Here are step-by-step directions on how to create a bar chart in the Pages app. There are a few minor changes in iOS 11 from previous versions. Bar charts created in Pages are fully accessible with VoiceOver.
Teacher Hint: Creating an accessible bar chart is a relatively easy process in Pages. Students should be introduced to digital bar charts and how to create their own digital bar charts in elementary school using simple data. Bar charts – and the tech skills required to interact with bar charts – are important skills for online assessments. These digital skills are foundation skills for more complex spreadsheets and graphs for high school and college level work! A bar chart created in Pages on the iPad – a touch screen device- is interactive, meaning that a student can drag his finger around the screen which builds spatial skills. Accessing charts and graphs on a computer using JAWS is only auditory and requires strong spatial skills.
Note: iOS 11 introduced a new accessible feature called ‘shapes’. These are images of objects (circle, horse, apple, etc.) that can be added like a sticker to a Pages document. Currently, Shapes can not be added to a table in Pages; however, you can add Shapes to a table in the Numbers app. For details, see the Teaching Positions in a Table: iOS Activity post.
For more information about bar charts including a video that demonstrates interacting and creating a Pages bar chart with VoiceOver, see the Digital Transitions #4: Bar Charts (Fall Leaf Activity) post.
By Diane Brauner