it, or what motor or sensory ability you have on a given day. We treat accessibility as an editorial standard alongside accuracy and currency, not an afterthought.
2. Standards We Apply
We target the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG 2.1 AA is the recognized international benchmark for digital accessibility and is the standard adopted by U.S. federal agencies under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. We apply it as a private-sector benchmark to the same level.
3. U.S. Legal Framework
| Law / standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Title III | Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in places of public accommodation. Federal courts have increasingly applied Title III to commercial websites; DOJ guidance treats websites of public accommodations as subject to ADA accessibility requirements. We use WCAG 2.1 AA as the benchmark for compliance with the spirit of that requirement. |
| Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act | Section 508 directly governs federal agencies’ digital content. It does not apply directly to a private-sector site like ours, but the Section 508 Refresh adopts WCAG 2.0 AA (and the U.S. Access Board has signaled alignment with WCAG 2.1) — we use Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA as a best-practice benchmark. |
| State web-accessibility laws | California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, New York State Human Rights Law, and a growing number of state laws have been used as the basis for website-accessibility claims. We aim to meet the standards of these laws by reference to WCAG 2.1 AA. |
| U.S. Department of Justice guidance | The DOJ Civil Rights Division publishes guidance on web accessibility under the ADA at ada.gov. We treat that guidance as authoritative for ADA-related accessibility questions. |
4. Accessibility Features Built Into the Site
Semantic HTML
Proper heading hierarchy, landmarks, lists, and tables with appropriate roles for screen readers
Color contrast
Body text and key UI elements meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text)
Keyboard navigation
All interactive elements are reachable and usable with the keyboard alone
Visible focus
Clear focus indicators on links, buttons, and form controls
Alt text
Descriptive alt text on meaningful images; decorative images marked as such
Descriptive links
Link text describes the destination; no “click here” or “read more” without context
200% zoom
Layouts work at 200% browser zoom and at increased text sizes
No autoplay
No autoplay video or audio; no flashing content above the WCAG threshold
Resizable text
Text can be resized without loss of content or function
Form labels
Every form input has an explicit label; errors are programmatically associated
Declared language
The page language is declared (en-US) so screen readers use the correct pronunciation
Reduced motion
The site respects the prefers-reduced-motion setting in your operating system
5. Assistive Technology Compatibility
| Technology | Status |
|---|---|
| NVDA (Windows screen reader) | Tested with current and previous major versions |
| JAWS (Windows screen reader) | Tested with current and previous major versions |
| VoiceOver (macOS & iOS) | Tested with current macOS and iOS |
| TalkBack (Android) | Tested with current Android |
| Narrator (Windows) | Compatible |
| Browser zoom and OS magnification | Up to 200% with no loss of content |
| Voice control (Dragon, Voice Control on macOS/iOS) | Compatible with semantic landmarks and labeled controls |
| Keyboard-only operation | Full site usable without a mouse or pointing device |
6. Supported Browsers
We support the current and one previous major version of:
- Google Chrome (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
- Mozilla Firefox (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
- Apple Safari (macOS, iOS, iPadOS)
- Microsoft Edge (Windows, macOS)
- Samsung Internet (Android)
Older browsers may load the site, but accessibility features depending on modern web standards may not work consistently. We encourage current versions.
7. Keyboard Navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Move forward through interactive elements |
| Shift + Tab | Move backward through interactive elements |
| Enter | Activate links and submit buttons |
| Space | Activate buttons; scroll the page |
| Arrow keys | Move within form controls and menus |
| Esc | Close modal dialogs and pop-ups |
If you find a place where keyboard focus gets stuck, where a control isn’t reachable, or where an element activates without a clear focus indicator, please tell us — that’s a bug we want to fix.
8. Known Limitations
- Older content — pages published before our current accessibility standard was adopted may not yet meet WCAG 2.1 AA in every detail. We work through them in the quarterly review cycle.
- Outbound links to state portals — accessibility of state SoS portals depends on each state’s own implementation. Some are excellent (Delaware iCIS, Wyoming WYO Business Search); others have known accessibility gaps. We don’t control those sites.
- State PDF documents — many states publish forms as PDF. The accessibility of those PDFs depends on the issuing state. Where a PDF appears not to have a tagged structure, we link to it with that caveat noted.
- Display advertising creative — accessibility is determined by the ad creative supplied by advertisers through the ad network.
If you encounter an accessibility barrier, please report it (Section 12) so we can address it directly and ahead of the next scheduled review.
9. Third-Party Content
The site includes content we don’t directly control:
- Display advertising — accessibility per the ad creative supplied by the advertiser
- Outbound links to state SoS portals — accessibility per each state’s own site
- Outbound links to federal agencies (FinCEN, IRS, USPTO, U.S. Department of State) — these federal sites are subject to Section 508 and generally meet a high standard, but we don’t control their day-to-day implementation
10. Alternative Formats
If you cannot access content on the site for accessibility reasons, please email us with the page URL and a description of the barrier. We will aim to provide the same information in an alternative format — typically plain text or a tagged PDF — within five business days.
11. Testing and Review
Our accessibility approach combines:
- Automated testing — Axe, WAVE, and Lighthouse accessibility audits run on representative pages
- Manual screen-reader testing — NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS/iOS, focused on navigation, headings, link purpose, and form labels
- Keyboard-only walkthroughs on every new page template
- Zoom and magnification testing at 100% / 150% / 200% / 400%
- Color-contrast checking against WCAG 2.1 AA thresholds
- Reduced-motion check with prefers-reduced-motion enabled
- Quarterly review of representative pages alongside the editorial review
12. Reporting an Accessibility Issue
Please email info@sosbusiness-search.org with subject line “Accessibility issue.”
To help us fix the issue quickly, please include:
- The URL of the page where you encountered the problem
- A short description of what happened and what you expected
- The browser, version, operating system, and any assistive technology you were using (if you know)
We acknowledge accessibility reports within one to three business days and prioritize fixes ahead of routine editorial work.
13. External Escalation
If you believe we haven’t addressed an accessibility concern adequately, you can also raise it through the following routes:
| Body | Scope | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Justice — Civil Rights Division | ADA Title III enforcement | ada.gov |
| U.S. Access Board | Federal agency that develops the accessibility standards underlying Section 508 and ADA Title III | access-board.gov |
| State Attorney General — Civil Rights Division | Many states have their own civil-rights divisions enforcing state-level disability-rights statutes (California Unruh Act, New York State Human Rights Law, etc.) | State AG website (varies by state) |
14. Standards References
- WCAG 2.1 quick reference: w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref
- Section 508: section508.gov
- U.S. Access Board accessibility guidelines: access-board.gov/ict
- ADA at ada.gov: ada.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute — ADA Title III: law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42
Tell Us If Something Isn’t Accessible
Accessibility reports are our priority queue. We acknowledge within one to three business days and fix ahead of routine editorial work.
📧 info@sosbusiness-search.org