Small Changes, Big Impact: Accessibility Essentials for Power BI

When digital experiences aren’t accessible, they don’t just frustrate, they exclude. In Power BI, that can mean reports people can’t navigate, insights they can’t perceive, and decisions they’re unable to take part in.

I learnt this first hand after a work injury left me with nerve damage in both hands. For years I struggled with a standard mouse, until a specialist device changed everything. That small adjustment transformed my work and made one thing clear: accessible design empowers; inaccessible design shuts people out.

This session covers the essentials of digital accessibility and how to apply them in Power BI. Using the WCAG principles ( Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust ) we’ll look at practical ways to make reports more inclusive, from colour contrast and tab order to keyboard navigation and meaningful structure.

By the end, you’ll understand not just how to make accessible Power BI reports, but why it truly matters to the people who use them.

1. Understand the core principles of digital accessibility and why they matter in Power BI development. 2. Apply key WCAG guidelines (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) directly to report design. 3. Improve accessibility using native Power BI features, including colour contrast, tab order, keyboard navigation, and meaningful structure. 4. Identify common accessibility pitfalls and learn quick, achievable fixes that make dashboards easier for everyone to use.