Digital Accessibility Basics: Maps

Audience

Anyone who creates, publishes, or manages digital maps on behalf of the University of Northern Iowa. This includes campus and building maps, event and parking maps, route and construction maps, and maps used in websites, applications, documents, presentations, or digital signage.

 

Digital Accessibility at the University of Northern Iowa

What to Focus On

When creating or updating a map, focus on:

  • Making the map's essential information available in text
  • Helping users find locations and complete tasks without relying only on visual markers
  • Making interactive features useable with a keyboard and assistive technologies
  • Keeping information about entrances, routes, parking, and closures accurate

Not every practice above applies to every map. Use professional judgment and focus first on maps used for campus navigation, instruction, essential services, and time-sensitive information.

Accessibility Checklist

Use the checklist below when creating, publishing, or reviewing a digital map. Start by identifying what someone needs to do with the map, such as finding a building, locating accessible parking, or understanding a temporary route.

✅Map Purpose and Text Alternatives

  • Give the map a clear title that describes its purpose
  • Provide short alternative text for a map image. For example: "Map showing event parking and entrances; location details follow."
  • Provide the important details in nearby text or a linked list. Depending on the map, this may include building names and addresses, parking locations, accessible entrances, routes, or closures.
  • If the map presents data, explain its main point and provide the relevant values in an accessible table or other text format when needed.
  • Explain symbols and abbreviations in text. Do not make users rely on the visual legend alone.

A short image description does not need to name every street or feature. The accompanying text should give users the information they need for the map’s purpose.

✅Interactive Maps

  • Provide a search feature, location list, or other way to find destinations without selecting markers on the map.
  • Ensure search, filters, controls, and pop-ups have clear labels and can be used with a keyboard. Users should be able to move into and out of the map without getting stuck.
  • Provide controls for actions such as zooming. Do not make pinching or dragging the only way to use a feature.
  • Test a common task, such as finding a building and its accessible entrance, using only a keyboard. Where possible, also test with a screen reader.

✅Visual Design and Readability

  • Use readable labels and sufficient contrast between text, symbols, routes, and the map background.
  • Do not use color alone to distinguish routes, locations, or status. Add labels, symbols, patterns, or other visual cues.
  • Check that important information and controls remain usable when the map is enlarged or viewed on a small screen.
  • Keep the map focused on the information users need. Too many layers or markers can make it difficult to read and navigate.

✅Maps in Documents and PDFs

  • Include the map's essential information as real text in the document, rather than only inside the map image.
  • Give the map image appropriate alternative text and provide a longer description or location list when needed.
  • If the map is a PDF, follow UNI's PDF Accessibility Guidance for document structure, tags, and reading order.

✅Accuracy and Maintenance

  • Confirm information about accessible entrances, parking, pathways, and temporary detours with the appropriate campus unit before publishing the map.
  • Identify who is responsible for updating a map when buildings, routes, or services change.
  • For temporary maps, include the effective dates or other context users need to know whether the information is current.

✅Vendor-Provided Maps

  • Check whether people can complete the map's essential tasks using a keyboard and assistive technology. A vendor's general accessibility statement does not establish that a particular UNI map works for its users.
  • If a map feature has an accessibility limitation, provide the essential location or route information through an accessible list, page, or other usable method while the issue is addressed. 
  • Consult ITS through the Service Hub request form for help evaluating a complex map or limitation in a mapping platform. The unit responsible for the map should remain involved in providing and maintaining its content.

✅Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Publishing a map image with "campus map" as its only description
  • Placing addresses, event details, or route changes only inside the image
  • Requiring users to click a visual marker to learn about a location
  • Using color as the only way to identify an accessible route or a closed entrance
  • Assuming a map is accessible because the platform supports some accessibility features
  • Publishing an accessible route or entrance designation that has not been verified

Additional Resources