Booking widgets, chat, maps and other third-party tools

Most business websites include tools built by someone else: an online booking system, a chat bubble, an embedded map, a video player, a social media feed, a review widget or a payment page. These often handle the most important tasks on the site, and they are also among the most common sources of accessibility barriers.

Because the owner did not build them, it is easy to assume they are someone else's problem. That assumption is risky.

Who is responsible

From a customer's point of view, an embedded booking calendar is part of your website. If they cannot choose a time with a keyboard or a screen reader, they cannot book with you, regardless of who wrote the code.

The Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation, Man. Reg. 47/2022, requires web content to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA where it is published on or after the applicable date or is needed to access the organization's goods or services (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)). A booking or payment tool is often exactly the content a customer needs to obtain a service.

Section 7(2) (opens in a new tab) of the regulation sets out exceptions, one of which concerns content the organization has no direct control over. How that exception applies to a particular tool depends on the facts, such as whether you chose the tool, can configure it, or could reasonably choose an accessible alternative. It should not be treated as a general exemption for anything supplied by a vendor. If you are relying on an exception, it is sensible to document your reasons and to seek legal advice about your own circumstances.

Common problems by type of tool

Booking and scheduling widgets

Date pickers and time-slot grids that respond only to mouse clicks, available times shown only by colour, and confirmation messages that are not announced to screen readers. These relate to 2.1.1 Keyboard, 1.4.1 Use of Color and 4.1.3 Status Messages.

Chat bubbles

Chat launchers that cannot be reached by keyboard, chat windows that open without moving focus, new messages that are not announced, and floating buttons that cover page content when text is enlarged or the screen is narrow (1.4.10 Reflow).

Embedded maps

Interactive maps can be difficult to use without a mouse and can trap keyboard focus. The simplest fix is usually to make sure the address, and directions if useful, also appear as text on the page, so the map is a convenience rather than the only source of the information.

Embedded videos

Players with unlabelled buttons, and videos without accurate captions. See our article on video, audio and captions.

Social media feeds and review widgets

Images without text alternatives, auto-scrolling content that cannot be paused (2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide), and long lists of links that a keyboard user must tab through to reach the rest of the page.

Payment pages

Card fields inside embedded frames without proper labels, unclear error messages, and timeouts without warning. Because payment involves a financial transaction, 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) also applies. Our article on accessible forms covers these requirements.

How to check a third-party tool

1. Try it with a keyboard. Using Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Esc and the arrow keys, try to complete the whole task, such as booking a real time slot. Our keyboard test explains how.
2. Watch the focus. Can you always see where you are? Do you get stuck inside the tool?
3. Zoom to 200% and narrow the browser window. Does the tool still fit and work, or does it overlap other content?
4. Check the vendor's documentation. Look for an accessibility statement or a conformance report against WCAG 2.1 AA. A report is a claim, not proof, but its absence is informative.
5. Test with a screen reader if you can, or ask someone who can. This is part of our audit method.

Questions to ask vendors

Whether you are reviewing a tool you already use or choosing a new one, these questions are a reasonable starting point:

• Does your product meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA? Which success criteria, if any, does it not meet?
• Can you provide an accessibility conformance report, and when was it last updated?
• Was that assessment based on manual testing with keyboards and screen readers, or only on automated scans?
• Which screen readers and browsers do you test with?
• Can every task, including booking, changing and cancelling, be completed using only a keyboard?
• Are captions, labels and error messages customizable by us?
• How do you handle accessibility problems reported by customers, and how quickly are they fixed?
• Do you rely on an overlay or add-on widget to provide accessibility? (If so, ask how the underlying product performs without it.)

If the tool does not meet the standard

You have several options, which can be combined:

• Configure it better. Many tools have settings for labels, colours and layout that resolve some issues.
• Ask the vendor to fix it, and keep a written record of your request and their response.
• Provide an alternative route on the same page, such as a phone number and email address for bookings, clearly offered next to the widget. This does not make the widget conform, but it means customers are not left without a way to reach you.
• Switch tools when the contract allows, choosing a vendor that can answer the questions above.
• Replace a simple embed with your own content. A list of opening hours or an address in text is often more accessible than an embedded feed or map.

Remember also that s. 9 (opens in a new tab) of the regulation requires a process for receiving and responding to feedback about accessibility, and s. 5 (opens in a new tab) concerns notice that accessible formats and communication supports are available. Both give customers who encounter a barrier a way to tell you.

Talk to us

Our audits include the third-party tools on your site, and our reports note which issues sit in your own code and which sit with a vendor. See our services, try our checklist, or contact us to discuss your site.

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.