Accessibility Statement

1. Our commitment to accessibility

Hello Alice is committed to making our platform accessible to the broadest possible range of users, including people with disabilities. We believe that small business owners with disabilities should have equal access to the AI advisor, the resources library, accelerator programs, grant programs, and every other service Hello Alice offers.

This Accessibility Statement describes the standards we work toward, the features we have implemented, the known limitations of our current platform, and how you can request accommodations or report accessibility issues.

"Hello Alice," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Circular Board, Inc., a Delaware corporation doing business as Hello Alice.

2. Standards we follow

We work to align our platform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG defines accessibility around four principles:

• Perceivable: information and interface components are presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable: interface components and navigation are operable.
• Understandable: information and operation of the interface are understandable.
• Robust: content is robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide range of user agents, including assistive technologies.

We also consider:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including Title III as it applies to commercial websites and services.
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act standards, which align closely with WCAG.
• State-level accessibility statutes, including the California Unruh Civil Rights Act.

3. Accessibility features

3.1 Website and application

Across helloalice.com and app.helloalice.com, we have implemented:

• Semantic HTML structure with proper headings, landmarks, and lists that convey content organization to assistive technologies.
• Keyboard navigation for all primary interactions. You can navigate the site and complete core tasks without a mouse or pointer device.
• Visible focus indicators that show which element currently has keyboard focus.
• Color contrast that targets the WCAG 2.2 AA contrast ratios for text and meaningful non-text elements.
• Descriptive link text that makes sense when read out of context.
• Alternative text for meaningful images. Decorative images are marked so assistive technologies can skip them.
• Resizable text that remains readable when zoomed up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Responsive design that works across common screen sizes and orientations.

3.2 The AI advisor

The AI advisor is a conversational interface, which raises accessibility considerations beyond a typical website. We have designed the AI advisor to:

• Be operable with keyboard alone, including starting a new conversation, sending messages, reviewing history, and managing connected accounts.
• Announce AI responses to screen readers as they are generated, using ARIA live regions where appropriate.
• Allow you to set your own pace. The AI advisor does not impose time limits on your responses.
• Provide clear status indicators (such as "thinking," "responding," and "ready") that are conveyed to assistive technologies.
• Support browser-level dictation and text-to-speech so users who prefer voice input or output can use their existing tools.

3.3 Forms, applications, and grant programs

Many of Hello Alice's most important user experiences are forms, particularly grant applications, identity verification, and program applications. For these:

• All form fields have visible labels that are programmatically associated with their inputs.
• Required fields are indicated by both visual cues and accessible labels (not by color alone).
• Errors are announced to assistive technologies and described in plain language.
• Multi-step flows preserve context as you move forward and back, and your progress is announced to assistive technologies.
• Where forms involve uploads of documents (such as for identity verification), we support common file types and provide clear instructions for what we expect.

Engineering has confirmed that grant application accessibility review is in place. As gaps are identified through ongoing review, they enter the accessibility backlog and are addressed in regular release cycles.

3.4 Email and other communications

For our email communications:

• Plain-text alternatives are available for HTML emails.
• Images include alternative text.
• Layouts use semantic structure and read in a logical order.
• Color is not the only means of conveying information.

4. Conformance status

We work to align with WCAG 2.2 Level AA, but we acknowledge that no platform of our size and complexity achieves perfect conformance at every point in time. Our current conformance status is partial conformance, meaning that some content and interactions meet the standard and others may not yet.

Our accessibility review is conducted by accessibility experts on our internal team rather than by an external auditor. We treat accessibility as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time audit milestone. As we identify gaps, we add them to our backlog and address them in regular release cycles. Where a gap meaningfully limits a user's access to the Services, we treat it as a higher-priority fix.

5. Known limitations

We are aware of the following limitations and are working to address them:

• Comprehensive screen reader testing of the AI advisor has not yet been completed. We have designed the AI advisor with accessibility in mind, but we have not yet completed validation testing with major screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack). We are prioritizing this testing and will address any gaps it identifies.
• Voice-to-text input has not been validated against our accessibility standards. The AI advisor supports browser-level and operating-system-level voice input, but we have not completed end-to-end validation testing of voice input flows. If you rely on voice input and encounter an issue, please report it via Section 8 and we will work with you on the specific case.

If you encounter an accessibility issue we have not listed, please tell us. Your feedback is important to making the platform better.

6. Compatible assistive technologies

Hello Alice is designed to be compatible with current versions of widely used assistive technologies, including:

• Screen readers: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver (macOS and iOS), TalkBack (Android), and similar.
• Screen magnification: ZoomText, browser zoom, and operating-system magnification.
• Speech recognition: Dragon NaturallySpeaking and operating-system voice input.
• Keyboard-only navigation.
• Alternative input devices.

We test with current and recent versions of major browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge) on current desktop and mobile operating systems. We do not guarantee compatibility with end-of-life browsers or operating systems.

7. Third-party content and services

Some parts of Hello Alice rely on third-party services and content, including authentication (Auth0), payment processing (Stripe), event delivery (Zoom), and content provided by our grant program and accelerator partners. These third parties maintain their own accessibility practices, and we cannot guarantee that all third-party experiences meet the same standard as our own.

If you encounter an accessibility barrier with a third-party service we use, please tell us. We will work with you and with the third party where we can.

8. Requesting accommodations and reporting accessibility issues

If you encounter an accessibility barrier on Hello Alice, or if you need an accommodation to access any part of our Services, please contact us. We take accessibility feedback seriously and will respond as promptly as we can.

Email: accessibility@helloalice.com

Subject line: Accessibility Feedback

When you contact us, please include:

• A description of the issue or the accommodation you need.
• The specific page, feature, or content where you encountered the issue (a URL is helpful).
• The assistive technology you are using, if applicable.
• Your browser and operating system, if applicable.

We will acknowledge your message within three (3) business days and work with you to provide the information, accommodation, or alternative format you need.

9. Alternative formats

If you need information or services in an alternative format (such as large print, plain text, audio, or any other accessible format), please contact us at accessibility@helloalice.com. We will work with you to provide the information you need in a format you can use.

10. Our ongoing commitment

Accessibility is not a one-time project. We are committed to:

• A designated accessibility lead. Our compliance officer, Kelsey Ruger, serves as Hello Alice's designated accessibility lead. He is responsible for the commitments in this statement and is the primary point of contact for accessibility questions. Reach him at accessibility@helloalice.com.
• Regular accessibility review of our website, application, and content.
• Accessibility training for the people who build and maintain Hello Alice.
• User feedback as a primary signal for where to invest accessibility effort.
• Staying current with evolving accessibility standards and best practices.

11. Updates to this statement

We may update this Accessibility Statement from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. When we make changes, we will post the updated statement with a new "Last Updated" date.

12. Change log

This appendix logs notable updates to this Accessibility Statement. The body of the statement describes Hello Alice's current practices, not historical ones.

Version effective June 5, 2026

Initial publication of Hello Alice's Accessibility Statement. Establishes our commitment to WCAG 2.2 AA, describes the accessibility features we have implemented across the website, application, AI advisor, forms, and communications, and provides clear channels for requesting accommodations or reporting accessibility issues.