RDA Web Accessibility (Event 1)

This event was an opportunity for Research Data Alliance (RDA) members to explore practical tools and guidance for making their digital/web-based content more inclusive and accessible. Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them; web accessible content also benefits efforts related to internet equity as well as interoperability and machine readability. 

Web accessibility allows users who are blind or have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, or have mobility or cognitive challenges to access online content, including websites, electronic documents, audio and video, and software or mobile applications. This session will introduce a digital/web accessibility checklist designed to help community members audit and improve their own content, ensuring it can be navigated and understood by the widest possible audience. 

Whether you are a researcher, data manager, or community contributor, this event helped equip you with actionable steps to embed accessibility into your everyday workflows. Particular tips and resources were aimed at RDA members who contribute to the creation and production of Group outputs and recommendations.

🌐 We organised two events to welcome attendees from as many time zones as possible. Participants selected the event that worked best for their schedule.

Following the presentation, attendees raised several practical questions, prompting further discussion with expert presenter, Dr Kim Ferguson.

On documents and platforms, it was asked whether Microsoft was preferable to Google for accessibility. Kim explained that Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker runs automatically, flags issues, and explains fixes, recommending that documents be finalised in Microsoft before exporting to PDF. It was also noted that Google Docs lacks a native strong/emphasis style option, Google Slides can leave hidden empty text boxes that surface as errors when converted to PowerPoint, and Google’s accessibility add-ons may be blocked on institutional accounts.

On alt text, it was asked how to approach writing it for self-created images. Kim pointed to the W3C decision tree as a helpful resource, noting that alt text should reflect an image’s purpose. One attendee shared that a contrast-compliant black-and-white image had still been removed from a deck after being flagged as too visually busy and distracting, prompting clarification that tools like VisCheck check contrast only, not busyness, an area with no single governing standard.

Attendees also raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), sharing examples of AI-generated alt text failing (e.g., incorrectly describing a graph as a ‘person holding blue lines’) and AI ‘beautifying’ presentation slides producing near-identical icons that reduce clarity, since AI models aren’t typically trained with contrast, legibility or accessibility checks built in.

A question on the use of emojis in digital content confirmed they are generally fine to use, since screen readers announce the emoji’s name aloud. The main caution raised was against overusing the same emoji repeatedly, as this becomes repetitive and less useful when read out by a screen reader.

Attendees discussed how the accessibility guidelines presented could be used to improve RDA’s existing templates, documents, and website. This was seen as an opportunity to build clearer, more consistent guidance on fonts, headings, and layout into RDA’s materials going forward, with interest in reviewing the accessibility guidelines alongside existing templates and involving the RDA Technical Advisory Board (TAB) in supporting RDA groups to consider accessibility when preparing their outputs.

For more information about this event, contact [email protected]