Access For All

Ambient Assisted Living Investment Forum 2010

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:11:11 +0000

This year, for the first time ever, the Ambient Assisted Living Forum (AAL Forum) 2010 will be preceded by an Investment Forum. Ambient Assisted Living products and services are ICT-based solutions, such as in-home monitoring devices or telemedicine systems, which help seniors remain independent, active and socially connected for a longer time. The AAL Investment Forum aims to stimulate more innovation and investment in AAL by bringing together innovative ICT enterprises in the Ageing Well market with potential public and private investors. A key activity will be a matchmaking session where innovators can pitch their smart solutions to potential investors.
Source: http://www.aal-invest.eu/

New OpenOffice.org Writer Extension Produces Braille

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:06:29 +0000

Leuven, Belgium, 4 August 2010 – The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) today released an extension for OpenOffice.org Writer that enables users to save documents as Braille or to send them directly to a Braille embosser. “odt2braille” (http://odt2braille.sourceforge.net/) is a freeware extension for OpenOffice.org, a office suite that is freely available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux/Unix and Solaris.
Due to the emergence of technologies such as audio books and synthetic speech on PCs in the last few decades the proportion of blind persons who know Braille has decreased. Some people consider Braille as an arcane system that will become marginalised or replaced by audio books and synthetic speech. Nevertheless, Braille is still important: it is not only a reading system but also a writing system, and its defenders maintain that teaching Braille to blind children is important for the development of functional literacy. Braille is also indispensable for persons who are deaf-blind.
odt2braille is available for Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista and Windows 7), and will later also become available for Mac OS X and Linux/Unix. The current version of odt2braille supports eight Braille embossers, and additional embossers will be added later. One of the supported embossers is the Elekul, which was developed at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven by Prof. Dr. Guido François, and which was the first system that could emboss Braille on both sides of the same sheet of paper.
odt2braille is being developed in the context of the ÆGIS project, a research & development project supported by the European Commission. The ÆGIS project develops software for persons with disabilities, covering the desktop platform, the Web (“Rich Internet Applications”, i.e. web-based applications that provide user interfaces and functionality that were formerly only available on the desktop) and mobile devices. In November 2009, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven released another OpenOffice.org extension in the context of the ÆGIS project: odt2daisy (http://odt2braille.sourceforge.net/), an OpenOffice.org Writer extension that converts text documents to audio books in the DAISY format.

Downloading and Using odt2braille
odt2braille can be downloaded from http://odt2braille.sourceforge.net/. This website also contains installation instructions and a manual.
odt2braille is suited to both Braille experts and occasional Braille users. In addition to converting text documents to Braille, it also allows users to directly input Braille in a document. In other words, users can determine which specific Braille codes should be transferred to paper. The keys S, D, F, J, K and L can be used to simulate the keys on a Braille keyboard.
More importantly, text documents can be converted to Braille automatically. This type of conversion can also be done with other — typically commercial — applications, but odt2braille has important advantages:
Firstly, the whole process runs in a single environment, i.e. OpenOffice.org:

creating the document,
formatting the document (including both rich formatting for traditional printing and basic formatting for Braille),
printing and/or embossing the document.

Secondly, all data are saved in a single file:

the content,
the formatting for print (for sighted users),
and the formatting for Braille.

Consequently, there are no separate versions but a single document, which avoids synchronisation issues between several versions of the same document.
The new functionality is available through the “Braille” menu, which is added to OpenOffice.org Writer when odt2braille is installed.
The Braille conversion is an intuitive process and the output can be tailored by the user. Users with little or no Braille experience can rely on the existing Braille conventions. In this case the Braille conversion requires very little user interaction. odt2braille is also suited to experienced Braille users who prefer to use their own formatting conventions.
The list of supported Braille embossers is still limited and consists of certain models by Interpoint NV (i.e. Elekul), Index Braille and Braillo Norway AS.
It is also possible to export documents to computer files that can be read by other Braille software. In this way, Braille conversion and embossing can be separated in time, and the user can still modify the Braille document before sending it to the embosser.

Open-Source Software
odt2braille, odt2daisy and most other software developed in the ÆGIS project are or will be available as “open-source software”. This means that users will not only be able to download the finished product but also the programming code or “source code”. They can also modify and improve the source code, provided that they make their changes available to the developers or the community that maintains the software. This process enables a community of users to make improvements to the software and enables these improvements to be quickly available to other users.

About OpenOffice.org
Several partners in the ÆGIS project are making contributions to OpenOffice.org, including Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Oracle. The OpenOffice.org Community is an international team of volunteer and sponsored contributors who develop, translate, support, and promote the leading open source office productivity suite, OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org’s leading edge software technology (UNO) is also available for developers, systems integrators, etc. to use in OpenOffice.org extensions or in their own applications.
OpenOffice.org uses the OpenDocument Format OASIS Standard (ISO/IEC 26300) as well as supporting legacy file formats such as Microsoft Office, and is available on major computing platforms in over 100 languages. OpenOffice.org software is provided under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) and may be used free of charge for any purpose, private or commercial.
The OpenOffice.org Community acknowledges generous sponsorship from a number of companies, including Oracle, the founding sponsor and primary contributor. OpenOffice.org is considered by Public administrations and people working at all levels of government (local / federal / regional / national etc.) as their ideal software solution.

Registration 1st ÆGIS International Conference open

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:59:56 +0000

The 2nd Pan-European Workshop/User Forum and the 1st International ÆGIS Conference entitled “Access for All in the desktop, web and mobile field: an end-user and developer perspective” will take place in Seville, Spain on 6 and 7-8 October 2010 respectively. All events are organised by the ÆGIS IP initiative (Open Accessibility Everywhere: Groundwork, Infrastructure, Standards – www.aegis-project.eu), partially funded under FP7 (Theme: ICT‐2007.7.1; ICT & Ageing).
Detailed info and registration about the 1st International AEGIS Conference is available through www.aegis-conference.eu. Registration is now open.

A gap of 31% separates the online access of people with disabilities from those without disabilities

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:49:09 +0000

The Kessler Foundation and the National Organization on Disabilities commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct the 2010 Survey of Americans with Disabilities. Among the findings they identified that employment represents the largest gap between the two groups. Of all working-age people with disabilities, only 21% say that they are employed, compared to 59% of people without disabilities – a gap of 38 percentage points. People with disabilities are still much more likely to be living in poverty. People with disabilities are less likely than those without disabilities to socialize with friends, relatives or neighbors, once again suggesting that there are significant barriers to participation in leisure activities for this population. The second-largest gap between people with and without disabilities is regarding Internet access. 85% of adults without disabilities access the Internet, whereas only 54% of adults with disabilities report the same – a gap of 31 percentage points.
Source: Kessler Foundation

International Workshop “Accessibility and the contribution of International Standards” organized by the World Standards Cooperation (WSC)

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:20:46 +0000

On 3-4 November 2010, the WSC will organize an international workshop in the premises of the World Meteorological Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, on “Accessibility and the contribution of International Standards”.
Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, environment or facility is usable by as many people as possible, including by persons with disabilities. Its importance is signified by the fact that the number of persons with disabilities, either congenital, acquired or as a result of age is estimated to be around 650 million worldwide.
International standardization can be a powerful tool for strengthening accessibility in all these areas by setting the same standards around the world for accessible products, devices, services, environments and facilities.
The World Standards Cooperation (WSC) brings together the three leading international standards bodies, namely the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The workshop takes up the topic of the 2010 World Standards Day, celebrated each year on 14 October, which is “Accessibility”.
Workshop structure and expected outcome
The workshop will address three key subject areas:

accessibility in the field of everyday products
accessibility and buildings
eAccessibility and eInclusion (in Information and Communication Technologies)

In a combination of plenary and break-out group meetings these three subject areas will be discussed and the potential of standardization – and in particular international standardization – to contribute to strengthening accessibility aspects in the design of products, services, environments and facilities will be addressed.
Key stakeholder groups participating in the workshop will include disability organizations, governments and regulators, product designers and manufacturers faced with accessibility requirements, consumers and standards developers from around the world. Under discussion will be the current and future needs in the field of accessibility as well as the possible contributions international standardization can make in facilitating the development of accessible solutions around the world.
The expected outcome of the workshop is a better understanding of both the work on accessibility issues in standardization in the various areas and the needs of those most concerned. It is hoped that the groundwork will be laid and a road map drawn up for future standardization initiatives with the involvement of the key stakeholders.

More information at the event website.

Accessible Android E-Mail and Barcode Reader Available

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:18:05 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Steve Jacobs
Phone: (614) 777-0660
E-Mail: steve.jacobs@ideal-group.org

Accessible Android E-Mail and Barcode Reader Available

Open Source, Android Applications Released in Support of Raising the Floor, Reducing the Cost, and Leveling the Playing Field for Individuals with Disabilities

HILLIARD, OH July 6, 2010 – IDEAL Group Apps4Android, Inc. announced today the release of the first Android e-mail reader for the blind. The IDEAL K9 E-Mail® reader is accessible using Google’s Talkback and other Android screenreaders. Also announced was the release of IDEAL Item Identifier®, an Android-based barcode reader. The barcode reader makes it possible to quickly, easily, and accurately identify products by using Android smartphones to read barcodes on standard products. Both applications have been open-sourced in support of the Raising the Floor Initiative.

According to Steve Jacobs the President of IDEAL Group, “Given the efforts Google has put into Android, especially the work of their Eyes-Free Project team, we are convinced that Google is committed to making Android a world-class fully accessible platform and we want to help Google get there faster.”

IDEAL is also developing an open source Android web browser for the blind. In addition, IDEAL is developing an open source video magnification application that enables individuals with low vision to turn their Android smartphones into hand-held video magnifiers.

Given the high cost of dedicated devices that serve these purposes today, Jacobs hopes these free, high-quality open source Android applications will be Raising the Floor of opportunities for individuals with print disabilities.

Jacobs further stated, “While we plan to develop accessible applications for other platforms in the future, we love the openness of Android. It makes it easy for developers to figure out how programs function and has enabled us to innovate much more rapidly and easily than on any other platform.”

About IDEAL Group Apps4Android:
Apps4Android, Inc. is dedicated to developing low/no-cost, high-quality, Android applications that enhance the quality-of-life, independence, quality of education, and employability of individuals with disabilities… and everyone else! Apps4Android is the world’s largest developer of speech-enabled Android applications in the world with 750,000+ active users in 47 countries. For more information: http://apps4android.org/

About Raising the Floor (RtF):
Raising the Floor is an international consortium of organizations and individuals focused on ensuring that people experiencing disabilities, literacy problems, or the effects of aging are able to access and use all of the information, resources, services, and communities available on or through the Web. Of particular concern are those with limited or no resources. For more information: http://raisingthefloor.net/about

This work is supported in part with funds from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, grant number H133E080022 to the University of Wisconsin Trace R&D Center. Users of IDEAL K9 E-Mail® and IDEAL Item Identifier® should not assume endorsement by either the Department of Education or the federal government.

AEGIS project user forum open – Provide your feedback on assistive technology

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:31:22 +0000

The ÆGIS project now also has a dedicated user forum available online where people that are interested to comment on various topics, can do so in various categories:

Developers: Developers involved in software development for desktop, mobile, internet and rich internet applications can comment here on accessibility aspects related to assistive technologies.
End-users: Web applications: What is your view on the accessibility of internet applications and the internet overall?
End-users: Mobile applicationsEnd-users: What are your thoughts on the accessibility of mobile applications?
End-users: Screen Readers: What are your experiences with screenreaders?
End-users: Assistive Technologies: End-users can comment here on their experiences and opinions regarding assistive technologies in general.
End-users: Desktop applications: Here is the area where end-users can comment on their experiences and opinions regarding assistive technologies in the area of desktop applications.

You only need to register after which you can share your expertise/experience with others.

The ÆGIS project seeks to determine whether 3rd generation access techniques will provide a more accessible, more exploitable and deeply embeddable approach in mainstream ICT (desktop, rich Internet and mobile applications). This approach is developed and explored with the Open Accessibility Framework (OAF) through which aspects of the design, development and deployment of accessible mainstream ICT are addressed. The OAF provides embedded and built-in accessibility solutions, as well as toolkits for developers, for “engraving” accessibility in existing and emerging mass-market ICT-based products, thus making accessibility open, plug and play, personalised and configurable, realistic and applicable in various contexts; ÆGIS is placing users and their needs at the centre of all ICT developments. Based on a holistic UCD, ÆGIS identifies user needs and interaction models for several user groups, (users with visual, hearing, motion, speech and cognitive impairments as well as application developers) and develops open source-based generalised accessibility support into mainstream ICT devices/applications:

desktop,
rich web applications, and
Java-based mobile devices.

All developments will be iteratively tested with a significant number of end users, developers and experts in 3 phases and 4 Pilot sites Europe wide (in Belgium, Spain, Sweden and the UK).

The project includes strong industrial and end user participation (the participating industries are among the market leaders in the corresponding mainstream ICT markets). The project results’ uptake is promoted by strong standardisation activities, as well as the fact that much of the technology results will be either new open source applications or will be built into existing and already widely adopted open source ICT.

Accessibility Reporting Initiative (GARI) project

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:17:47 +0000

Almost one in five of the world’s population lives with some kind of recognized disability. Sooner or later, everyone will develop at least some limitations in vision, hearing, dexterity or learning. To improve usability for those of us with sensory or physical limitations, phones have features for accessibility, which are continually improving and becoming more prevalent as technologies advance. The Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative (GARI) project was developed to provide a central information source to learn about accessibility in mobile devices. On their website you can learn about the various features that a phone may have and link through to manufacturers websites for specific information on particular models.

ICT for all – Technology supporting an inclusive world

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:44:48 +0000

This report explores Europe’s vision for a society where every individual can make a valuable contribution. Investments in pioneering and commercially focused research will produce information and communication technologies (ICTs) that should help everyone – including the elderly, disabled and marginalised – to fulfil their potential.
Source: e-Inclusion web site on Europa

VUMS cluster website online

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:19:18 +0000

The VUMS (Virtual User Modeling and Simulation Cluster) cluster website has been launched and can be reached via www.veritas-project.eu/vums/. VUMS is a project cluster that includes the GUIDE, MyUI, VERITAS and VICON projects. The projects collaborate on future joint efforts. All projects work on improving the accessibility of various products and application areas, taking into account various impairments.

1st VERITAS Newsletter online

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:17:57 +0000

VERITAS just released its 1st Newsletter (accessible PDF).

VERITAS aims to develop, validate and assess tools for built-in accessibility support at all stages of ICT and non-ICT product development, including specification, design, development and testing. The goal is to introduce simulationbased and virtual reality testing at all stages of assistive technologies product design and development into the automotive, smart living spaces (buildings & construction, domotics), workplace, ehealth and infotainment applications areas. The goal is to ensure that future products and services are being systematically designed for all people including those with disabilities and functional limitations as well as older people. Furthermore, VERITAS plans to promote its results to the appropriate standards organisations for consideration and potential adoption and also to make them available through an open framework.

Project number: 247765
Project acronym: VERITAS
Project full title: Virtual and Augmented Environments and Realistic User Interactions To achieve Embedded Accessibility DesignS
Starting date: 1 January 2010
Duration: 48 Months
VERITAS is an Integrated Project (IP) within the 7th Framework Programme, Theme FP7-ICT-2009.7.2, Accessible and Assistive ICT

VERITAS European Survey on Design for All

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:59:34 +0000

VERITAS is undertaking a survey among designers and developers that will help to better understand the design and development process of products and services for people with disabilities and functional limitations as well as older people.
If you are a designer or developer active in the design and development process in the automotive, smart living spaces, workplace, ehealth and/or infotainment domain, then they kindly invite you to complete the survey:

The questionnaires have been designed to identify the industrial user needs of designers and developers per application sector in terms of procedures followed for the design and development of new products and their potential relation with the older people and people with disabilities in VERITAS project. Its evaluation will be the basis to implement appropriate tools and methodologies in order to increase awareness and need for accessibility.
Data provided by participants will not be distributed outside the project, nor will individual data allow tracking of the respondent’s identity. The data will be considered and analyzed only in an aggregated anonymised format.

Advancing research and development in the area of accessible and assistive ICT

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:48:02 +0000

The aim of the CARDIAC project is to create a platform that can bring together the various stakeholders in the area of accessible and assistive ICT with a view to identifying Research & Development gaps and emerging trends and generating a research agenda roadmap.
The basic concept behind the project is to create a platform that can bring together the various stakeholders in the area of accessible and assistive ICT with a view of identifying R&D gaps and emerging trends and generating a research agenda roadmap. It aims to identify examples of best practice and to disseminate the collective wisdom of all the relevant actors (both partners from within the project and stakeholders from outside the project) through, meetings, conferences and publications.
The major aim of the Coordination Action will be to improve the overall success of Challenge 7 ICT 2009 7.2 ‘Accessible and Assistive ICT’ by drafting a research agenda road-map highlighting research priorities that will favour eAccessibility.

Assisted living technologies for older and disabled people in 2030

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:20:12 +0000

Ofcom has commissioned a study to develop future scenarios based on the services required to promote social and economic inclusion of older and disabled people over the coming 20-year period. From these scenarios, the study identifies the key technological developments required, including a detailed discussion of drivers for or barriers to change, and a quantification of the technologies’ impact on wired and wireless networks.

This report is inline with the urgent need that was expressed by speakers addressing some 80 delegates at a seminar held at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills , London, on June 15, and organised by the charity PhoneAbility in collaboration with BIS. Experts working across the field of disabled and older people have called for a national overall coherent plan to develop fully integrated systems and services which meet their needs.

Additionally, a consultation inviting citizens, businesses and researchers to share ideas on how best to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to help older Europeans live more independently, and more generally to establish new ways to put ICTs at the service of the most vulnerable members of society, has been launched by a high-level panel established to advise the European Commission on the functioning of the Ambient Assisted Living joint programme (AAL JP). The panel is chaired by former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva. The public consultation is the first step towards meeting the target of doubling the take-up of independent living arrangements for the elderly by 2015 set by the Digital Agenda (see IP/10/581). The consultation runs until 1 July 2010.

International Conference on Translation and Accessibility in Video Games and Virtual Worlds

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:26:32 +0000

The International Conference on Translation and Accessibility in Video Games and Virtual Worlds will take place on 2-3rd December 2010 at the TransMedia Catalonia Research Group, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The International Conference on Translation and Accessibility in Video Games and Virtual Worlds aims to be an interdisciplinary meeting point for all those interested in the fields of game localisation and accessibility, as well as accessibility and the role of translation in virtual worlds. This pioneering conference aims at laying the foundations for future studies in these areas, become a discussion forum where industry and academia meet and promote interdisciplinary research.
More information at the conference website.

First ACCESSIBLE Project Workshop in Vienna on 13 July 2010

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:35:49 +0000

ACCESSIBLE consortium is proud to announce the realisation of their first Project Workshop on 13 July 2010, in the context of the ICCHP conference in Vienna.
During the ACCESSIBLE workshop the innovative results of the project, related to the accessibility assessment and simulation technologies, will be presented accompanied with the developed tools, which will be interactively tested from the participants.
The participation is fully free of charge.

Danish government websites lack e-accessibility

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:43:35 +0000

According to a survey conducted on behalf of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation by a consulting firm specialising in information technology for people with disabilities, 52 % of the Danish government websites are not fully e-accessible to people with various types of disabilities.
A total of 226 government websites were tested, including pages that are directly covered by the agreement on the mandatory open standards and a variety of other government websites. Individual pages were tested in terms of compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standard and with the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) standards.
The survey shows that almost half of the websites examined (48 %) have little or no serious accessibility problems, whereas the other half of them (52 %) include only some essential functions or are loaded with content that may not be available. Every tenth public website has been proved to be less accessible than it should.
According to the Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms. Charlotte Sahl-Madsen, “The results are not very satisfactory, because we expected a more positive development after the political agreement on open standards in 2008.”
There are still many public websites that are not fully IT accessible to people with various types of disabilities, according to the same survey. Therefore, ministries, regions and municipalities should be more willing to use IT solutions in order to ensure greater accessibility for all.
Furthermore, the Ministry will launch in 2011 a new eLearning tool that will provide instructions and guidance on how documents and websites can become more accessible. “The Ministry will also examine whether there is any workable international experience, we can bring into play”, says Ms. Sahl-Madsen.
Web accessibility includes, e.g. accessible design for screen reader users, access for people who cannot use a mouse and who ultimately use the keyboard alone when they need to use various functions or download content from a website, etc.
During the ministerial conference in Riga in 2006, EU member states decided to set a goal of 100 % accessible public websites by the end of 2010. However, this has been proved difficult for all countries and none of the member state is expected to reach the target before the end of 2010.
Commenting in this regard, Mr. Michael Bach Petersen, the Head of the IT and Telecom Agency, stated, “We are not alone in our challenges to ensure accessibility of public websites. Problems exist in all EU member states. We will intensify our participation in the single European work towards achieving common strategies, tools and methods to ensure that all citizens have equal access to public information and to digital public services.”
The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has already launched a series of initiatives designed to support the authorities’ efforts to develop and maintain accessible websites. These initiatives will be further evaluated and strengthened in order to maximise improvements for the benefit of the large group of citizens with disabilities. The initiatives include an information campaign, development of accessibility eLearning and other tools to support public authorities’ work towards web accessibility.
Source: eGov Monitor

Include 2011 – Design for all

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:32:46 +0000

Include 2011 takes place on 18–20 April 2011 at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU, UK. The sixth International conference on Inclusive Design seeks papers on all inclusive design aspects that catalyse social innovation. The deadline for submission of a 300 word abstract is 15 June 2010.
The Role of Inclusive Design in Making Social Innovation Happen
As a concept, social innovation has growing currency in society, government, academia and business. It manifests itself in many different ways in different contexts. Its meanings extend from public service and policy innovation to initiatives in assistive technology and to aspects of civic participation and creative entrepreneurship.
In all of these areas, design has a key role to play. It can make policy visible and participation possible.
In particular, inclusive design can deliver innovations of social value to communities and markets.
Details for submission of abstracts for paper and poster presentation, and information on the Include conference event can be found on the dedicate web page.

ACCESSIBLE Workshop, 13 July 2010

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 13:13:28 +0000

Accessibility is becoming an ubiquitous topic nowadays, with many authorities and experts putting a lot of effort on pushing forward accessibility of software applications. Despite this fact, many ICT applications and systems are not fully accessible yet.

The development of accessible software applications requires a strong effort from developers and software designers. With the additional encumbrance of taking into account different kinds of accessibility requirements, guidelines and best practices, and different user interface implementation technologies, developers are faced with a daunting task. Therefore, the highly specialised skills required for developing accessible software sets aside most of them.

Starting from this lack of accessibility, the ACCESSIBLE EU FP7 project was established to contribute to better accessibility for all citizens, to increase the use of accessibility standards, and to develop an assessment simulation environment (including a suite of accessibility analysing tools as well as developer-aid tools) to assess efficiently, easily and rapidly the accessibility and viability of software applications for all user groups.

Actually the main goal of ACCESSIBLE is to develop appropriate open source assessment and simulation tools in order to fully support and incorporate accessibility constraints for the design and development of accessible new applications.

The ACCESSIBLE Consortium kindly invites you to participate in its first international Workshop that will take place on 13 July 2010 in the context of the 12th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP), in Vienna University of Technology, Austria.

The main objective of this workshop is to promote the innovative results of the ACCESSIBLE project related to the accessibility assessment and simulation technologies, to a wider community of potential users and to offer significant support to interested parties (ICT developers, designers, etc.) in order to encourage and empower them to contribute towards the inclusive ICT vision.
At the end of the Workshop, an award ceremony will be given to the organisation or to the developer of the most accessible software application (Web, mobile), according to the accessibility tests (WCAG 2.0, mobileOK) that are going to take place with ACCESSIBLE assessment tools. The ACCESSIBLE Award evaluation expert committee will be composed of well-known scientists and experts in the accessibility domain.

For more information about the ICCHP conference and the ACCESSIBLE Workshop, please visit the web page of ICCHP or the projects web page.

Access for All in the desktop, web and mobile field: an end-user and developer perspective

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:18:21 +0000

The Workshop/User Forum aims to bring together end-users and experts in the field of assistive technologies, from both the OSS community as well as the proprietary one, that focus on the accessibility of desktop, web and mobile applications. During the workshop the project will present the tools developed so far, and will stimulate discussions between both end-users and application developers vis-à-vis the project’s outcomes so far. The outcomes will be taken into account by the Consortium during the further course of the project. Participation to the workshop will be free of charge.

The registration form for each of the aforementioned events will be available shortly via the project’s website.

You can submit papers in the following categories:

Scientific papers
Technical papers

Conference topics (non-exhaustive list):

Accessible desktop applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
Accessible mobile applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
Accessible Rich Internet Applications (AT, developer tools and accessible applications)
Accessibility and Standardisation (e.g. ISO, eInclusion, Policies, Legislation)
Accessibility and Usability (e.g. Design for All)
Accessibility research (e.g. Assistive technology usage by end-users and their satisfaction, innovative AT training via accessible e-learning)

Important dates:

Abstracts submission deadline: Extended to 28th May 2010
Notification of abstracts acceptance: 14th June 2010
Paper submission deadline: 9th July 2010
Notification of acceptance and outcome of review process: 23rd July 2010
Final camera ready papers: 31st August 2010
Submission of external exhibitions by 30th June 2010
Registration by 30th September 2010