SPSS: Access is Denied! Denied! Denied!

We remain apprehensive on the inaccessibility of IBM’s SPSS software for blind and partially sighted users. Despite repeated attempts to engage with IBM, the accessibility issues persist without a plan for resolution. 

There is growing interest and concern from users of assistive technologies, academics, researchers, and accessibility advocates worldwide.

“Using SPSS overall felt very uncertain. We had the practical sessions once a week and I often felt a little excluded from them, as my peers were able to follow along with what was being shown on the whiteboard. My peers used the university computers and I had to use my  DSA provided laptop and try to follow along with the workbook provided, but the magnification software would constantly crash meaning that I had to restart my laptop and would lose my place in what I was doing on SPSS which would leave me feeling frustrated and meant I had to spend extra time outside of classes trying to understand it. Generally, it took me much longer to understand than my peers which made me worry about getting assignments completed on time as we often had multiple due around the same time. 

I lost more of my sight part way through my degree and as a result purchased a MacBook which was easier to use, but I had found it so time consuming to use that I steered away from using it for my dissertation and stuck to only qualitative data collection methods. I can’t help but think that maybe my dissertation would have been strengthened by using quantitative data, but I felt like that was not an option for me as I needed it to be as simple as possible, and I wasn’t even sure I would be able to finish my degree due to deteriorating vision and requiring surgery. I was already forced to push back deadlines that I did not want to overcomplicate things further by trying to use SPSS.” Blind and Partially Sighted Young Person 

We have formally written to the UK CEO, urging IBM to prioritise accessibility and to make a public commitment to ensure SPSS is fully usable by blind and partially sighted users.

You can read the letter here.

IBM has both the resources and the responsibility to address these issues and lead by example in the technology sector. We call on IBM to engage with Thomas Pocklington Trust and blind and partially sighted users of SPSS to co-develop a roadmap to address the inaccessibility and poor usability of the software.  You can read the full report here: SPSS: Access denied for Blind and partially Sighted users. 

“We believe that every student should be able to fully access their education. SPSS is a vital piece of software used by social science and psychology students, not just across the UK, but globally. We continue to hear stories of blind and partially sighted students struggling to access SPSS. That is why we are calling on IBM, who own SPSS to engage with not just Thomas Pocklington Trust, but with universities and students to address this and we remain committed to supporting IBM in undertaking this task.”Emma Hughes, Director of Services, TPT

We are calling on students and universities to:

• Continue contacting our Education Information Advice and Guidance Service on enquiries related to SPSS.
• Share our campaign to further raise awareness.
• Get in contact if you would like to support our work and share your own experiences of using SPSS.

You can participate in the conversation by joining our new Community Group for students, lecturers, and other academic professionals. You can share experiences, ask questions, offer tips and collaborate on improving the accessibility of SPSS for blind and partially sighted users.

For further information on our work, you can contact us at EducationPolicy@pocklington.org.uk