Best practices for creating accessible maps
Orientation and mobility specialists and educators have specific goals in mind and often need to create their customizes maps. The process is easy!
Before creating a map
Consider the student’s
- O&M skills
- Tech skills
- Goal of the map/activity
When introducing non-visual digital maps and for students who are building mental map skills, keep the initial map(s) simple with only 6 or 8 data points before moving to a more complex map.
The map goals will vary; the customized map needs to be created to reflect your goal. One map might be used to teach the names of the streets around the student’s home, while another map might be used to understand how geographic features of a country impact the countries economy or value.
Remember, the goal of non-visual digital maps is not to learn step-by-step directions of routes.
The scale of the maps can range from a city block to a campus, to an entire metropolitan region. You can create maps that are used by many students, e.g., a map of a school or college campus.
General directions for sighted people to create maps
The directions below require vision to create points on a visual Google Map. Users with visual impairments can create non-visual digital maps using a different method. View this post to learn more! How BLV Users Can Create Digital Accessible Maps
Step 0: Before you begin
- You must have a Google account.
- You must install the Google Chrome browser.
- You must install SAS Graphics Accelerator in Google Chrome.
Step 1: Create a map in Google My Maps
- Go to mymaps.google.com.
- Click the Create a New Map button. It is near the top left of the page, and it is red.
- Click the text box that contains “Untitled map”.
- Enter a title for the map.
- Click Save.
Step 2: Add points to the map using Search
- Use search bar at the top to search for a specific location.
- Select one or more results.
- Click the Add To My Map button which is near the bottom left of the page.
You can search for a wide variety of objects including:
- A specific place such as the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
- A specific address such as 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC.
- An intersection such as Wilmington Street and Edenton Street.
- Categories such as restaurant, Italian restaurant, park, parks in Raleigh, bus stop, etc.
Step 3: Add points for places you see visually on the map
- Click on objects you see visually within the map such as buildings or intersections.
- Click the Add to Map button.
Step 4: Add points for any random location on the map
- Click the Add Marker icon which is near the Search bar at the top of the page.
- Click anywhere on the map such as the main entrance of a building, an intersection of two sidewalks in a plaza, or a landmark that is easily located using hearing.
- Enter a name for the point.
- Click Save.
Step 5: Test the map using SAS Graphics Accelerator
- Wait about one minute after your last change to the map so your changes can be automatically saved on the Google server.
- With the map open in Google My Maps, click the Accelerate button in the bottom right corner of the map to open the map in SAS Graphics Accelerator Map View. If you don’t see an Accelerate button, install SAS Graphics Accelerator using the link above.
- Within Map View, press Page Up / Page Down keys on Windows (or Fn Key and Up Arrow/ Fn Key and Down Arrow on Mac) to explore objects in any direction around your current virtual location.
- Press H on your keyboard within Map View for additional commands.
- Read the SAS Graphics Accelerator Maps: Student Uploading and Accessing Maps post to learn how students explore non-visual digital maps.
Step 6: Share the map with your student
Note: Your student must first install SAS Graphics Accelerator in Google Chrome.
- With the map open in Google My Maps, click the share button near the top left corner of the screen under the title of the map.
- Enable the Anyone with this link can view button (toggle on); I recommend enabling the let others search for and find this map on the Internet (toggle on)
- This enables others to view your map. If you have a map labeled with the student’s house or other personal information, do NOT make the map public.
- Select the Copy button to the right of the URL (symbol is a page on top of a page)
- Open an email to your student.
- Paste the link into the email.
- Copy/paste the following instructions into the email:
- Click the link above to open the map in Google Chrome.
- Activate the Accelerate button in the bottom right corner of the map to open the map in SAS Graphics Accelerator Map View. Tip: In JAWS or NVDA, press B to find the next button on the page and press spacebar to activate it.
- In Map View, press Page Up / Page Down keys on Windows (or Fn Key and Up Arrow/ Fn Key and Down Arrow on Mac) to explore objects in any direction around your current virtual location.
- Press H within Map View for additional commands.
- Read the self-guided maps tutorial to learn more about non-visual digital maps.
Video Tutorial
Creating a Non-Visual Digital Map: Video Tutorial
Best Practices for Creating Specific Types of Maps
- Best practices for creating college campus maps and Creating overview of a college campus
- Best practices for creating a school for the blind map
- Best practices for creating maps of K-12, K-12 and surrounding area, camps, and parks
- Best practices for creating maps of metropolitan areas
- Best practices for creating maps of countries
Sharing your map(s)
Help grow our map library by sharing YOUR custom map! Send your map to [email protected]
