Accessibility of Maps

[dauwhe]

We publish lots of different types of books that contain maps, from travel guides to fantasy novels (with maps of imaginary lands).

Is there any specific advice for maps? Examples of best practices?

[mattgarrish]

Do you mean in terms of producing image maps, or how to describe images of maps?

[dauwhe]

Geographic maps, street maps, that kind of thing—set as images.

[mattgarrish]

Right, we don't have specific guidelines for how to author accessible descriptions. The first thing you generally have to ask yourself is what is the point of the image - what information does the user need to get from it.

If it's directions, for example, then a useful description would provide the steps to get to the destination. Or if the map is secondary to other information being imparted (e.g., if only certain cities or places are being highlighted), then you could list that information without the spatial context.

If it's to give a sense of a region, though, then the different areas could be described in relation to each other, but this often isn't very helpful. In these cases, tactile graphics are often a better option (provided the map isn't overly detailed) as they provide users who are blind a better sense of dimension and proportion through touch.