Client-Side Image Maps: Achieving Accessibility and Section 508 Compliance

Client-side image maps are a commonly used technique for providing multiple clickable "hot spots" overlaid on top of a single larger image. They are often created in ways which make them inaccessible to text reader software used by some individuals with disabilities. Such image maps fail to comply with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. This article describes the steps necessary to make a basic client side image map fully accessible to text reader software, and thus compliant with Section 508.