Policies
Map.ca policy

DeafMap and Sign Language Policy

How Map.ca supports the Deaf community: sign-language layers, captioning, and Deaf-community-led design.

Accessibility is infrastructure (Constitution §2 principle 10). The DeafMap and Sign Language Policy is the part of that infrastructure that meets Deaf users where they are: sign-language video layers on Pins, ASL/LSQ captioning standards, Deaf-community-led design review for surfaces serving the community, and structured discoverability of Deaf-friendly businesses, events, and civic services.

It applies to the Map.ca accessibility team, product teams building DeafMap surfaces, and partner Deaf-community organizations.

Requirements

  • Support sign-language video on supported surfaces.
  • Caption every Map.ca-produced video for accessibility compliance.

Prohibitions

  • Do not ship a Map.ca video without captions.
  • Do not design DeafMap surfaces without Deaf-community input.

Related policies

Accessibility PolicyHow Map.ca builds and maintains accessibility for seniors, Deaf, blind, low-vision, mobility-limited, neurodiverse, newcomer, and low-bandwidth users.Multilingual Access PolicyMap.ca's commitment to French and English official-language access, plus the multilingual layer for newcomer communities.Low-Bandwidth and Device Access PolicyPerformance targets that keep Map.ca usable on older devices, slower connections, and rural and northern networks.