Accessibility at SAS is more than just a compliance checkbox or a simple feature; it’s a commitment and vision to unlocking the power of data and AI for people with disabilities.
Sounds of SAS is a new series that spotlights how SAS is using innovative technology to make data and analytics more accessible for everyone, helping them explore information, uncover insights and make decisions with greater ease.
Behind these efforts is the SAS Product Accessibility Team, whose mission is to ensure everyone can engage with data, regardless of ability.
Meet the SAS Product Accessibility team
Everyone should have the tools to make data-driven decisions when it matters most. That belief is at the heart of the SAS Product Accessibility Team.
They do so by making the entire analytic lifecycle accessible- from preparing data, to building models, to deploying insights. Whether a person has a mobility impairment and cannot use a mouse, a visual impairment and uses screen reading software to interact with their computer, low-vision and needs to use higher contrast settings with enlarged text, or any other number of disabilities, the SAS Product Accessibility Team works to make our software easier to use for everyone.
Making this a reality presents many challenges. Greg Kraus, Director of Product Accessibility in R&D, and Brice Smith, a product accessibility tester, are leading the charge. Together with the rest of the team, they rigorously evaluate our products and develop innovative solutions to meet the diverse needs of our users.
What we’re trying to do here at SAS is to make things possible that were previously impossible.Greg Kraus
Transforming data into sound
One of the most innovative approaches to accessibility in SAS products is data sonification- the process of transforming data visualizations into sound to allow persons with visual impairments to explore and understand data using new modalities. Instead of relying solely on a visual graph, sonification allows users to explore a graph using audio feedback. Data is represented through musical notes and other sounds, enabling the user to hear the data points and the relationships between the data points. Sonification is integrated into multiple SAS products, creating new possibilities for people with visual impairments throughout SAS® Viya®.
Many people think of sonification as innovative technology, but it’s actually a very natural process for many people. We may think of sonification as something that helps people like me who can’t see, but it can be very beneficial for anyone who learns by listening.Brice Smith
Stay tuned for more
The Sounds of SAS series is just getting started! Future articles will dive deeper into accessibility technology, exploring accessibility tools within specific products like SAS Viya Workbench and others. Stay tuned as we continue the conversation into innovations that make SAS software more inclusive, breaking barriers and expanding possibilities for all users and customers.
