markcmiller86
commented
2 years ago Intersting questions regarding color tables.
Since we have folders for color tables, maybe we could create a folder with tables that work better for color-blind individuals? Do we know for sure which tables those would be. Are there metrics we can assign to them?
A question to circle back to Benjy...does WCI have any communication standards for this kind of thing? Does LLNL? I would think it would include things that go into the creation of PowerPoint slides or Posters or wherever our techinical work is communicated to a wide audience. Maybe someone in TID would have a handle on that. I am not trying to complicate things. Just understand where it fits in this larger context.
brugger1
JustinPrivitera
Here is the e-mail thread for this request.
Eric,
Would this be something easy to implement in VisIt?
Thanks, Benjy
Hi Benjy,
Given the DE&I Moment in Ashley’s Bulletin on how our WebEx team added captioning capability to WebEx meetings, I thought I’d bring another seemingly-straightforward IT one to your attention.
We shows lots of simulation plots in WCI. Can the VisIt team determine and mark the palette options that also display well for people who are color-blind? The topic was discussed in this week’s APS mailing, see below. Since I’m not color-blind, I don’t know if there is more nuance to it than simply avoiding palettes that have what look to me like red-green combinations. I will say that some of the most commonly used palettes (e.g. “default” and “hot desaturated”) won’t work for people who are color-blind.
Best, Kumar
Hi Nick! I think this list is great. Thank you for taking the time to write it up and post this. I am wondering how we can get more interest in discussing these sort of topics in organizing plasma physics related meetings, like DPP. I am surprised no one else has dropped in. I think just the simple matter of being aware of what colors you use on plots/emphasizing use of patterns instead with colorblind people in mind is a simple step that can make a huge difference. I found this website recently to help me find appropriate RGB/HEX values and used this recently for a talk. Also, many computationalists are fans of "hot desaturated" as their colorbar of choice. Simply getting people to question their normal comforts and go-tos is a good and healthy thing. Another route to substantial behavior change is through course work. Say, for the off chance a professor is reading this: for course reports or projects perhaps have these "soft skills" (which are actually hard skills, apparently) in mind when developing your class projects and syllabi. I can see someone say, "but the physics!!!" but what does the physics matter if no one can understand what you're saying? I also believe that the ability to effectively communicate the physics illustrates true mastery. I can feel my eyes light up when I go to a talk and someone presents something in a creative and new way and I feel it click in my head, that's what I am always looking for at conferences. I am also curious... was IA15 able to implement these at following AAS Meetings? I am wondering how that went and how the AAS members felt about it, and whether members felt there was an noticable improvement, and if IA15 committee members were happy with the progress. It might be nice to have a discussion with DPP leadership and folks from IA15 if they're willing. Of course I am not a part of DPP leadership but I am happy to help to be a part of the solution!
Marissa Adams University of Rochester
Original Message: Sent: 02-04-2022 18:16 From: Nicholas Murphy Subject: Improving disability access at plasma conferences Following a few conversations after my last post, I wanted to expand upon how we can improve disability access at conferences. I wanted to share some of the practices that I've learned over the last few years on improving conference accessibility. I am hoping to spark a discussion that leads to accessibility policies becoming standard practice for plasma conferences, including for this fall's DPP meeting. More than that, I want accessibility and universal design to become core values in how we plan events and share information. I should emphasize that the list below is very much a work in progress. Accessibility policies need to be developed with input from both the disabled members of our community as well as subject matter experts in accessibility and universal design. Accessibility policies and practice need to evolve over time, in particular as assistive technology changes and various global pandemics happen. Also, an accessibility policy by itself is not enough. We need to change our community's culture, including removing the stigma associated with disability. • Hold the meeting in a space that at minimum meets ADA requirements. • Provide accessibility information on the conference website about the venue. Note any existing accessibility barriers. • Provide a straightforward mechanism for attendees to make requests for accommodations, such as ASL interpreters. • Have an accessibility point person or committee. • Make sure that the website meets accessibility standards, including for compatibility with screen reader (text-to-speech) technology. The WAVE tool provides automatic accessibility reports (such as this accessibility report from the current build of PlasmaPy's docs following some recent color contrast fixes). • Always use a microphone when one is available. Wait for the microphone to get to you before beginning to talk. Speak clearly into the microphone while facing the audience. Keep your lips visible for anyone who speech-reads. • Do not use flashing or strobing animations in presentations. • Tips for presentations o Use a large, easily readable font with sufficient color contrast. o Use dyslexic friendly sans serif fonts such as Helvetica, Verdana, and Arial. o Describe any graphics or figures out loud, and remark on important features. o Use colors that are accessible to anyone who is colorblind, in particular by avoiding red-green color pairings. For example, the hex values for a colorblind friendly triplet of colors for line plots is #920000, #006ddb, and #db6d00. o Provide captions for video content.
o Avoid using jargon and idioms. o Limit the information density on a slide, as too much information can be overwhelming for many. o Give sufficient time for conference participants to process the information. • Provide a quiet room that attendees can go to when needed. • Keep pathways clear for people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility. • Minimize the use of fragrances and scented products. • Reserve the front row and aisle seats for people with accessibility needs. This could be done, for example, by marking those areas with blue tape. • Do not touch someone without permission and do not be offended if they refuse (even a handshake). This is especially important during the pandemic era. • Make sure that there are meal options for people with dietary restrictions. Include a place on the registration form to specify dietary restrictions. • Budget for accessibility needs, including potentially for closed captions, ASL interpreters, and transportation. • Make slides available to attendees ahead of presentations in an accessible format. • Make use of multimodal access. There are many situations where disability accommodations required by different participants are incompatible with each other. In these situations it is helpful to have multiple modes of access/communication/participation. In the pandemic era, this would translate to having options for both in-person and remote participation. A broader example would be making a book available both in printed form and as an audiobook. • Avoid planning conference excursions that involve activities that preclude the participation of disabled attendees. • Remember that not all disabilities are visible. A lot of these came from the accessibility policy for Inclusive Astronomy 2015, which has been adapted into the accessibility policies for a lot of astronomy meetings. I haven't yet compiled best practices for virtual meetings, however.
Nicholas Murphy Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian "Disability access is a human right. Lack of accessibility constitutes discrimination in and of itself."