Power BI Accessibility & FabCon - 7th October - Sheffield Data Analytics

Meetup 15 at Electric Works (in front of the coach station and just up the road from the central train station). Doors open from 5:30 to give you time to grab a drink and chat to fellow attendees. Talks running from 6 with food provided after the sessions by sponsors Simpsons Associates. Session 1 - Juliana Smith - POURing Accessibility into Power BI: Practical Steps for Inclusive Analytics Many organisations focus on accessibility for websites, but overlook Power BI, even though reports used for decisions, risk, and performance are digital products too. If people can’t access them, they’re excluded. My perspective is shaped by experience: after a work injury caused nerve damage, a simple hardware change transformed my ability to work and reframed accessibility as essential, not optional. This session introduces the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which define global standards for digital accessibility, and explains how their POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust), translate directly into practical Power BI design choices. We also explore how AI/DAX/UDF can generate meaningful alternative text for visuals, improving accuracy and reducing manual effort. Attendees will leave with clear, repeatable methods to make Power BI reports more inclusive, usable, and compliant by design. Session 2 - Barney Lawrence & Stewart Duffill - Updates from FabCon - Jetting in from the previous week's FabCon Europe in Barcelona, Barney and Stewart will share details of all the latest announcements coming out of the keynote sessions. Close by 8:30 with a chance to continue conversations in the Sheffield Tap by the train station.