Twitter continues to expand its accessibility tools, this time by adding a new option to translate graphics into audio for visually impaired users.
As you can see (and hear) in this example, the new process will allow visually impaired people to “listen” to the graphs by translating the data into high-pitched sounds, accompanied by a written description of the graph.
Which in most cases you’d assume will end up looking a lot like this example, although it’s interesting to hear the slight variations in the numbers in the chart, and how that can help listeners delineate the key elements in the graph display .
Twitter has worked to add more accessibility options over the past year, including upgrades to its alt text description display, car legends on music videos and to new “CC” button on videos where subtitles are available.
Twitter also added a dedicated “+ALT” button on images posted in 2020, making it easier for users to add alt text descriptions to their shared visuals.
Combined, Twitter now provides a range of useful elements to enhance the in-app experience, providing more ways for more users to participate in the Twitter conversation.
Graphics translations are another small step, which can have a big impact on a large subset of the community.
