A Power BI accessibility review for reports everyone can read
A Power BI accessibility review is a structured check of how well your reports work for people with low vision, color blindness or a need for keyboard and screen reader access. Power BI includes many accessibility features, but report authors must switch most of them on. One of our consultants tests each page, lists the gaps and shows your team how to close them.
- Contrast and color checked
- Keyboard path tested
- Alt text on every visual
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What does a Power BI accessibility review look at?
An accessible report lets every reader reach the same facts. Some readers use a screen reader. Others move with the keyboard alone. Many cannot tell red from green. So the review walks through each page the way those readers would.
First we check what the author controls. That includes alternative text on visuals, the tab order of objects, clear titles and color contrast. Then we look at how the page behaves with high contrast settings and with keyboard focus.
Microsoft's guidance for report creators refers to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and we use the same frame. However, we do not issue a legal opinion. Instead you receive a practical list of fixes, ranked by how much each one helps.
Six areas a report accessibility audit covers
Each area maps to a feature that Power BI already offers, so most fixes need no extra tools.
Alt text
Every meaningful visual needs a short description. Screen readers announce it, so the reader knows what the chart shows.
Tab order
Keyboard users move through objects in a set order. We arrange that order to follow the logic of the page.
Color and contrast
Text and data colors must stand out from the background. We also avoid color as the only signal of meaning.
Titles and labels
Clear titles, axis labels and data labels help everyone. Therefore we remove jargon and cryptic field names.
Markers and shapes
Lines gain distinct markers, because a reader who cannot separate colors can still tell the series apart.
Keyboard and table view
We test focus, shortcuts and the option to show a visual as a table, which helps screen reader users.
Why does accessibility matter in Power BI reports?
A report that some staff cannot read fails at its one job. Yet the problem often goes unseen. People with a color vision difference rarely announce it. Instead they ask a colleague or skip the chart.
Public bodies and many larger companies also have formal duties. Their procurement rules may ask for accessible content. Because the rules differ by sector, your compliance team should name the standard. We then test against it and record the evidence.
There is a wider gain as well. Changes that help assistive technology usually help everyone. For example, strong contrast reads better on a projector, and clear titles speed up any reader. So an accessible report is simply a better report. For example, a Power BI HR dashboard that every employee opens needs alt text and a sensible tab order.
Common findings in a Power BI accessibility review
These six issues turn up in most reports, and each has a quick fix.
- Visuals with no alternative text
- Red and green as the only status signal
- Pale gray text on a white page
- Tab order that jumps around the page
- Decorative shapes that trap keyboard focus
- Tooltips that hold facts found nowhere else
How our Power BI accessibility review runs
The review follows four stages, and you see findings as they appear.
Free assessment
First we open one report with you for thirty minutes. You then see the kind of gaps a full check would find.
Scope and standard
Next we agree the reports to cover and the standard to test against. The written quote records both.
Page-by-page testing
We test with keyboard, screen reader and contrast tools. Because each finding has a screenshot, fixes are easy to assign.
Accessibility fixes and coaching
Finally we fix the pages or coach your authors to do it. A short checklist stays with the team afterwards.
Common questions about a Power BI accessibility review
Does a Power BI accessibility review make us legally compliant?
We cannot promise a legal outcome, and no honest reviewer should. The review tests your reports against the standard you name and records the results. After that, your legal or compliance team judges what the evidence means. Still, the fixes we list address the most common barriers that readers face.
Is Power BI accessibility available out of the box?
Partly. Microsoft builds in keyboard navigation, screen reader support and high contrast handling. However, the author must add alternative text, set the tab order and choose readable colors. So two reports in the same product can differ greatly. The review shows where your authors need to act.
Can you fix the reports as well as review them?
Yes. Many fixes take minutes, such as adding alt text or reordering tabs. Others need design work, for example a new color theme. We quote the review and the fixes as separate lines. Then you choose whether our consultants or your own authors make the changes.
Will an accessibility review change how our reports look?
Sometimes, but usually for the better. Contrast may rise and a few colors may change. We also add markers or labels where color carried the meaning alone. Because a shared theme file holds these choices, later reports inherit them without extra effort.
Who carries out the Power BI review?
Consultants from Power BI Agency carry it out online, inside your Microsoft tenant. We are a small team, a division of Sataware Technologies and independent of Microsoft. Access runs through accounts you control, and no data is copied to our own systems. We also reply to questions within 2 hours.
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