Accessible Virtual Tours
360 virtual tours that everyone can use: built to WCAG 2.2 AA, with keyboard control, screen reader labels, larger text, high contrast, reduced motion, read aloud and guided routes. Made for schools, universities, NHS trusts, museums and anyone whose website has to meet the accessibility regulations.
- Built to WCAG 2.2 AA
- Accessibility statement supplied
- From £700
Accessible by design: built to WCAG 2.2 AA
Every Bespoke 360 tour interface we build meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. That is the standard UK public sector websites are required to meet, from state schools, colleges and universities to NHS trusts, so your tour can sit on your website without becoming the page that fails an accessibility audit.
- Works with a keyboard alone, with a clear focus outline
- Screen reader labels on every scene, hotspot and button
- Text and controls that meet colour contrast requirements
- Captions and transcripts for audio and video
- Respects reduced-motion settings
- Text that can be enlarged without breaking the layout
We can also supply an accessibility statement for your tour, ready to publish on your website. Conformance covers the tour interface we build; we will advise on any content you supply, such as captions for your own videos.
What an accessible virtual tour looks like
A 360 tour is a visual medium, so accessibility has to be designed in from the start, not added at the end. These are the features we build into our bespoke tours, shown in tours we have delivered this year.
Accessibility settings, one tap away
Every bespoke tour we build now has an accessibility button on its welcome screen and in the header. In the Giggleswick School tour it opens a panel with three text sizes, high contrast, easy-read text, larger markers, reduced motion and read aloud. The same settings run through our tour for Crosfields School.
Full keyboard control
Nobody needs a mouse or a touchscreen. In the Brainkind Neurological Centre tour, Tab moves between buttons, the arrow keys look around, plus and minus zoom and Escape closes a panel. Settings are remembered on the visitor's device, so they only need choosing once.
A text version of every space
Each tour includes a text list of every space, and every scene, hotspot and button has a label a screen reader can announce. Visitors who cannot see the panoramas still get the content: the name of each space, what happens there and the descriptions the client has written. In the Kelmscott Manor tour the rooms are listed floor by floor, so anyone can go straight to the space they want.
Guided routes for people who would rather not navigate
Moving around a 360 scene is not easy for everyone. A guided tour takes the visitor through the key spaces in order with a Next button that names the room it leads to, a short description of each stop and a progress bar. At Brainkind, families and new staff can see the centre without working out how a 360 tour works.
Audio for visitors who prefer to listen
Read aloud speaks the name and description of each space. For Market Lavington Museum we went further: all 31 stories are recorded by museum volunteers and play through a player that keeps going while the visitor looks around, so the tour works as an audio guide for people with a visual impairment.
More than one language
The Marymount International School tour switches between English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and French, interface and content included, alongside display options for larger text, high contrast, reduced motion and always-visible labels.
Who needs an accessible tour
Public sector websites in the UK must meet WCAG 2.2 AA under the accessibility regulations. That includes state schools and academies, colleges, universities, councils and NHS trusts, and a tour embedded on those sites is part of the site. Independent schools, charities, museums, care providers and employers are not always bound by the same rules, but their visitors are the same people, and an accessible tour means more of them can use it.
A tour is often the first look a visitor gets, and for some it is the only one. A family checking whether a school has step-free access, a patient preparing for a hospital visit or a new member of staff who is anxious about a first day all benefit from a tour they can use in the way that suits them.
What we deliver
- A tour interface built to WCAG 2.2 AA, checked before it goes live
- An accessibility statement for the tour, ready to publish on your website
- Text alternatives throughout: a list of every space, labels for every scene, hotspot and button, and written descriptions
- Captions and transcripts for any audio and video we produce, and advice on content you supply
- Display options for text size, contrast, motion and markers, remembered on each device
Accessible tours are part of our bespoke 360 virtual tours, from £700. If you have an older tour that does not meet the standard, we can rebuild it with a new accessible interface, often using the photography you already have. Ask for a free tour concept to see how yours could look.
Frequently asked questions
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Just get in touch, or even better, book a video consultation.
What is WCAG 2.2 AA?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard for accessible websites, published by the W3C. Version 2.2 is the current one, and level AA is the level UK public sector websites are required to meet. It covers things like keyboard access, text alternatives, colour contrast and content that can be enlarged.
Can a 360 tour be accessible to someone who is blind?
The panoramas themselves are visual, so we make sure everything they show is also available as text and sound: a list of every space, labels a screen reader can announce, written descriptions and read aloud. Visitors get the same information without needing to see the images.
Do Matterport and Google Street View tours meet WCAG 2.2 AA?
Those tours run in viewers made by Matterport and Google, so their accessibility is set by those companies, not by us. If meeting WCAG 2.2 AA matters for your website, a bespoke 360 tour is the option we can build to that standard.
Can you make our existing tour accessible?
Usually, yes. We rebuild older tours with a new accessible interface, often reusing the photography you already have, and supply an accessibility statement for the finished tour.
Do you provide an accessibility statement?
Yes. Public sector bodies have to publish one for their website, and we supply a statement for the tour that you can publish alongside it.
Talk to us about an accessible tour
Tell us about your site and who needs to use the tour, and we will reply with ideas and a price.