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<p>Good morning,</p>
<p>while much has already been written about R, RStudio and
accessibility, I still would like to add one or two reference:</p>
<ol>
<li>While RStudio is the go-to IDE until today for most R users,
posit, the company behind RStudio, recently released Positron as
their new data science code editor. Depending on what the
student is taught Positron
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://posit.co/products/ide/positron/">https://posit.co/products/ide/positron/</a>) might be another
alternative, as it is based on Microsoft's Code-OSS architecture
and more text-based than RStudio.</li>
<li>Depending on what the student is expecting to do, the R
console might be another option. RStudio is a relatively complex
software with four different window areas and many (many!)
functions. I regularly use RStudio in my academic job and I am
really used to it, but many of our students (psychology) have
difficulties understanding RStudio and doing the most basic
tasks such as loading and working with data. So the R console
might offer a more simplified and easier to understand
interface. And you don't loose any of the R-related
functionality that RStudio offers in a GUI. I don't think that
the students are expected to use git?</li>
<li>Jonathan Godfrey and his work on R and accessibility was
already mentioned. He offers valuable ressources for using R as
a blind user. But the more advanced functions are based on the
BrailleR package. This package comes with helper and convenience
functions addressing the needs of blind users. And this is where
you for example can get a written description of basic R plots
(see chapter 4
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://r-resources.massey.ac.nz/BrailleRInAction/VI.html">https://r-resources.massey.ac.nz/BrailleRInAction/VI.html</a>) or
even more advanced plots using ggplot2 (see chapter 10
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://r-resources.massey.ac.nz/BrailleRInAction/GGPlot.html">https://r-resources.massey.ac.nz/BrailleRInAction/GGPlot.html</a>).</li>
</ol>
<p>While there are some ressources for blind R users I think it
would be best to also take a look at the course syllabus to better
decide which tools can help the student succeed. Getting the
lecturer involved can make her/him aware of the student's needs
and how to consider these needs in the classroom. What I mean by
this is that, as the package BrailleR could be important for the
student, she/he should learn how to install and use R packages
early. Also verbalizing complex diagrams and data plots could be
of help in the classroom. There are also approaches for
sonification/audification of data
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/sonify/index.html">https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/sonify/index.html</a>) but I
consider these more research-oriented than of real use in
day-to-day work. And there are even more ressources on creating
colorblind-friendly plots using R and ggplot2.</p>
<p>Before I forget, as the question was for data analysis software:
There is also jamovi, a GUI-based data analysis software built on
top of R. This means you can use R but also have all the GUI
convenience that SPSS offers. Jamovi also provides extensive info
on accessibility: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.jamovi.org/a11y.html">https://www.jamovi.org/a11y.html</a></p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Best</p>
<p> Björn Fisseler</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Am 06.09.25 um 21:00 schrieb via
athen-list:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:mailman.97.1757185216.26910.athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">Message: 1
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2025 20:48:50 +0000
From: "Wise, Erika via athen-list" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E"
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Subject: [Athen] Data analysis software that works with screen reader
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I have a student who needs data analysis software that works with a screen reader. A brief Google search mentions Umwelt and RStudio, but I know very little about these and if they will meet the student's needs. From what I read it seems these may focus more on coding while the student needs something that focuses more on statistics (shoulder shrug). My only experience with stats/data analysis was from a psych stats course I took over 10 years ago when SPSS was the preferred program. Any suggestions? Is anyone familiar with Umwelt or RStudio?
Thanks in advance!
ERIKA WISE, MS, CRC
Assistant Director
Alternative Testing Center & Adaptive Technology
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="mailto:erika.wise@uta.edu" moz-do-not-send="true">erika.wise@uta.edu</a><a
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moz-do-not-send="true"><mailto:erika.wise@uta.edu></a>
Office: (817) 272-3420
@utasarcenter
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[The University of Texas at Arlington]
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