Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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How do blind people interact with data? (self.Blind)
submitted by TractorScare
I am working with a data analytics organisation and was thinking about how data and visualisations can be made accessible even to someone who has lost 100% eyesight. I tried searching but I did not find anything concrete on this subject. Can someone throw more light on it?
Marconius 8 points 2y ago
A variety of ways:
* Ensure data tables are accessible and built correctly per WCAG standards and best practices: correct markup for column and row headers, table caption, thead and tbody.
* Break complex tables down into multiple simpler tables if possible. Avoid merging cells if at all possible, and do it correctly if they are required.
* For data visualization, provide alt text for chart and graph graphics. The alt text should clearly explain the data points as if verbally explaining the chart.
* For complex charts that have a lot of data, it's best to provide a longdesc or a simple link to a text representation of the data, either in tabular form or written clearly. This description can also appear under the chart if it's ok to do so for your page design, otherwise just make it a visible and accessible link so blind users can understand the data.
* A major benefit of writing out what the data is representing and hosting it on a website is that the words and data become accessible for SEO, increasing the business influence or general searchability of the data overall.
* Simplicity is the core of inclusivity, so in any and all data representation, break it down as much as you can to make it as understandable as possible.
* Ensure data tables are accessible and built correctly per WCAG standards and best practices: correct markup for column and row headers, table caption, thead and tbody.
* Break complex tables down into multiple simpler tables if possible. Avoid merging cells if at all possible, and do it correctly if they are required.
* For data visualization, provide alt text for chart and graph graphics. The alt text should clearly explain the data points as if verbally explaining the chart.
* For complex charts that have a lot of data, it's best to provide a longdesc or a simple link to a text representation of the data, either in tabular form or written clearly. This description can also appear under the chart if it's ok to do so for your page design, otherwise just make it a visible and accessible link so blind users can understand the data.
* A major benefit of writing out what the data is representing and hosting it on a website is that the words and data become accessible for SEO, increasing the business influence or general searchability of the data overall.
* Simplicity is the core of inclusivity, so in any and all data representation, break it down as much as you can to make it as understandable as possible.
TractorScare [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thank you. That makes sense. But these practices will make static data and information accessible. What about cases where you have to consume the data in its raw form and derive your own information?
Marconius 2 points 2y ago
I'd defer to blind people who work with data, but it depends on how that raw data is presented. Is it a .csv or tab-delimited file? Those will open in Excel which is accessible.
Python scripts can be written to parse and arrange data into those accessible formats.
Python scripts can be written to parse and arrange data into those accessible formats.
FantasticGlove 2 points 2y ago
If its statistics, Microsoft Excel is awesome for this. It's organized especially if you label the columns. We can also manipulate the data if we know which function to input into the system.
DrillInstructorJan 2 points 2y ago
It's really tricky. You can and should write a text description of what charts and graphs show, because they're pictures, and all pictures should have alt text on websites and in similar situations. But for charts and graphs usually you have done that in the accompanying text anyway and the chart is for more clarity. People have done tactile graphs but if you can figure out any new ideas I suspect they'd be pretty warmly received.
(Also user LaurenRossy is possibly trolling for effect)
(Also user LaurenRossy is possibly trolling for effect)
TractorScare [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thank you. I was infact trying to see if I can use sound as a parallel medium to represent data. I did not find a lot of research in the area but I stumbled upon one paper. $1. Its pretty rudimentary and one-dimensional - literally. There's another one that I will post here when I find it. But neither of them address the problem holistically. I dont see a lot of blind people in the data sciences because I think its near about impossible for them to consume raw data - primarily because they were built around the assumption of vision.
ABlindManPlays 2 points 2y ago
TractorScare [OP] 1 points 2y ago
You know what? I have been breaking my head trying to figure out if it makes more sense to augment vision to let blind people 'see' or to explore interaction paradigms that will make data more 'visible' to the blind. I'm pretty sure one day we will be able to bypass physiological blindness with technology. But in the meantime, we can't just be waiting for it right?
cbdvapelord 1 points 2y ago
Blind people use what's called assistive technology. Refreshable braille is an electronic way of reading braille.
annibear 1 points 2y ago
Context: I work as an analyst for a FAANG company.
There are a lot of explanations on providing alt text for charts and graphics online, but imo the best way for any blind person who really wants to get into data is to learn R or a similar program (although I've heard SPSS is a bit less accessible). I spent years trying to understand data before learning R; the difference once you know R and can actually see the numbers and have more or less equal access is incredible.
For the general blind public, though, writing out detailed explanations paired with alt text is probably best. This also has the added advantage of increasing accessibility for more written learners as well as forcing whoever is writing about the data to make sure they understand it :)
There are a lot of explanations on providing alt text for charts and graphics online, but imo the best way for any blind person who really wants to get into data is to learn R or a similar program (although I've heard SPSS is a bit less accessible). I spent years trying to understand data before learning R; the difference once you know R and can actually see the numbers and have more or less equal access is incredible.
For the general blind public, though, writing out detailed explanations paired with alt text is probably best. This also has the added advantage of increasing accessibility for more written learners as well as forcing whoever is writing about the data to make sure they understand it :)
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
[deleted]
Amonwilde 3 points 2y ago
Not OP, but languages like R and libraries like Python's Pandas let you talk directly to the data. You could be like, give me the columns. Then, OK, give me the set of all values in this specific column. OK, now give me the values and how many of each value there are. OK, tell me, for each row for which that column is X, give me the entry in some other column. OK, take two columns and create a new column that is the average of those two columns. And so on and so on. Charts are nice for normies if you are making a point but if you have direct access to data and a REPL that's really the best, and it's very blind accessible, as it's all text, and you can even control some things like verbosity pretty directly.
A way to think about using the REPL is that you have someone sitting with you looking at the data and you can have them answer any question you formulate. Plus you have any capabilities you would get with programming, so you could make a function to ask something complex you use all the time. For example I have functions to make pie charts (I am very low vision and can see charts a bit but hate working with them) with some reasonable default setting so I can plop out a pie chart for my bosses if I need to. Stuff like that.
A way to think about using the REPL is that you have someone sitting with you looking at the data and you can have them answer any question you formulate. Plus you have any capabilities you would get with programming, so you could make a function to ask something complex you use all the time. For example I have functions to make pie charts (I am very low vision and can see charts a bit but hate working with them) with some reasonable default setting so I can plop out a pie chart for my bosses if I need to. Stuff like that.
annibear 2 points 2y ago
Yeah, exactly. Having it all in text as opposed to images solves a bunch of issues. Sound encoded tables sound nice in theory but there's no standardization as far as I know, which presents a real problem.
TractorScare [OP] 1 points 2y ago
I deleted the first reply by mistake. Buggy software.
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
[deleted]
TractorScare [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Whoa I never thought about it like that. Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain. I started out thinking if there are a proportionate number of blind people in the data field. I guess my research methods were not thorough and I ended up assuming there are not a lot, and that maybe the the in-accessibility of data is a driving factor.
Amonwilde 2 points 2y ago
It may well be true that there aren't many blind data scientists. Certainlly many DS stacks like Jupyter have a long way to go for accessibility. But yea, blind people can work with most kinds of data.
[deleted] -4 points 2y ago
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keefklaar 5 points 2y ago
Really? Please educate me on how we read graphs and other visual representations of data the same way as sighted folk, or how sighted people use text to voice applications and haptic interfaces on devices such as phones or tablets.
As we all know, most sighted people use Talkback, Voiceover or software such as NVDA or JAWS regularly!
We do not use them the 'same way'. For the last time, stop chipping in on subject you have zero knowledge about as a fully sighted person.
As we all know, most sighted people use Talkback, Voiceover or software such as NVDA or JAWS regularly!
We do not use them the 'same way'. For the last time, stop chipping in on subject you have zero knowledge about as a fully sighted person.
[deleted] -2 points 2y ago
[deleted]
keefklaar 1 points 2y ago
How was that relevant or even slightly helpful to OPs question?
You really do have Zero clue what you're talking about.
You really do have Zero clue what you're talking about.
LaurenRossy1 -1 points 2y ago
Yeah sorry the text of the post did not appear in my app i only read rhe tittle tho
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