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Make your graphs, charts and diagrams accessible in excel by using high colour contrast with patterns and text to convey information.
Graphs, charts, and diagrams are essential to communicating chunks of data in a clear and concise manner. This allows students to quickly grasp complex information and identify patterns, trends and relationships within the dataset. When a graph, chart or diagram is inaccessible, some students miss out on key learnings of the subject.
Accessible graphs, charts and diagrams are designed in a way that ensures all students can perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the information presented.
Using colour, patterns and text
It’s important to think of your use of colour when creating charts, graphs or diagrams. Colour can be used to emphasize, distinguish and group data, but don’t take into consideration students with colour vision deficiency, low vision or varying cultural associations.
Choose colours that provide enough contrast against both the background and one another. You can check your colour combinations are of sufficient contrast using the following tools:
- Canvas Accessibility Checker
- Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker
- Websites such as Colour Contrast Checker and Who Can Use, which shows detailed information for all colour and contrast combinations.
While use of good contrast might make your charts, graphs and diagrams more accessible, it’s also important to use alternative methods to distinguish between datasets. This could be accomplished using shapes, patterns, and/or text, to convey information effectively.
Instructions and examples
Make chart labels descriptive
- Chart title – select the chart title and give it a meaningful title
- Data labels – select the chart, and then select Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels > Outside End
Add alt text to a chart
- Select the entire chart
- Either: Select Format > Alt Text or Right-click the chart and select Edit Alt Text.
- In the Alt Text pane, enter alt text describing the chart
Change the colour, gradient or fill of a chart element
- Select the chart element that you want to change
- On the Format data series tab, select the fill you want
