Dedicated to Improving the Lives of Blind and Visually Impaired People

Free, Virtual Data Science Workshops Series: February 6 through March 5, 2024

A series of five workshops will provide instruction in the fundamentals of data analysis and sonification (sound) using nonvisual tools and techniques. Many introductory data science courses focus on developing visual representation. However, “data is better thought of as inherently spatial rather than inherently visual.” Spatial relationships can be represented in sound, feel (tactile graphics), or plain text (tables or natural language). These workshops are designed for individuals who are blind, have low vision, or who otherwise have difficulty accessing visual tools for data science. Sessions, which will take place each of the five weeks from 1 to 3 pm ET, will cover basics of Python programming language, an introduction to the Pandas data science library, how to work interactively to explore data, how to prepare a data set for sonification, and how to use sonification to represent data. Practitioners who are blind or have low vision will teach the series, which will use the NVDA screen reader on Windows. No previous experience with Python or data science is required, although some familiarity with Windows and NVDA will be helpful. For more information and a registration link, vision the Iota School webpage on Nonvisual Data Science Workshops Series. The series is hosted by Pandas, NumFOCUS, and Iota.