Project Jupyter, a widely adopted tool with millions of users globally, has made significant strides in the realm of data science and educational workflows. However, its current limitations in accessibility hinder its potential to reach an even broader audience.

According to estimates, up to 15% of the population relies on accessibility features in web applications. These features range from enhanced color contrast for visually impaired users to full keyboard navigability and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Accessibility is not just a feature; it’s a necessity for creating an inclusive digital environment. This is especially crucial for educational tools, which serve as the foundation for empowering future citizens. Despite ongoing efforts to make Jupyter more accessible, there is still a long way to go. In the current state of things, many people are de facto excluded from using these educational tools.

A significant aspect that needs improvement is the accessibility of the content within Jupyter notebooks themselves. Even if the Jupyter user interface were to become fully accessible, the notebooks often contain inaccessible elements. These include images without descriptions, or improperly nested section titles that disrupt keyboard navigation within the document.

Helping notebook authors create more accessible content

The goal of this internship is to enhance the notebook authoring UI to encourage the creation of accessible content. This will be achieved by displaying inline warnings when notebook content deviates from best practices, such as the absence of alternative text for images.

Additionally, we propose to explore the possibility of enabling notebook authors to manually input alt text for images displayed in the output areas of notebooks. This feature could significantly improve the accessibility of visual content within Jupyter notebooks.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a large open-source project adopted at a global scale, benefit from the mentorship of core developers, and have a positive impact for end users.

We are looking for a software engineering intern in their last year of school. We expect candidates to not have professional experience except for earlier internships.

In terms of technical skills, we are looking for students with background in front-end web development to contribute to the development of the JupyterLab project. Experience with any of the following are strong assets to an application:

• JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python programming languages.

• Common frontent frameworks such as React.

• WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

Prior experience with Jupyter development specifically is not required. A track record at contributing to open-source software is a huge plus.

First interview with a Technical Director
Second interview the CEO