Accessibility Statement
Apiary is a bee-conservation and community platform. We want everyone — including people who use assistive technology — to be able to learn, take part, and feel welcome here.
Our commitment to accessibility
We are committed to making Apiary (apiarybee.com) accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of ability, device, or the technology they use to browse the web. Accessibility is part of how we think about building the site, not an afterthought, and we treat it as ongoing work that improves over time.
Our goal is for the content and core functions of Apiary to be usable by people who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, screen magnification, voice control, reduced-motion settings, and other assistive tools.
Conformance status
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. We aim to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most commonly referenced for web accessibility, including in the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For context, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act — which applies to U.S. federal agencies and their contractors — also incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference.
Apiary is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. “Partially conformant” means that some parts of the content do not yet fully meet the standard. We are being honest about this: like most real-world sites, we have known gaps (described below) that we are actively working to reduce.
Measures we take
To support accessibility across the site, we work to:
- Use semantic HTML (real headings, lists, landmarks, and buttons) so structure is meaningful to assistive technology.
- Make interactive elements keyboard operable, with a logical focus order and visible focus indicators.
- Maintain readable color contrast for text and meaningful interface elements.
- Support responsive reflow so content adapts to small screens, zoom, and enlarged text without loss of information.
- Provide text alternatives for meaningful images and visual content.
- Respect reduced-motion preferences — when your system requests reduced motion, we reduce or remove non-essential animation.
- Add labels and ARIA where native HTML alone is not enough to communicate names, roles, and states.
Known limitations
Despite our efforts, some areas of Apiary have known limitations. We list them openly so you know what to expect — and so you know there is always another way to get the same information.
- The interactive game / bee-world. Apiary includes a canvas-based interactive world. Canvas and game areas can be difficult or impossible for some screen readers and assistive technologies to interpret. A text equivalent and a simpler path to the same content and actions are available on request.
- The community board. Some dynamic and user-generated content on the community board may not always announce updates perfectly to assistive technology. If you have trouble reading or posting, we will help you do so another way.
- Animated visual moments. Some celebratory or decorative animations are primarily visual. Where these convey information, we provide the same information in text. We honor your reduced-motion setting where it is available, and we can describe any animated moment on request.
In every case above, the same information and functionality is available in an alternative, accessible form. Just ask — see the contact details below.
Feedback and contact
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Apiary. If you hit a barrier, find something confusing, or need content in a different format, please tell us — your reports genuinely help us improve.
Accessibility feedback:
Please include the page or area, what you were trying to do, and the assistive technology or browser you were using, if you can. We aim to respond within a reasonable timeframe and will make a good-faith effort to provide the information or function you need in an alternative, accessible format.
Assessment approach
Apiary assessed its accessibility primarily through self-evaluation. This includes ongoing internal review during design and development, manual keyboard and screen-reader checks, and contrast and reflow testing. Accessibility review is a continuous, internal part of how we maintain the site rather than a one-time audit, and we update this work as the platform evolves.
About this statement
Last reviewed: June 2, 2026.
This statement is provided in good faith and for transparency. It is not a warranty, guarantee, or legal advice, and it does not create any contractual or legal obligation.