Module 2.2: Describing Charts, Graphs, and Data Visualizations

When your city council discusses the annual budget, do residents watching online see the pie chart showing how tax dollars are spent? If someone who is blind or has low vision is tuning in, they hear the discussion but miss the visuals—unless you provide audio descriptions.

Audio descriptions narrate visual information so everyone can follow your government presentations, whether they're watching live broadcasts, archived meetings, or produced videos. Charts, graphs, maps, and data tables convey essential information that spoken dialogue alone often doesn't capture.

This guide shows you how to describe the data visualizations common in government work: budget breakdowns, zoning maps, organizational structures, and statistical reports.

WCAG requirements for describing visual content

WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires audio descriptions for prerecorded video when visual information is essential to understanding the content (Success Criterion 1.2.5). For government presentations, this includes charts, graphs, maps, and tables that convey information not fully explained in the spoken audio.

The standard focuses on making visual content accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, but clear descriptions benefit everyone—including people watching without sound or those who need more time to process complex data.

When charts and graphs need audio description

Not every visual in your video requires audio description. The key question is whether the visual information is essential to understanding the content.

Charts and graphs need description when:

• The speaker references specific data points from the visual: "As you can see, our third quarter revenue increased by 18 percent."

• The visual shows information not stated in the dialogue, like a budget breakdown chart while the speaker only discusses total spending

• Understanding the visual is necessary to follow the presentation, such as zoning maps during planning commission discussions

Charts and graphs may not need description when:

• The speaker fully explains all relevant information verbally: "The pie chart shows that police services account for 42 percent of our budget, fire services account for 28 percent, and parks account for 15 percent"

• The visual is purely decorative or redundant with spoken content

Your decision should pass the "close your eyes test"—if someone listening with their eyes closed would miss essential information, you need audio description.

Core principles for describing data visualizations

Describe objectively

State what you see without interpretation. Instead of "Budget cuts devastated the parks department," say "The parks department budget decreased from $2.4 million to $1.8 million."

Start with the big picture

Lead with the chart type and overall purpose before diving into specific data points. "Bar chart comparing monthly ridership across three bus routes" orients the listener before you describe individual values.

Prioritize relevant information

You don't need to read every single data point. Focus on information the speaker references, key trends, and essential comparisons. If the presenter highlights the highest and lowest values, describe those specifically.

Use natural timing

Place descriptions during pauses in dialogue. If there aren't enough natural breaks, you may need extended audio description where the video pauses to allow time for longer descriptions.

Government budget charts

Budget visualizations appear frequently in city council meetings, budget presentations, and financial reports.

Pie charts showing budget allocation

Visual context: A pie chart titled "FY 2026 General Fund Budget by Department" with six colored segments

Effective description: "Pie chart showing general fund budget distribution. Public safety accounts for the largest portion at 45 percent, followed by public works at 22 percent, parks and recreation at 15 percent, administration at 10 percent, community development at 5 percent, and library services at 3 percent."

Why this works: Starts with chart type, provides title context, then lists values from largest to smallest, which helps listeners understand proportional relationships.

Bar charts comparing year-over-year spending

Visual context: A horizontal bar chart comparing department budgets across three fiscal years

Effective description: "Horizontal bar chart comparing department budgets for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. Each department has three bars. Police department shows steady growth from $12 million to $14 million. Fire department remained flat at $8 million across all three years. Parks Department decreased from $3.5 million to $2.8 million."

Why this works: Establishes the chart structure first, then describes trends rather than reciting every individual value. Focuses on the story the data tells.

Line graphs showing revenue trends

Visual context: A line graph with monthly data points showing property tax revenue over 12 months

Effective description: "Line graph tracking monthly property tax revenue throughout 2025. Revenue started at $450,000 in January, climbed steadily to a peak of $680,000 in June, then gradually declined to $520,000 by December."

Why this works: Describes the overall trend pattern, highlights key data points—starting value, peak, ending value—without listing all 12 months individually.

Zoning and planning maps

Maps present unique challenges because they convey spatial relationships. Focus on information relevant to the discussion at hand.

Simple district maps

Visual context: A city map divided into colored zones during a zoning discussion

Effective description: "City zoning map showing four districts. The downtown commercial district occupies the center, colored blue. Residential zones in green surround it to the north and east. The industrial area in gray is located along the southern border near the rail line. Parks and open space in light green appear scattered throughout."

Why this works: Establishes the map type, describes the overall layout, and then explains where specific zones are located using directional references and landmarks.

Detailed site plans

Visual context: An architectural site plan showing a proposed development

Effective description: "Site plan for the proposed Riverside Plaza development. The main building is located on the eastern portion of the lot, with parking for 150 vehicles on the west side. A landscaped buffer area runs along the northern property line adjacent to residential homes. Access points connect to Main Street on the south and Oak Avenue on the east."

Why this works: Orients the listener to major features first, then describes spatial relationships using directional terms and context clues.

When maps are too complex

Some maps contain too much detail to describe effectively in available pauses. In these cases:

• Focus only on elements the speaker discusses directly

• Create a simplified text alternative that summarizes key points

• Use extended audio description if the content format allows

• Provide a detailed text document as a supplement to the video

Organizational charts

Org charts show reporting structures and hierarchical relationships common in government agencies.

Department structure

Visual context: A hierarchical org chart showing city department organization

Effective description: "Organizational chart showing Parks and Recreation Department structure. The director position is at the top. Three division managers report to the director: Recreation Services, Park Maintenance, and Special Events. Each division manager supervises three to four staff positions."

Why this works: Describes the hierarchy from top to bottom, explains reporting relationships, gives an overall sense of structure without naming every single position.

Committee or commission structure

Visual context: A chart showing the relationship between various boards and commissions

Effective description: "Flowchart showing advisory committee structure. City Council is at the top. Three independent commissions report to Council: Planning Commission, Parks Board, and Transportation Advisory Committee. Each commission has seven appointed members who serve three-year terms."

Why this works: Establishes the governance hierarchy, explains relationships between bodies, and includes relevant structural details.

Statistical data tables

Tables appear frequently in government presentations—election results, demographic data, service metrics. They're challenging because they contain many individual data points.

Simple comparison tables

Visual context: A table comparing three neighborhoods on five metrics

Effective description: "Table comparing population, median income, and average home value across three neighborhoods. Downtown has 8,500 residents with median income of $45,000 and average home value of $280,000. Riverside has 12,300 residents with median income of $62,000 and home values averaging $385,000. Lakeside has 6,800 residents with median income of $38,000 and average home value of $225,000."

Why this works: Describes row by row, grouping related data together so listeners can follow the comparisons.

When to summarize instead of listing

For large tables, describe only the most relevant information: "Table showing monthly ridership data for all 15 bus routes. Route 7 had the highest ridership at 42,000 passengers. Route 12 had the lowest at 3,200 passengers. Most routes showed ridership increases of 5 to 10 percent compared to last year."

Templates for common chart types

Use these templates as starting points, then customize based on your specific content.

Bar chart template

"[Orientation] bar chart [comparing/showing] [what is being measured]. [Description of structure—how many bars per category, what the axes represent]. [Key findings or notable values]."

Example: "Vertical bar chart comparing quarterly sales revenue across three product lines. Each quarter shows three bars representing Products A, B, and C. Product A consistently led with values ranging from $1.2 to $1.5 million, while Product C showed steady growth from $400,000 to $900,000 over the year."

Line graph template

"Line graph tracking [what is being measured] [over what time period]. [Starting point], [notable trends or changes], [ending point]. [Optional: any significant peaks, valleys, or inflection points]."

Example: "Line graph tracking weekly website visits throughout January. Visits started at 2,400 during the first week, increased steadily to 3,100 by mid-month, then dropped to 2,600 during the final week."

Pie chart template

"Pie chart showing [what the parts represent] [for what whole]. [Largest segment and its percentage], [next largest], [continue in descending order for major segments]. [Optional: group small segments if needed]."

Example: "Pie chart showing sources of city revenue for fiscal year 2026. Property taxes are the largest source at 48 percent, followed by sales taxes at 28 percent, state grants at 15 percent, and fees and permits at 9 percent."

Map template

"[Type] map showing [what geographic area]. [Overall organization or major features]. [Relevant zones, districts, or features with directional references]. [Any elements the speaker specifically discusses]."

Example: "Street map showing the proposed detour route during Main Street construction. The main detour follows Oak Avenue heading north, then connects to Maple Street heading east, and rejoins Main Street at the intersection with Park Avenue. Businesses along the highlighted detour route remain accessible throughout construction."

Org chart template

"[Type] organizational chart showing [what organization or department]. [Top position], [next level with number of direct reports], [continue down hierarchy as relevant]. [Optional: any specialized divisions or notable reporting relationships]."

Example: "Organizational chart showing Information Technology Department structure. The IT Director is at the top level, with three managers reporting directly: Network Operations Manager, Application Development Manager, and Support Services Manager. Each manager oversees a team of four to six technical staff."

Table template

"Table [comparing/showing] [what data] [across what categories]. [Column headers if relevant to orientation]. [Describe data row by row, or describe key findings if table is large]."

Example: "Table showing crime statistics by category for the past three years. Violent crime decreased from 145 incidents in 2023 to 118 in 2025. Property crime remained relatively stable, ranging from 680 to 695 incidents annually. Traffic violations increased from 1,200 to 1,450."

Quality assurance checklist

Before finalizing your audio descriptions, verify:

• Chart type is identified clearly at the start

• Key data points mentioned by the speaker are included

• Descriptions use objective language without interpretation

• Spatial relationships use clear directional terms: north/south/east/west, top/bottom, left/right

• Large datasets are appropriately summarized rather than listed exhaustively

• Timing allows descriptions to fit in natural pauses, or extended description is used if needed

• All numerical values are stated clearly and completely—say "45 percent" not "forty-five percent"

• Descriptions would make sense to someone listening with their eyes closed

Common mistakes to avoid

Reading every single data point: Focus on relevant information and overall trends rather than exhaustively listing every value.

Using visual-only references: Instead of "the red bar," say "the bar representing police services" or "the leftmost bar."

Adding interpretation: Stick to objective description. Let viewers form their own conclusions about what the data means.

Assuming prior knowledge: Don't assume viewers saw previous slides or know context not explained in the current video.

Skipping chart types: Always identify what kind of visualization you're describing so listeners can build an appropriate mental model.

Working with MediaScribe Narrate

MediaScribe offers cloud-based audio description capabilities that help you create accessible video content efficiently.

How it supports chart and graph descriptions:

MediaScribe's AI audio description feature analyzes your prerecorded video content and generates initial description scripts. For videos containing charts and graphs, the AI identifies visual elements and creates draft descriptions that you can review and refine.

Workflow:

1. Upload your video file to the MediaScribe cloud platform

2. The AI analyzes visual content and generates description scripts

3. Review and edit descriptions to ensure accuracy and appropriate level of detail for your audience

4. Export your accessible video with embedded audio descriptions

The AI provides a helpful starting point, but your review ensures descriptions match your agency's communication style and prioritize information appropriately for your specific context. This combination of automated drafting and human review produces high-quality descriptions while saving significant time compared to creating descriptions entirely from scratch.

Additional resources

For more guidance on audio description:

Review WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) for technical requirements

Reference the Federal Communications Commission's quality standards for audio description in broadcast media

Consult your MediaScribe support team for specific questions about the audio description workflow