Accessibility statement
We want every family to be able to use the Washington School Map, including people who use a screen reader, a keyboard, voice control, zoom or high-contrast settings.
Our standard
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, across the site and in the school finder that districts embed on their own websites.
WCAG 2.1 AA is the technical standard in the U.S. Department of Justice rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act for the websites of state and local governments, including public school districts.
What we tested and how
- Automated checks with axe-core on every page, in light and dark mode, at desktop (1366 px) and phone (390 px) widths, in English and Spanish.
- The map with a school popup open, the Help and Enroll tabs, address search results, and the embedded school finder after an address lookup.
- Keyboard-only use: skip links, tab order, visible focus, no keyboard traps, and dialogs that return focus when they close.
- Page structure: landmarks, heading order, and form labels and error messages that screen readers announce.
- Color contrast of text and focus indicators in both themes, reflow at 320 px wide, text spacing, and reduced motion.
- The page language changes to Spanish when you switch languages, so screen readers use a Spanish voice.
The automated checks run again with every change to the site. Automated tools find only part of the possible problems, so we also check by hand.
Accessibility features
- A “Skip to content” link at the top of each page.
- A light and a dark theme. The site follows your device setting, and the moon / sun button switches it.
- English and Spanish on the map, the help center and the tools.
- Animations are turned off when your device asks for reduced motion.
- Single-key shortcuts on the map can be turned off in the Keyboard shortcuts dialog.
- District brand colors in the embedded school finder are adjusted automatically so text stays readable.
Known limitations
The map canvas
The map itself is a picture of places. It cannot be fully described to a screen reader, and its markers are small and close together.
Everything on the map is also available without it: the List tab lists every school with the same filters, the address search lists the assigned schools and district, and every school and district has its own text page. A “Skip the map” link moves keyboard focus to the list.
Charts
Charts have a text description, and the numbers they show are also in text or in a table next to them.
Content from other sites
Links to school, district, state and other websites open pages we do not control. Map tiles come from Esri and OpenStreetMap.
School, district and county pages
The static school, district and county pages are in English only for now. The map, the help center and the tools are in English and Spanish.
Printouts and PDF exports
Printed maps and PDF exports are pictures of the map and are not tagged for screen readers. The same information is on the web pages.
For school districts
The school finder you embed (embed.html) is tested to the same standard as the rest of the site, in both themes and both languages.
When you add it to your website, keep the title on the iframe (our embed code includes one) so screen readers can name it, and leave it enough height for the answer. The pages around the finder are part of your own website.
Report a problem
If something on this site is hard to use with your device or assistive technology, please tell us which page it was and what happened. We read every report.
Report an accessibility problem
The form needs no account. Leave your email only if you would like a reply.
About this statement
This statement was prepared on November 13, 2026, from our own testing of the site. We review it when the site changes.