Strategy
Accessible Digital Charts, Graphs and Maps!
Charts, graphs and maps are accessible to students with visual impairments or blindness.
Our classrooms are – or are in the process of – transitioning to paperless classrooms. Digital and on-line textbooks, assignments and assessments are standard educational materials. Making digital charts, graphs and images accessible for students with visual impairments and blindness (VIB) is a critical challenge in this digital classroom environment. The traditional means of verbalizing every data point on a complex data visualization, such as a scatter plot, is clunky and inefficient – not to mention time consuming and boring! However, what if a student with VIB could explore and interact with that same digital scatter plot then choose to hear one specific point of interest? What if a student could quickly drag his or her finger around the data visualization, listen to small chunks of information and drill down for even deeper details?
The SAS Mobile BI app introduces a new standard of accessibility by integrating accessibility directly in the data visualizations. Pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, scatter plots and maps are all accessible! Users can explore and interact with these data visualizations and they can quickly choose what and when they want to hear the information again. SAS, a global company, is the leader in business analytics, software and services. An iOS iPad and iPhone app, SAS Mobile BI is a mainstream business app that enables users to view and interact with dynamic reports using SAS visual analytics.
Want to learn more about accessible digital charts, graphs and maps? Check out the SAS Mobile BI video below!
The SAS Mobile BI app is intended to be used with SAS Analytic software used in businesses and university settings. This free app contains sample reports including the charts, graphs and maps that were used in the video. This is a way for students to test drive accessible charts, graphs and maps. VoiceOver must be running in order to the data visualizations to be accessible.
Download SAS Mobile BI
- Go to the Library tab at the bottom of the screen
- Select SAS Demo Server*
- Select Industry Samples
- Select Accessibility
-
Select Quick Tour of VoiceOver Support
- The first time, you must select Subscribe; after the first use, select Open.
* If you do not have the SAS Demo Server as an option:
- Select the Settings Tab at the bottom, right corner of the screen
- Select Advanced Settings
- Toggle Restore Default Settings ON
- Select the Back to SAS BI in the top left corner of the screen
- Repeat the top steps #1-5
Note: Listen to the VoiceOver hints as you explore the interactive data visualizations. Remember, the VoiceOver focus must be on the data visualization (not on the tool bar at the top of the screen).
Be sure to check out two other Paths to Technology posts about educational applications which demonstrate accessible digital charts, graphs and/or maps: Reach for the Stars: Touch, Look, Listen, Learn textbook and NC NatSc app.
By Diane Brauner
