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Re: How to make accessible flowcharts?

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From: mhysnm1964@gmail.com
Date: Feb 6, 2019 12:28AM

I do not think there is any simple method to achieve this. I don't think SVG would even provide the required level of understanding. Described diagrams by someone who does this as a profession in my mind is the only method. As flow charts are very visual in nature and they can get very complex very quickly. Even tactual diagrams for complex flowcharts require simplification. Happy to be proven wrong.


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Philip Kiff
Sent: Wednesday, 6 February 2019 7:08 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >; Itzel McClaren (US - IFS) < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] How to make accessible flowcharts?

I'd be curious to find good solutions for flow charts in PDFs, too.

With some straightforward flowcharts it is possible to use nested lists, with the list more or less representing the order of the steps represented by the flow chart. And you can then use alternative text on shapes and connectors to link things together appropriately in a way that is at least somewhat readable by assistive technologies.

But there are other flowcharts for which there are simply too many possible points where the flow must go back on itself or are supposed to follow multiple different potential paths that lead to different levels in the hierarchy. In those cases, I've sometimes inserted long descriptions in alternative text. But I think that is probably inadequate for achieving real accessibility. In such cases, you should be able to substitute a detailed text description of the workflow directly in the visible text alongside the chart. But when remediating someone else's document, I've not always been in a position to demand the insertion of such text, especially when such a description does not already exist in writing somewhere.

Phil.

On 2019-02-05 2:19 PM, Itzel McClaren (US - IFS) wrote:
> Hello, we have a flowchart in PDF and we are having a hard time
> figuring out what's the most efficient and effective way to make the
> flowchart accessible. Any suggestions?
>