Accessibility
Beeswax is a daily spelling game made by one person in Toronto. We want as many people as possible to be able to play it, and we treat accessibility as ongoing work rather than a box that is ever finished. This page describes what we support today, where the game has real limits, and how to tell us when something gets in your way.
Our standard
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, and we use it as the benchmark when we build and fix things. We have not had the site formally audited, so we don't claim full conformance. Where we fall short, we want to hear about it and fix it.
What Beeswax supports today
- Keyboard play. You can type answers on a physical keyboard; the on-screen keyboard is optional. Interactive controls show a visible focus outline when you move between them with the keyboard.
- Screen reader labels. Buttons and controls carry accessible names and roles so assistive technology can announce them.
- Reduced motion. If your device is set to reduce motion, Beeswax tones down its animations.
- Replay as often as you like. Hearing or replaying a word is always free and unlimited, and you can ask for its definition, a sentence, its language of origin, and its part of speech.
- Clear pronunciation. Words are pronounced from Merriam-Webster's published pronunciations, and each clip begins with a short silence so the first sound isn't cut off on devices that are slow to start playback.
- Spelling flexibility. American and British spellings are both accepted, and accents are never required.
Known limitations
We'd rather be upfront about these than have you discover them mid-game.
- The game is built on listening. Beeswax is a spelling bee: you hear a word and spell it, and the hints are spoken too. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to play the daily game as designed, because showing the word in writing would give the answer away.
- Each word is timed. You have two minutes per word. If the time limit is a barrier for you, please tell us.
- Audio needs a working connection. If a word's audio can't load, the game tells you and you can tap the word to try again.
If any of these affect you, contact us. We can't promise a fix for every case, but we will read every message, take it seriously, and tell you honestly what we can do.
Report a barrier or ask for help
Email hello@spellbeeswax.com with "Accessibility" in the subject line. It helps to tell us:
- The page or part of the game you were using,
- What got in the way, and
- The device, browser, and any assistive technology you use.
We aim to reply within five business days. Because Beeswax is run by one person, the occasional reply may take a little longer, but no accessibility message goes unanswered.
Accessibility policy
In line with the principles of Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Beeswax is committed to providing its service in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities, and to giving everyone an equal opportunity to use it. In particular, we commit to:
- Considering accessibility when we design, build, and change features;
- Receiving and responding to accessibility feedback through the contact above;
- Providing this page, or any information about Beeswax, in an accessible format or with communication support on request, at no cost;
- Posting a notice on the site if a planned change or outage temporarily affects features people rely on; and
- Reviewing this statement and our progress at least once a year.