Transformative Digital Solutions for Accessibility

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), sponsored by the United Nations, has been celebrated on December 3^rd since 1992 to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. On this day, we set aside time to recognize our colleagues, clients, and their family members who have apparent and nonapparent disabilities and promote the importance of inclusion in life, our communities, and in the workplace. It is a time to encourage open communication about disabilities, transform perceptions, and create long-term plans to improve digital and structural accessibility. 

The growing need for accessible digital assets.

An estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, experience a significant disability today.^[1] The IDPD has helped raise awareness about the importance of delivering user-friendly websites, apps, and other digital assets to those who suffer from a wide range of sensory, intellectual, learning, and physical ailments. To support these efforts, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAGs) were first introduced in 1999 to create a shared global development standard. While originally focused on HTML, WCAG have expanded to be technology agnostic.

At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we believe that accessibility is imperative for users who need to access our charting solutions and desktop technologies in different ways. For example, developed with WCAG in mind, ChartIQ enables our financial services clients to provide their own end users with powerful data visualization tools out-of-the-box to facilitate discovery of critical information for users of all abilities.

Continued innovation delivers results.

The ChartIQ team has been ramping up accessibility initiatives both internally and as part of product roadmaps, letting clients meet WCAG standards faster than ever before.

ChartIQ’s renowned HTML5 stock charts are seen on millions of desktops around the world by online brokerages, solutions providers, and both buy- and sell-side institutions. The charts are now more accessible to users with unique needs, with features that include shortcuts and keyboard navigation, such as symbol lookup and study preferences.

In addition, keyboard shortcuts show/hide add-ons, plug-ins, and chart features, with a complete list of these capabilities found in the Keyboard Shortcuts Legend, as shown below.

^{For illustrative purposes only.}

ChartIQ’s web components have also been reimagined to better support screen readers that render text and image content as speech or braille output, as shown in the video below. This means that individuals using screen reader technology can now navigate and access additional content, ensuring a more inclusive and accessible experience.