GIS Map & App Accessibility

Map/App/Story Map Accessibility Resources

• Map Accessibility (Minnesota IT Services) - Guides for designing accessible digital maps and making static maps accessible
• Making an Accessible PDF guide from ESRI
• Building Accessible Web Mapping Apps (ESRI Developer Summit PowerPoint presentation)
• Writing accessible ArcGIS StoryMaps content (ESRI)
• Esri Accessibility Conformance Report for AcrGIS StoryMaps
• Mapping with Accessibility: 8 key hacks to map with confidence (ESRI UK)
• StoryMap Guidance and Publication Requirements (EPA)
• ESRI Accessibility (UMW)

ADA Compliant Map PDFs

In ArcMap or ArcPro: Export map to PDF without layers (flattened) when possible. Tagging can make items disappear from layered files.

Export Map > Options > Advanced Tab (in ArcMap) > Layers & Attributes = None

In Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Create Tags

1. Open Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order (or Touch Up Reading Order - TURO).
2. Treat the entire map and legend as one figure. Select it by dragging the cursor and draw a box around all of the map and legend but not the title, then choose "Figure" from the Reading Order panel. If parts of the map disappear, close out – don’t save. Go back in and make sure to draw the box around everything including the map frame and legend frame, then hit Figure.
3. Select the title by drawing a box around it, then choose Text (or a Heading).

Note: Design your pages so this text is outside the map area and easy to select.

Tips:

• If you mess up a page or a document comes to you with messy tagging, select “Clear Page Structure” and then follow the above steps.
• If you need to select things that overlap, select and tag the larger item first, then the smaller.
• If want to deselect something within another item, hold down the Control key while selecting.

Close

Add Alternative Text to Figures

• Must be done after map is Tagged
• Entire document: Tools > Accessibility > Set alternate text > OK.
• Acrobat will find each figure and provide text boxes with arrows to scroll through.
• Alt text should convey the message of the map. Keep important detail outside of the alt text. Keep the alt text brief. A short alt text should indicate the type of figure and then reference more detailed descriptions in the caption or body text.
• Save & Close
• Close Accessibility ( X at top right)
• Save PDF

Run Accessibility Checker and Fix Errors

Tools > Accessibility > Full Check > Start Checking. Fix any remaining issues as follows. 

Expand each section by clicking on them:

• Logical Reading Order: Check/fix in the tag tree, then Right-click > Pass
• Primary Language: Right-click > Fix > English.
• Title: Right-click > Fix > Document Title
• Color contrast: This should have been checked during map creation. Check with color checkers and fix*, then Right-click > Pass.
• Tab Order: Right-click > Fix.
• Alternative Text: Right-click Figure > Fix - A dialog box will appear allowing you click through the images and enter the text.
• Save, close, and run the checker again.

County WebPage

Add contact info to the web pages that have map PDF’s or add it to the map itself.

Example: "If you need assistance accessing the information within this document, contact [Name/Phone/Email]"