Canvas applications built for everyone, WCAG 2.2 AA compliant with comprehensive screen reader support, keyboard navigation, and adaptive interfaces.
Screen reader support
Build canvas apps that are compatible with screen readers. Announcements include selections, tool changes, or canvas operations, all with meaningful context about selected shapes.
Keyboard navigation
Full keyboard accessibility throughout toolbars, menus, and canvas interactions with customizable shortcuts. With tldraw, users can use the canvas without touching the mouse.
Focus management
Focus follows a logical read order with clear indicators and skip-to-content. In addition, tldraw also supports powerful directional navigation (up, down, left, right) that enhances movement and restores focus after modal interactions.
WCAG 2.2 AA compliant
The tldraw SDK meets modern accessibility standards, ensuring inclusive interactions and usability for people with diverse abilities.
Motion preferences
Visual feedback is customizable in tldraw. System-level reduced motion settings enable simplified transitions instead of complex animations.
ARIA integration
Build accessible interfaces with comprehensive ARIA labels, roles, and live regions that work seamlessly with assistive technologies.
A canvas for everybody
Your users deserve applications that work for everyone. Build canvas tools with professional-grade accessibility features that meet modern standards.
or see our VPAT compliance document
Solid engineering
Our team spent years to get all the details right, so you don’t have to.
Shape selection announcement engine
The engine translates visual selections on the canvas into clear, descriptive text for assistive technologies. The result is feedback that mirrors the visual experience: whether someone selects a single shape or edits a group, the system provides meaningful descriptions that help everyone stay connected to the canvas.
UI accessibility configuration
The tldraw UI includes built-in accessibility configuration options that can be customized to meet user needs. This includes the ability to turn on accessible labels for toolbar buttons, configure visual focus indicators, and adjust interface elements for better compatibility with assistive technologies. These configuration options provide flexibility for developers to create more accessible canvas applications out of the box.
Keyboard navigation state machine
tldraw canvas is fully operable through the keyboard. A state machine directs key input based on what the user is doing (navigating menus, editing shapes, or typing text) and keystrokes behave consistently. It also manages focus order and resolves conflicts between shortcuts automatically. The end result is a reliable, intuitive keyboard workflow that supports both power users and people who navigate without a mouse.
Focus restoration and navigation aids
This system helps users stay oriented as they move around the interface. It remembers where focus was before a modal, dialog, or navigation change, and restores it intelligently afterward. On top of that, it provides a skip link so users can jump quickly to important areas without tabbing through every control. Together, these aids make navigation faster, smoother, and more accessible for keyboard and screen reader users alike.
Provider-based architecture
The accessibility system uses React context to establish centralized state management at the application root. This provider pattern distributes accessibility features throughout the component tree without prop drilling. It integrates with tldraw's reactive state system for automatic updates.
Starter kits
Production ready starter kit to integrate agents into your canvas. Building something different?
Examples
See for yourself
Have a look at our examples on how to implement layout management features.
Keyboard shortcuts
Build custom keyboard shortcuts and navigation patterns that integrate with accessibility features.
Infer dark mode
Use user’s default system settings in your canvas.
Built to include
Templates for common canvas use cases. Skip months of setup with ready-made applications.