We invite statisticians and data scientists to join us as we explore ways to open data communication up to audiences with auditory and/or visual impairments.
This event includes practical guidance, lived experience, and real-world examples to help data professionals make their work more inclusive and accessible. Our speakers will explore accessible data visualisation, journalism and web standards, and tools for inclusive practice. Attendees will be provided with practical guidance and actionable techniques to allow them to grow confidence in more inclusive data communication.
Save the Date: More event information (including speaker abstracts) will be realeased soon!
Johny Cassidy, BBC Journalist
How blind audiences are being left behind in the visual data revolution and how we fix it
Following a successful fellowship with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford where my research was focused on making data vis more accessible for blind and partially sighted audiences, I’ve created detailed guidance for all BBC journalists on how to write the most meaningful and impactful alt text descriptions for all images used in News, including complex images which include graphs and charts, maps and infographics. In this talk I’ll discuss the process and how to ensure all audiences are getting an equitable experience and equal access to vital information.
Dr Nicola Rennie, Office for National Statistics
Practical tips for making visual outputs accessible
When building visual outputs like charts or dashboards, the use of default settings in software can often result in an inaccessible design. In this session, we'll discuss how to actively design your visual outputs to make them accessible to those with audio and/or visual impairments. Several different tools will be demonstrated, but the principles can be applied regardless of which software you use.
Hannah Thomas & Ella Goodman, Office for National Statistics
All mouth and no trousers? Putting my own guidance into practice
In a past role, I wrote a fair amount of guidance on how to make statistical publications more accessible. This talk is about what happened when I moved to a role where I was responsible for writing statistical publications and how I found implementing my own advice.
Nigel Marriott, Chartered Statistician, Marriott Statistical Consulting Ltd
Life as a deafblind statistician – How I communicate statistics with myself
I am an independent statistician who has worked with over 150 clients & employers during my 35-year career. I am also registered blind & partially deaf since birth due to Usher syndrome. In this session I will talk my experience of being both a sender and receiver of statistical information and give my personal perspective of how to overcome many of the audio & visual challenges I & many others face. A common theme that underpins my approach is I believe accessibility is for all, not just for those who are deaf and/or blind.
The event is jointly organised by the
Celebrating Diversity SIG and Statistical Ambassadors of the Royal Statistical Society.
Members - FREE
Non-Members - £10.00