This year (2025) I attended the Esri User Conference and my main mission was to inquire with all the product teams about their accessibility roadmaps. The Instant Apps team pointed out a couple of templates that allow you to hide the map and essentially have a text-only application, run by a map in the background. Hiding the map removes a major accessibility visual barrier and can make your content potentially more screen-reader compatible. Instant App Templates with the ability to hide the map: "Nearby" allows the users to see what features are near their location or a certain address. "Zone Lookup" allows the users to look up if their location or an address is within a polygon.   Tips for using these templates as a text-only application: Turn off Express Mode. This will allow you to see all settings. Configure the map pop-up. The information returned to the user is what is contained in the pop-up. If you are intending to use this as a screen reader-friendly application, make sure the pop-up is configured to contain only text that is understandable to the end-user. Use dynamic text to populate plain language sentences that give the user the intended information of the application. If you include charts or images, include alt-text in the HTML settings. If your pop-up is text-heavy, use nested heading levels to break up the content. Hide Map in the settings In the "Nearby" template this setting is found in Nearby > Search Method > Hide Map In the "Zone Lookup" template, this setting is found in Theme & Layout > Layout > Hide Map In the "Nearby" template, you must "Search by Radius" Find this setting in Nearby > Search Method > Search Method > Search Radius   Zone Lookup - hide the map  Nearby Template - hide the map ... View more

Hi all, I shared briefly during the November 19 meeting a Survey123 form that the City of Vancouver is currently using to review applications prior to publication as well as to look for ways to improve current publicly available materials.  While the survey is accessible only at Org level as published, I'm happy to share the xlsx file that you can use to rebuild/repurpose/remix our version for your organization's needs in Survey123 Connect.  Also attached is a PowerPoint presentation I provided to our Public Works GIS staff illustrating how the questions in the Survey were connected to discrete improvements to one of our frequently visited public applications (please note: the "New" version of the application is still internal-use only, as we're reviewing the process by which we receive and reconcile data from WSDOT to determine if this will require additional redesign for functionality prior to publishing this version to the public).  Happy to answer any questions if you have them, thanks! ... View more

Hey folks! As many of you know, Experience Builder widgets use semantic headings inconsistently, which can quickly result in WCAG violations. I posted an idea on the Experience Builder community board about adding heading level options to one of our favorite widgets. If adopted, it would improve our ability to meet some WCAG criteria in experiences.  Option to Give Accordion Widget Accessible Heading Are there other widgets you've encountered that would benefit from a configurable heading option? Kudos, comments, and views most welcome!   ... View more