Can the information contained in graphs, charts, drawings, and three-dimensional models be made accessible to students with disabilities?

Many individuals with different types of disabilities have difficulty accessing the information in graphs, charts, drawings, and three-dimensional models. For example, a student with a visual impairment may be unable to visually extract the information in a graph. A student with a mobility impairment may be unable to physically manipulate a three-dimensional model. A student with a learning disability may have difficulty decoding the information in a graph.

Graphs, charts, drawings, and three-dimensional models should be accompanied with the critical information presented using other means, such as a text description, or in some cases data tables containing key data points. Specific strategies, methods, and techniques for making these sorts of materials accessible can be found on the following websites:

• Access2Science
• Effective Practices for Description of Science Content (National Center on Accessible Media)
• Making graphics accessible to the visually impaired - 2017 article by Stephanie Kanowitz for GCN
• Image Description Guidelines - from DIAGRAM Center
• Complex Images - from the W3C Web Accessibility Tutorial on Images