The data table is a basic but versatile representation to communicate data. From government reports to bank statements, tables effectively carry essential data-driven information by visually organizing data using rows, columns, and other arrangements (e.g., merged cells). However, many tables online neglect the accessibility requirements for people who rely on screen readers, such as people who are blind or have low vision (BLV). First, we consolidated guidelines to understand what makes a table inaccessible for BLV people. We conducted an interview study to understand the importance of tables and identify further design requirements for an accessible table. We built a tool that automatically detects HTML formatted tables online and transforms them into accessible tables. Our evaluative study demonstrates how our tool can help participants understand the table’s structure and layout and support smooth navigation when the table is large and complex.

Abstract Sonification can be an effective medium for people with visual impairments to understand data in visualizations. However, there are no universal design principles that apply to various charts that encode different data types. Towards generalizable principles, we conducted an exploratory experiment to assess how different auditory channels (e.g., pitch, volume) impact the data and visualization perception among people with visual impairments. In our experiment, participants evaluated the intuitiveness and accuracy of the mapping of auditory channels on different data and chart types. We found that participants rated pitch to be the most intuitive, while the number of tappings and the length of sounds yielded the most accurate perception in decoding data. We study how audio channels can intuitively represent different charts and demonstrate that data‐level perception might not directly transfer to chart‐level perception as participants reflect on visual aspects of the charts while listening to audio. We conclude by how future experiments can be designed to establish a robust ranking for creating audio charts.