Accessibility in ArcGIS Online—ArcGIS Online Help

ArcGIS Online supports a variety of accessibility features and functionality. Efforts are made to enhance accessibility features throughout the software development lifecycle. ArcGIS Online incorporates accessibility into the design of the software—for example, by including the following best practices:

Using semantic HTML to describe content structure
Using ARIA attributes to convey context for interactive elements
Ensuring images have alternative text
Using descriptive links
Designing spatial areas in the software to guide focus order

These best practices, as well as the guidance below, highlight key tips for administering organizations and designing maps, scenes, and apps in ArcGIS Online.

Note:

For information about ArcGIS Online accessibility conformation, refer to the Esri Accessibility Conformance Reports site, performed in accordance with the current version of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These reports are based on the current Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and are completed by an evaluation of ArcGIS Online by accessibility experts. 

Use accessibility features

ArcGIS Online has many accessibility features across the platform, such as the ability to manage your organization, content, and groups. There are also features that support creating accessible notebooks, maps, and scenes, such as light and dark mode. Artificial intelligence (AI) assistants are available to simplify workflows through natural language interfaces. The ArcGIS Online user interface allows you to set your language and region, and the documentation is translated into 12 languages.

Keyboard navigation

Keyboard accessibility provides individuals, especially those who rely on a keyboard, the ability to navigate the web. You can use keyboard functionality in the following combinations in ArcGIS Online:

Tab—Move focus to the next interactive feature, including panels, elements, and buttons.  
Shift+Tab—Move focus to the previous interactive element.
Enter—Activate the current selection, such as a link or button. 
Spacebar—Check or uncheck a box and activate form-based inputs.
Arrow keys—Navigate between data points, categories, or values within an element or selector. 
Escape—Close an element, such as a panel or dialog box, and return focus to the last visited element.

For a list of shortcuts in Map Viewer, press Alt+? on a Windows computer or Option+? on a Mac.

Focus order

Keyboard focus refers to the single element receiving keyboard input at a time. In most browsers, focus is visible across ArcGIS Online to accommodate low vision users by pressing the Tab key to step forward and the Shift+Tab keys to step back, as outlined above.

When navigating ArcGIS Online using a keyboard, the keyboard focus state indicates the current area on the page. Typically, the focus is shown as a border that highlights the area. This allows the user to see which area they can interact with using the keyboard. 

Spatial areas in the software are designed to support users with vision impairments. For example, panel sections use bolded titles to visually distinguish different parts of the interface, helping users identify and navigate the software.

Assistive technologies

Assistive technologies are products, equipment, and systems that enhance daily work and living for individuals with disabilities. Some examples of assistive technologies on the web include screen readers, eye tracking software, and adaptive keyboards.

ArcGIS Online also supports assistive technologies. For example, when an element is in focus, its content is communicated, and interactive components are named and identified so that voice over assistive technologies can both read and navigate the page using the extra context in the software. ArcGIS Online is tested with JAWS 2024, although assistive technology experiences can vary depending on the technology, operating system, and web browser.

Design accessible content

While ArcGIS Online is built with accessibility in mind, you must continue to incorporate accessibility into your ArcGIS Online content. Consider the following best practices when designing solutions.

Color contrast

Sufficient color contrast between map content and elements can help users with vision impairments. Although you can customize a color scheme to adhere to your organization's look and feel, the provided preset color themes are designed to maximize color contrast for users with low or impaired vision. If you use custom styles to create a branded theme for your organization, ensure that your selected colors have a good contrast ratio and pass the legibility check available in the shared theme, information banner, and home page setup. When using Map Viewer and Scene Viewer, you can also install a color filter app as a browser extension. These browser extensions filter the view to show how colors might be interpreted by someone with color vision deficiency.

Font, text, and context

Clear font is crucial to accessible messaging. While you can customize the typography to fit your organization's branding colors, a list of preset font themes is designed to adapt to translation and enhance readability across browsers and by a variety of assistive technologies.

Embedding text prevents users with low or impaired vision from accessing information embedded within an image. Use organization content blocks to provide purposeful information to your users. Avoid embedding text or graphic elements directly into banner images, as this can lead to undesirable results when viewed at different resolutions or on various devices.

Design spatial areas in the software to guide focus order. For example, distinguish elements of your map, scene, or app so that users with vision impairment can distinguish important information.

Maps and scenes

There are many best practices to consider when making maps. Consider the following:

Purpose—Color contrast can convey a map's purpose, including content, data access, and downloadable options.
Basemaps—Many basemaps use rich colors and intricate details that can distract from your data. Improve clarity and accessibility with bold labels and high-contrast elements. Allow the user to switch between light and dark options, such as selecting a Light Grey or Dark Grey Canvas basemap for better contrast with map layers. Administrators can configure the basemap gallery for an organization to allow members to change basemaps.
Styling features—Color choice affects how users with color vision deficiencies interpret map data. Avoid relying solely on color to convey information. Use varying symbol size or shape to represent data and emphasize key features.
Filters and layer effects—Use layer effects and filters to reduce visual clutter and draw attention to key information. Avoid fast-moving visuals, repetitive patterns, or overly complex effects that can hinder accessibility, especially for visually impaired users. Simple adjustments like brightness and contrast can be more effective and accessible.
Keyboard shortcuts—Use map keyboard shortcuts to navigate and interact with the map.
Reduced motion—Using the JavaScript Maps SDK, you can apply the reduced motion support for 2D maps in Map Viewer.

Pop-ups

There are several accessibility features for pop-ups that can be configured based on the map, app, or scene's needs. Authors should be mindful of these settings, as they can impact how easily users interpret the data.

Long lists of field names and values can be overwhelming and hard to interpret. Configuring pop-ups in scenes and maps helps viewers focus on the most important information related to features.

The following are examples of how you can optimize pop-ups:

Creating dynamic pop-ups based on data collection points or other attributes
Adding custom symbology so that the points stand out on a map and encourage pop-up interaction
Providing support for other language locales
Formatting dates for the different locales
Conditionally adding pop-up content so that data attributes only display when containing values, which can reduce clutter
Providing alternative text for photos to ensure nonvisual context for those accessing the content through alternative methods
Formatting the pop-up’s content in a table to improve navigation for screen-readers

Data management

You can configure item details to improve the title, description, details, and settings of an item. It is important to consider accessibility standards when selecting item details without missing information, as well as a descriptive thumbnail. Carefully crafting item details helps viewers focus on the most important information related to features in the item.

Data configuration and metadata standards are also very important for accessibility. The availability of standards-based metadata for these datasets helps ensure that your content is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR).

Additional resources

For more information about accessibility, see the following resources:

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