Accessibility Statement

Franchise Builder US is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards to make our platform usable by the widest possible audience, regardless of ability.

We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, published as a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023. WCAG 2.2 extends WCAG 2.1 with additional success criteria, including: (a) 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) — ensuring that when a component receives keyboard focus, it is not entirely hidden by other content; (b) 2.4.13 Focus Appearance — ensuring that the focus indicator has sufficient contrast and size; (c) 3.2.6 Consistent Help — ensuring that help mechanisms are in the same relative order across pages; (d) 3.3.7 Redundant Entry — ensuring that information previously entered is auto-populated or available for selection; and (e) 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) — ensuring that authentication does not require cognitive function tests. We also maintain conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA as a baseline.

While we strive to meet these standards, we recognize that some areas of the platform may not yet fully conform. We are actively working to identify and remediate accessibility issues.

To support accessibility, we:

• Design interfaces that are navigable by keyboard and assistive technologies
• Provide text alternatives for non-text content where applicable
• Maintain sufficient color contrast for readability
• Test the platform with common screen readers and browser accessibility tools
• Continuously review and improve our code against accessibility standards

Some content or features on the platform may be provided by third parties. While we encourage our partners to meet accessibility standards, we cannot guarantee the accessibility of third-party content. If you encounter an accessibility issue with third-party content, please let us know and we will work with the provider to address it.

If you experience difficulty accessing any part of the platform, or if you have suggestions for improvement, please contact our dedicated accessibility support team:

• Accessibility Support Email: accessibility@franchisebuilderus.com
• Responsible Employee: Our Accessibility Coordinator serves as the designated responsible employee for ADA and Section 508 inquiries. All accessibility barrier reports are routed directly to this role.
• Response Commitment: We commit to acknowledging all accessibility barrier reports within 48 hours of receipt and providing a substantive response within 5 business days.
• Escalation Path: Barrier reports are triaged by severity — Critical barriers (blocking core functionality) are escalated to engineering within 24 hours; Serious barriers are escalated within 72 hours; Minor barriers are addressed in the next quarterly remediation cycle.
• Alternative Access: If you need assistance completing a task on the platform due to an accessibility barrier, please reach out and we will provide an alternative means of access where possible, including phone-based assistance, screen-sharing support, or manual document processing.

ADA / Section 508 Coordinator: Franchise Builder US Accessibility Team — accessibility@franchisebuilderus.com

Last Validated: August 31, 2026

WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Score (Self-Assessed): 94/100

Pages Scanned: 47

Issues Found: 3 (0 critical, 1 serious, 2 minor)

Next Scheduled Scan: November 30, 2026

This accessibility statement is recertified on a quarterly basis through automated scanning. The results above reflect the most recent validation scan. We are actively working to remediate all identified issues and improve our conformance score. The scan covers all primary user-facing pages, navigation flows, form interactions, and document creation interfaces.

Franchise Builder US has conducted a formal Section 508 accessibility audit in accordance with the Revised Section 508 Standards (36 CFR 1194) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. The following VPAT 2.4 (Revised 508 Edition) is published to satisfy federal procurement requirements for franchisors or franchisees who serve as government contractors or receive federal funding.

VPAT 2.4 — Section 508 Conformance Report

Product Name: Franchise Builder US Platform

Version: Current Production Release

Date: September 2026

Evaluator: Franchise Builder US Accessibility Team (Self-Assessment)

Overall Conformance Level: Partial Conformance — The platform conforms to the majority of Section 508 criteria. Known gaps are documented and actively remediated through quarterly accessibility scans.

Assessment Method: Self-assessed by Franchise Builder US engineering staff against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. This VPAT has not been validated by a third-party accessibility auditor. We will provide updated conformance documentation upon completion of independent validation.

A downloadable VPAT 2.4 document is available upon request for federal procurement officers. Contact us through the Support section of the platform to request the full VPAT document.

On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establishing specific web and mobile app accessibility requirements for state and local government entities. The rule adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for web content and mobile apps provided by state and local governments. Compliance dates were extended by an Interim Final Rule published in April 2026: large public entities (50,000+ population) must comply by April 26, 2027, and smaller public entities by April 26, 2028.

Relevance to Franchise Builder US Users: While Franchise Builder US is a private SaaS platform and not directly subject to the ADA Title II rule, many of our franchisor and franchisee users serve as government contractors, receive federal funding, or operate franchises that interact with state and local government systems. We design our platform to meet WCAG 2.1 AA (and increasingly WCAG 2.2 AA) so that our users can confidently use Franchise Builder US as part of their own ADA compliance programs. If you are a government contractor or receive federal funding, our VPAT 2.4 report (Section 7) can support your Section 508 compliance documentation.

In addition to federal ADA requirements, several states have enacted their own digital accessibility laws and regulations:

• California (AB 434 — Gov. Code § 7405): Requires California state agencies and entities that contract with state agencies to comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA. California's Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civ. Code § 51) also prohibits discrimination by business establishments, and courts have held that inaccessible websites may violate the Unruh Act.
• New York (Human Rights Law § 296): The New York State Division of Human Rights has taken the position that inaccessible websites may constitute discrimination under the New York Human Rights Law. New York City also enforces Local Law 117-2018, which requires certain businesses to maintain accessible websites.
• Massachusetts (ADA compliance): Massachusetts applies ADA standards to digital accessibility and has been active in enforcing web accessibility through the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.
• Florida (ADA compliance): Florida courts have been receptive to ADA web accessibility claims under Title III, and the Florida Attorney General has pursued enforcement actions against businesses with inaccessible websites.
• Other States: All 50 states have some form of anti-discrimination law that may apply to digital accessibility, and state attorneys general may pursue enforcement actions under state consumer protection and civil rights laws. Franchise Builder US monitors state accessibility law developments and updates its practices accordingly.

Since the previous quarterly scan, we have remediated 5 accessibility issues, including: improved keyboard navigation in the FDD Builder, enhanced screen reader labels for form fields, increased color contrast on dashboard cards, added ARIA landmarks to navigation menus, and improved focus management in modal dialogs.