Accessibility Statement

Pepperlot is built for restaurant operators, landlords, brokers, and property owners across the United States. That audience includes people who use screen readers, people who navigate without a mouse, people with low vision or color vision differences, people with cognitive or learning differences, and people using assistive technologies we may never encounter directly.

We design and build pepperlot.com to work toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. We treat accessibility as an ongoing engineering and design responsibility rather than a one-time audit. Releases are reviewed against accessibility practices, and known issues are tracked and prioritized alongside other engineering work.

This Accessibility Statement is a commitment, not a defense. We do not take the position that accessibility is optional, and we do not rely on good-faith effort alone in place of actual remediation.

Pepperlot works toward conformance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C and the standard most widely referenced under the ADA and adopted by courts, federal and state regulators, and accessibility professionals as the practical baseline for commercial websites. WCAG 2.2 Level AA is organized around four principles, often abbreviated as POUR:

The following accessibility practices and engineering choices are being implemented across the Platform. Individual pages and components vary in their current state of conformance, and we are working to bring every part of the Platform to consistent WCAG 2.2 Level AA support. The list below describes the direction of our work, not a guarantee that every page reflects every item at every moment.

• Semantic HTML landmarks (header, nav, main, article, footer) so screen readers can navigate by region.
• Logical heading hierarchy on pages so users can navigate by heading structure.
• A "Skip to main content" link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
• Keyboard navigation for interactive elements using Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, and arrow keys where appropriate.
• Visible focus indicators on focused elements so keyboard users know where they are.
• Color contrast targeted to meet or exceed WCAG AA ratios for body text and UI components, with continued review across the Platform.
• Descriptive alternative text on images that convey information. Purely decorative images are marked so assistive technology skips them.
• Explicit labels associated with form inputs. We avoid relying on placeholder text as a substitute for labels.
• Error messages designed to identify the field, explain what went wrong, and suggest a fix.
• ARIA labels, roles, and live regions used in custom components such as accordions, expanders, and search controls to communicate state to screen readers.
• Support for the prefers-reduced-motion preference. Animation and transitions reduce or disable for users who have set this preference in their operating system or browser.
• Pages designed to reflow when zoomed up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.
• Mobile layouts that retain navigation rather than hiding it without a replacement.
• No autoplay video or audio with sound on any page.
• Tap and click targets targeted to meet minimum size requirements on mobile and desktop in line with WCAG 2.2 target-size guidance.

Pepperlot is designed to work with mainstream assistive technologies. Active testing coverage varies by technology and is being expanded as part of our ongoing accessibility program. The technologies we target include:

• JAWS (Job Access With Speech) with Chrome and Edge on Windows.
• NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) with Chrome and Firefox on Windows.
• VoiceOver with Safari on macOS and iOS.
• TalkBack with Chrome on Android.
• Screen magnification tools including ZoomText and operating-system native magnifiers.
• Voice control software including Dragon NaturallySpeaking and operating-system native voice control.
• Switch devices and alternative input methods that emulate keyboard events.
• Refreshable braille displays paired with supported screen readers.

If you encounter an issue with an assistive technology not listed above, please report it. We take each report seriously regardless of the technology involved.

Accessibility is never finished. We track open issues against our WCAG 2.2 Level AA target and prioritize them alongside other engineering work. Active areas of improvement include:

• Continued color contrast review across listing badges, status tags, secondary text, and brand color usage to bring every text and UI element to or above WCAG AA ratios.
• Expanded screen reader testing on listing detail pages, filter controls, and the location intelligence dashboard with JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver.
• Audit of image alt text across user-submitted listings to bring operator-uploaded property photos to descriptive alternatives.
• Closed captioning and transcripts for any embedded video or audio content as that content type is introduced.
• Independent third-party audit against WCAG 2.2 Level AA, planned as part of our broader accessibility roadmap.
• Continued review of complex interactive components, including custom dropdowns, modals, and map-based search interfaces, against current ARIA Authoring Practices guidance.
• Implementation review against the criteria new to WCAG 2.2, including focus not obscured by sticky elements, target size minimums, dragging-movement alternatives, consistent help placement, redundant entry, and accessible authentication.

If you encounter a barrier that is not on this list, we want to hear about it. Specific feedback gets prioritized faster than general reports.

Pepperlot is a marketplace platform. Many listings on pepperlot.com include content submitted by restaurant operators, landlords, and brokers, including property photographs, written descriptions, and supporting documents. We provide editorial guidance and a structured listing template that prompts submitters to include accessible alternatives, and we review user-submitted content where we can identify issues. We do not guarantee that every user-submitted element on every listing meets the same accessibility practices as content authored by Pepperlot directly.

If a specific user-submitted listing contains content that is inaccessible to you, please report it using the contact options below. We will work with the submitter to correct the issue or, where the submitter is unresponsive, take action to make the content accessible or remove the inaccessible portion.

Pepperlot also integrates third-party data providers, mapping services, payment processors, and analytics tools. While we select vendors that prioritize accessibility, the accessibility of third-party embedded content is ultimately governed by the vendor. We welcome feedback on third-party integration issues and will raise them with the relevant vendor.

Accessibility overlays are marketed as one-line fixes that automatically make a website compliant. The accessibility community widely opposes them. They do not deliver on their claims, they can interfere with assistive technologies that users have already configured to their preferences, and they often introduce new barriers while masking the underlying ones.

Real accessibility comes from how a site is designed, built, and tested. Pepperlot invests in that work directly rather than layering a script on top.

If you encounter an accessibility barrier on pepperlot.com, please contact us. Every report is reviewed by a member of the engineering team.

What to Include

The most helpful reports include the following information. None of it is required, but the more you can provide, the faster we can reproduce and address the issue:

• The URL or page where you encountered the issue.
• A description of what you were trying to do and what happened.
• The assistive technology you were using, if any, including the screen reader name and version, browser, and operating system.
• Any error messages, screenshots, or screen recordings that would help us reproduce the issue.
• Whether the issue is blocking you from completing a task, or whether it is an annoyance you can work around.

How to Contact Us

Pepperlot aims to meet the following response and resolution targets for accessibility reports.

1. Acknowledgment

   We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within 5 business days of receipt. The acknowledgment confirms the issue is logged and identifies the team member working on it.

2. Initial Assessment

   Within 10 business days of acknowledgment, we aim to provide an initial assessment that includes confirmation of whether the issue is reproducible, a severity level (blocking, major, minor), and an estimated resolution timeline.

3. Resolution

   We aim to resolve confirmed accessibility issues within 30 days of the initial report, or sooner where a fix is straightforward. Complex issues that require coordinated engineering work may take longer, in which case we keep you informed of progress and provide a target resolution date.

4. Verification

   When a fix is deployed, we notify you and invite you to verify the resolution using your own assistive technology and workflow. If the fix does not fully address the issue, the report is reopened.

If you are unable to access information or complete a task on pepperlot.com because of a disability, and a permanent platform fix is not yet in place, Pepperlot will work to provide reasonable accommodations to give you equal access to the information or service. Accommodations may include:

• Providing listing information in an alternative accessible format such as plain text, large print, or structured data.
• Completing a form or submitting a listing on your behalf based on information you provide by email or phone.
• Conducting a live walk-through of a feature with a member of the Pepperlot team.
• Providing responses to your communications in a specific accessible format if you request one.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact us at the addresses in Section 9 and describe what you are trying to accomplish and the format of accommodation that would work for you.

Pepperlot works to integrate accessibility into the engineering and design process rather than treating it as a separate phase. The following practices are part of how we approach releases:

• Automated accessibility scanning during development and review using industry-standard tooling.
• Manual keyboard navigation as part of our component review process.
• Screen reader review on critical user flows including account creation, listing creation, listing search, and inquiry submission, as part of our ongoing accessibility roadmap.
• Independent external accessibility review against WCAG 2.2 Level AA, planned as part of our broader roadmap.
• Periodic internal review of open accessibility issues and prioritization against the engineering roadmap.
• Designer and engineer awareness of accessibility principles and WCAG requirements as a standing part of how we build.

Findings from external reviews, where they identify areas for improvement, are reflected in updates to Section 6 of this Statement.

Pepperlot is operated by Fluorite Corp, a Delaware corporation, and serves users across the United States. The laws and standards we treat as applicable to the Platform include but are not limited to:

• Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq.), as it applies to places of public accommodation.
• The California Unruh Civil Rights Act (California Civil Code § 51 et seq.), which provides protection from discrimination based on disability and authorizes statutory damages for violations.
• The New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law, which provide parallel protections for users in New York.
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), where applicable to procurement or interactions with federal entities.
• State accessibility statutes in jurisdictions where Pepperlot serves users, including Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and others.

Where federal, state, and local accessibility requirements differ, Pepperlot works toward the most protective standard in addition to its WCAG 2.2 Level AA target.

If you believe Pepperlot has failed to meet its obligations under any applicable accessibility law and you are not satisfied with our response after contacting us at the addresses in Section 9, you may also contact:

• The Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice at ada.gov, which enforces Title III of the ADA.
• The Disability Rights Section of the California Department of Justice (for California residents) at oag.ca.gov.
• Your state Attorney General's office, in any state with a parallel disability rights statute.
• Your local independent living center or disability rights legal aid organization, which can provide guidance on rights and remedies.

We provide these references because users with disabilities deserve to know their rights and the agencies that protect them, not because we expect to need them. Our preference is always to resolve issues directly and quickly.

Pepperlot reviews this Accessibility Statement on a regular cadence and updates it when our practices, standards, or features change. Material updates are reflected in the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, summarized in the Pepperlot blog.

If you have suggestions for improvements to this Statement itself, including clarifications, additions, or accessibility issues with the Statement as published, please send them to alex@pepperlot.com.

For accessibility questions, to report an issue, or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact us:

If you would prefer to receive a response in a specific accessible format, let us know in your message and we will work to accommodate.