Accessibility statement

02What this statement covers

This accessibility commitment applies to the primary digital experiences available through hiscec.com, including, where applicable:

• the HISCEC homepage and informational pages;
• Membership;
• the Business Directory;
• individual business listings;
• the Marketplace;
• product listings;
• service listings;
• Places to Stay;
• Deals;
• Events;
• courses and educational resources;
• community features;
• sponsorship information;
• advocacy and research participation;
• business registration;
• account and sign-in experiences;
• forms;
• legal and policy pages;
• error and 404 pages; and
• other core HISCEC digital experiences.

Because the platform continues to evolve, newly introduced pages, integrations, member-generated content, and features may require additional accessibility review after release.

03Keyboard access

We work to ensure that interactive functionality can be accessed using a keyboard without requiring a mouse or touchscreen.

Navigation order should follow the logical structure of the page, and interactive elements should provide a visible focus indicator.

Menus, dialogs, carousels, forms, filters, and other interactive components should support appropriate keyboard behavior.

04Screen readers and semantic structure

We use semantic page structure to help assistive technologies understand the organization and purpose of content.

Our standards include:

• meaningful heading hierarchies;
• properly identified navigation regions;
• descriptive links;
• programmatically associated form labels;
• meaningful alternative text;
• appropriate control names;
• status and error communication where needed; and
• correct page-language identification.

HISCEC supports content in English and Spanish, and pages should identify their language appropriately so assistive technologies can interpret the content correctly.

05Color and contrast

HISCEC's visual identity includes navy, blue, gold, silver, white, and supporting colors.

Brand identity should never take priority over readability.

We design text and essential interface elements to meet applicable WCAG contrast requirements.

Colors that do not provide sufficient contrast for text on a particular background are used only decoratively, or with an accessible contrasting foreground.

Information should not depend on color alone to communicate meaning.

06Forms and error messages

Forms are an important part of HISCEC, including membership registration, Marketplace interactions, advocacy participation, event registration, account functions, and other services.

We work to ensure that forms provide:

• visible labels;
• understandable instructions;
• clearly identified required fields;
• accessible validation;
• specific error messages;
• logical keyboard navigation;
• appropriate focus management; and
• accessible confirmation or status information.

A user should be able to understand what information is required, what went wrong, and how to correct it.

07Responsive design and reflow

HISCEC is designed to work across desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices.

Content should adapt to smaller screens without unnecessarily requiring horizontal scrolling or causing important text, controls, or information to become inaccessible.

We also work to support users who enlarge text, zoom pages, or use magnification technology.

08Motion and animation

HISCEC uses animation and visual transitions selectively to improve the experience without making content unnecessarily difficult to use.

Where appropriate, the platform respects users' reduced-motion preferences.

Important information should not depend exclusively on animation, movement, or timed transitions.

09Images, graphics, charts, and visual content

HISCEC uses photographs, business logos, icons, illustrations, charts, graphs, certificates, promotional materials, and other visual content.

Meaningful visual information should include an accessible alternative when appropriate.

Decorative imagery should not create unnecessary noise for screen-reader users.

For charts, graphs, statistics, or other data visualizations, we aim to ensure that essential information is also understandable without relying exclusively on color or visual presentation.

10Business Directory and Marketplace accessibility

The HISCEC Business Directory and Marketplace include content supplied by participating businesses.

HISCEC designs the underlying listing templates and platform interfaces with accessibility in mind.

However, some business-provided content — including descriptions, images, logos, videos, external websites, uploaded documents, or other materials — may not always meet the same accessibility standards.

We encourage participating businesses to provide accessible content, including meaningful image descriptions and clear, understandable information.

Where practical, HISCEC may provide tools, guidance, or platform requirements that help businesses improve the accessibility of the content they publish.

Platform vs. member content: HISCEC controls the accessibility of the platform itself. Individual businesses may control some of the content displayed within their listings.

11Community and user-generated content

Some areas of HISCEC may contain reviews, event information, listings, posts, comments, photographs, or other material submitted by members or users.

HISCEC works to make the platform used to access this content accessible.

Because individual users control some of the content they submit, HISCEC cannot guarantee that every item of user-generated content will fully conform to WCAG.

If user-generated content creates a significant accessibility barrier, we encourage users to report it so we can evaluate available alternatives or corrective action.

12Third-party services

HISCEC may integrate with or link to third-party technologies and services, such as:

• payment processors;
• maps;
• social media platforms;
• video providers;
• scheduling services;
• embedded content;
• external business websites; and
• other technology providers.

HISCEC does not control the accessibility of independent third-party websites or applications.

We nevertheless consider accessibility when selecting and implementing third-party services, and we encourage our technology partners to provide accessible experiences.

13Downloadable documents and Digital Membership Certificates

HISCEC may provide downloadable materials, educational resources, reports, guides, and Digital Membership Certificates.

We work toward making important downloadable documents accessible where technically practical and appropriate.

The HISCEC Digital Membership Certificate is designed primarily as a visual representation of membership.

Where the certificate or another visual document communicates essential information, HISCEC provides an accessible text equivalent or another method of accessing that information.

If you encounter a downloadable document that you cannot access, contact us and request an accessible alternative.

14Testing and continuous improvement

Accessibility is not treated as a one-time audit.

HISCEC's accessibility process may include a combination of:

• automated testing, used to identify common accessibility issues;
• manual review of keyboard navigation, page structure, forms, contrast, focus behavior, responsive layouts, and interactive components;
• assistive-technology testing, using screen readers, magnification, keyboard-only navigation, and other accessibility tools;
• user feedback from people who encounter accessibility barriers while using HISCEC; and
• ongoing remediation as problems are identified through testing, platform changes, or user reports.

New functionality and substantial redesigns are evaluated for accessibility as part of the development and quality-assurance process.

15Current limitations

Despite our efforts, some parts of the HISCEC platform may not yet be fully accessible to every user, or with every combination of browser, device, and assistive technology.

Potential limitations may include:

• content supplied by members or other users;
• legacy content;
• certain downloadable files;
• third-party integrations;
• embedded content;
• external websites;
• newly released functionality undergoing accessibility review; or
• unusual combinations of browsers and assistive technologies.

Known limitation, as of October 2026: on English pages, the document still declares Spanish as its language. Each page's language is marked in its content, but not on the document itself, which is what the page-language criterion asks for. It is logged to be fixed.

Identifying a limitation does not mean we consider it acceptable permanently. When we identify a significant accessibility barrier within our control, we evaluate the issue and work toward an appropriate solution.

16Need help accessing something?

If an accessibility barrier prevents you from accessing information, completing a form, registering for a program, using the Marketplace, managing your membership, or completing another important task, please contact HISCEC.

When possible, we will work with you to provide the information or service through an accessible alternative while the underlying issue is evaluated.

17Reporting an accessibility barrier

We welcome accessibility feedback.

If you encounter a barrier on hiscec.com, providing the following information helps us investigate it more effectively:

• the page or feature where you experienced the problem;
• the page address, if available;
• what you were trying to accomplish;
• a description of what happened;
• the browser and device you were using; and
• the assistive technology you were using, if applicable.

You do not need to provide information about a disability or medical condition to report an accessibility problem.

Accessibility inquiries and reports: info@hiscec.com.

We will make reasonable efforts to review accessibility reports, investigate barriers within our control, communicate about material issues, and provide an alternative method of accessing important information or services when appropriate.

18Our commitment

Small business owners use HISCEC to find information, learn new skills, build visibility, connect with other businesses, participate in commerce, discover opportunities, and strengthen their companies.

Those opportunities should be available to as many people as possible.

As HISCEC continues building its digital platform, accessibility will remain part of how we design, develop, evaluate, and improve the experience.

Our goal is a platform where more entrepreneurs can participate, contribute, connect, and grow.