Our Accessibility Journey
The HIDIVE Lab accessibility research, led by Sehi L’Yi, initially focused on improving accessibility for genome-mapped data visualizations. Recognizing that grammar-based visualization tools like the Gosling toolkit could be converted into meaningful text descriptions, Thomas Smits led the AltGosling project to automate description generation for genomics data visualizations.
Recognizing the under-representation of people with disabilities in the biomedical sciences, we began quantifying the state accessibility of research journals and data portals, crucial for biomedical research, in a project led by Sehi L’Yi.
We began making remediations to our website to better conform to WCAG 2.1 level AA. This included adding alt text to over 100 images and ensuring accessible navigation throughout the site.
Sofia Rojas and Andrew Mar joined the lab as Research Assistants, contributing to several of the team’s projects.
We continue to explore ways to make biomedical data visualizations accessible for people with a wider range of disabilities.
The preprint Using OpenKeyNav to Enhance the Keyboard-Accessibility of Web-based Data Visualization Tools, based on an open-source software library by Lawrence Weru, explores how to improve the keyboard accessibility of web-based data visualization tools for people with motor disabilities. The preprint was accepted for presentation at the AccessViz workshop at IEEE VIS 2024.
We also started looking into mental models of visualizations related to individuals who are blind, led by by Thomas Smits. The paper, Explaining Unfamiliar Genomics Data Visualizations to a Blind Individual through Transitions, was accepted for presentation at the AccessViz workshop at IEEE VIS 2024.
Our accessibility efforts led to more opportunities to expand our work. Sehi L’Yi has recently received the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award to continue work on accessibility. This project proposes to increase the diversity of the genomics workforce through accessible data and visualization. This includes conducting comprehensive evaluations of existing biomedical data resources and building tools and frameworks that can increase the accessibility of biomedical research and education. This grant will help Sehi L’Yi to build an independent research group to work on this area in the future.
As our journey continues, we remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of accessibility in the biomedical sciences. Stay tuned for our latest projects and publications as we work towards a more inclusive scientific community.