Part Three: Understand Images and Visual Information

12. Understand Tables, Charts and Slides

Recover structure, labels, order and values before asking for interpretation.

Estimated time: 10 minutes. Last reviewed: 11 August 2026.

The lesson

A fluent summary may capture a chart’s general shape while getting the underlying data wrong.

For tables, request column headings and each row in a consistent order.

For slides, preserve slide order, headings, body text and the distinction between printed content and interpretation.

For charts

Title and chart type.
Horizontal and vertical axes.
Units, scale and range.
Legend categories and colours or patterns.
Exact labelled values or clearly marked estimates.
Trend or conclusion only after the data account.

Prefer the source data

When values matter, obtain the accessible source table or data file if one exists. Treat an image-based reconstruction as an intermediate access route, not automatically as the authoritative dataset.

Try it

Take one non-sensitive table, chart or slide. Ask first for structure and values, then for a short interpretation that identifies uncertainty.

Checkpoint

You can trace every important conclusion back to a label or value in the structured account.

About this course

Confident with AI was created by Charli-Jo Tyrer in association with the Technology Association of Visually Impaired People (TAVIP).

Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.