Considerations to Improve Report Accessibility

Creating accessible reports ensures access of information to all users, with all levels of ability.

 

For example, people with a visual impairment may use screen reading technology to access the information in a report.

The following are some design considerations for creating accessible reports:

• Avoid using visual cues, such as bold text or color, to convey important information.
• Avoid using pictures and OLE Objects in PDF documents, as these items are tagged as artifacts and ignored by the screen reader.
• Avoid using conditional formatting to convey important information.
• When selecting color palettes for report objects, choose patterns or shades of gray.
• Ensure that there is a table corresponding to chart types that are rendered as images because the screen reader ignores this information.
• Deliver reports in HTML format, which is the most supported output format for most screen readers.
• Ensure that the report has a title.
• Gain an understanding for screen reading technology.
• Avoid spelling and grammatical errors, as they cause the screen reading software to misinterpret the information.
• Avoid using features like calendar boxes and up and down selections on time controls. Instead use prompts such as check boxes, radio buttons, combo boxes, and multi-select boxes.
• Ensure that the target application is accessible when using embedded Web applications or drill-through paths.
• Avoid using large, complex list or crosstab reports.
  Displaying the information in multiple simple lists or crosstab reports is more manageable for assistive technology users.
• Add alternate text to images, charts, and other visual objects so that screen readers can provide context for them.
• When using tables, add summary text to provide context for the table content. If the top cells in a table behave as headers, designate these cells as headers so that screen readers can identify the relationships.

• Enable Accessible Report Outputs
  If you want to include accessibility features, such as alternate text, summary text, designated cell headers in tables and accessible conditional layouts, you must enable these accessibility features in the report output.
• Add Alternate Text to Images and Charts
  You can add alternate text for images, maps, and charts to make your reports accessible. When a screen reader encounters one of these objects, it reads the alternate text that you added to the object.
• Add Summary Text to Tables
  You can provide summary text for crosstabs, lists, repeater tables, and table objects. This text provides context for the entire object to make your reports accessible. When a screen reader encounters one of these objects in HTML report outputs, it reads the description that you added to the object.
• Designate Cells Headers in Tables
  You can specify whether specific table cells are table headers. This allows screen readers and speech browsers to identify the relationships between the cells in your tables.
• Example - Conditionally Show a List Below a Chart for an Accessible Report
  Charts are rendered as images in report outputs, such as HTML and PDF. As a result, they are difficult to navigate for visually impaired users and screen readers cannot convey the information shown in charts. To make your reports accessible, you can add a conditional layout that shows list or crosstab equivalents of the chart when the accessibility features are enabled for the report output