Which option best ensures a chart is accessible to users of assistive technologies?

• A. They should use only color to differentiate data.
• B. They should be non-interactive.
• C. They should include a separate table with data since charts cannot be read.
• D. They should be readable with assistive tech; provide text alternatives and keyboard navigable charts.

Answer: (D)

Charts must be interpretable by assistive technologies, which means the information they convey should be available in text and navigable without a mouse. To achieve this, provide a descriptive text or caption that explains the main message of the chart and ensure the data can be explored with a keyboard. Using accessible markup—such as SVG with a proper title and description, clear labels for axes and legend, and ARIA roles when appropriate—lets screen readers announce the chart and its data. In addition, offering a text alternative like a data table or a well-described summary helps users who rely on assistive tech understand the exact values and relationships shown.

Relying on color alone fails because not all users perceive color differences, and screen readers can’t convey color information. Making a chart non-interactive isn’t a requirement for accessibility, and interactivity can be made accessible with proper focus management and keyboard controls; simply removing interactivity misses many real-world use cases. Providing a separate data table is helpful, but the best approach is to ensure the chart itself is readable by assistive tech and includes text alternatives and keyboard navigability, so all users get the same information in an accessible form.