One Voice for Accessible ICT

Andy Heath, Axelrod Access for AllLead – Mobile Accessibility Workstream

Dan Jellinek, HeadstarGo ON Gold

Nigel Lewis (by proxy), AbilityNetChair: One Voice

20th September 2012, London

Distributed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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Purpose of the Coalition

• To bring together organisations to further the awareness, implementation and delivery of accessible ICT for the benefit of all

• Will act as a facilitator between its members, working to an agenda that will be set by the members

• Will help members share information relating to their activities in this field, and the wider market on accessible technology

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3 Key Themes

• Promotion - of what already exists to help disabled users with technology

• Campaigning - to increase the awareness and adoption of ICT accessibility across all sectors

• Professionalism - to focus on introducing and establishing accessibility as an integral part of training provided to IT and associated professionals

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Work Streams

• Web Accessibility• Mobile and Apps• Digital TV• Barriers and Statistics

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History to Now

• Moving together: mobile apps for inclusion and assistance

• No such thing as full accessibility, but need to maximise

• Process, not detail• Apps can liberate, or exclude• A journey starts with a single step: then six more

("First Seven Steps to accessible mobile apps")

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Places

• www.onevoiceict.org/• www.onevoiceict.org/news/moving-together-mo

bile-apps-inclusion-and-assistance• BS 8878: 2010 - Web accessibility code of practice• tinyurl.com/28pmatr

• www.onevoiceict.org/first-seven-steps-accessible-mobile-apps

• www.go-on-gold.co.uk/• Joining One Voice .. From go-on-gold select partner

section – link to a file with joining form is in the text

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Principles

• Why OneVoice ICT ?– Collaboration can do better for all than non-communicative

competition– We have to work together where we can– Technology can do stuff we can’t do without it– I feel better if you do

• Personalisation– Is the only way to achieve optimal accessibility

• One size DOES NOT fit all

– Access is for ALL – we ALL benefit from this. I’m getting old too. Sometimes I want captions or audio alternative too.

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One Voice and Mobile

• Workstreams new• Website being redesigned – not up yet• Meanwhile for Mobile group use• groups.google.com/group/onevoicemobile

• Or email andy on andyheath@axelrod.plus.com

• This is temporary• Help develop our plans, contribute your

organisation’s projects so we can see what you are doing, work with us to harmonise stuff and campaigns

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Mobile – Approaches and Issues

• Apps that provide clever Assistive Technology– E.g. smartphone building navigation

• www.springwise.com/health_wellbeing/app-helps-blind-navigate-buildings/

• General Native Apps– Lots of good work built-in e.g. iPhone– Every device is different – expensive to produce

apps, confusing for users• Need accessibility feature A choose device X,

need B, choose Y.

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Mobile Approaches and Issues

• Web Apps– Viewport + javascript libraries– Complex, needs geeks– Expensive – different css and features– New device needs new code (css at least)– How do we talk with the native API ?• We can’t

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Standards

• Are really useful• We should have lots of them • We do have lots of them • They don’t all work together • Complexity again – where do we start ? • One Size again • Still need developers who know about

accessibility

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E.g. • http://www.w3.org/2012/05/mobile-web-app-state/

– This document summarizes the various technologies developed in W3C that increase the capabilities of Web applications, and how they apply more specifically to the mobile context.

– Graphics– Multimedia– Device Adaptation– Forms– User interactions– Data storage– Personal Information Management– Sensors and hardware integration– Network– Communication_and_Discovery– Packaging– Performance & Optimization

• Even with good guidance (and we have that) its still hard

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Can we do better ?

• Yes– Standard Individualised Preferences– Standard Data Model and API across devices– Mechanism to communicate UI and sensor events to Web

Apps (bubble up)– Content and UI matched to preferences and context (sensors)

• Imagine you are watching a video delivered by a web app to an ipad in the garden and the sun comes out – what do you need to happen ?

• Imagine using a map app on two different mobile devices and you are motor-impaired – what gestures do what ?

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Standards*

• ISO Individualised Adaptability and Accessibility for Learning, Education and Training.– E.g. I need large fonts, For Auditory I need text– Registry of user preference terms open to use by anyone

• Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure– AT in the cloud plus personalisation– Registry of user preference terms, context conditions and their use

• WAI IndieUI– Independent User Interface : Data Model + API– Apple, Google, Opera, IBM, Nokia, accessibility people

All Collaborating to match content and UI to prefs

+ device*Also IMS AfA 3 but that’s another presentation

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Standards

• ISO Individualised Adaptability and Accessibility for Learning, Education and Training. E.g. – OLD version on

wiki.fluidproject.org/display/ISO24751/AccessForAll+Working+Group, currently being rewritten, accessibility preference term registry

– Rewrite underway, Requirements gathered in public, registry for open use

• Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure– Gpii.net– All work in public, Cloud 4 all wiki

• WAI IndieUI– http://www.w3.org/WAI/IndieUI/– All work in public, public list for comments

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Other Issues

• Convergence – tv, mobile device, LED at bus stop and train, washing machine

• Problems with standards development– Politics, vendor agendas– Business models that charge for standards– Gap between users and standards development– Competition between standards organisations– Hard to get them to work together

• Different schedules and processes• Knowledge of each other’s work

– Expensive to participate– Often less than accessible processes and tools

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open-stand.org/

• IEEE, W3C, IAB, IETF, Internet Society– Co-operation– Openness– Fairness– Transparency– Available to all, fair terms (FRAND)

• Still can depend on specific collaborations and individuals in groups

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Also

• ISO/IEC JTC1 Special Working Group on Accessibility (User needs and standards inventory)

• CEN Guide 6/ISO Guide 71 rewrite– Needs of elder persons

• Mandate 376, Accessible products in Europe• A huge number of other ISO groups with

accessibility work

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Also

• E.g. ISO SC35 (User Interfaces)– Gesture-based interfaces

• Mouse, touch, 3D

– Menu navigation (related to 4-directional keys)– Guidance for accessible video content (new)– Accessibility of Applications for Convergent Devices – Accessibility API’s for Linux, Java, iAccessible2 etc.– Guidance on Alternative Text for Images– Universal Remote Control

• Many other groups – e.g. TC159

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Conclusion

• We need to reduce complexity and make things cheaper and better matched to our individual needs

• There are ways to participate for organisations and individuals

• Organisations – how about singing from the same hymn sheet with One Voice

• Individuals – you can make sure the standards are what you need and you can ask for them in products

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Contact

• Andy– andyheath@axelrod.plus.com– http://axelafa.com

• Dan– dan@headstar.com– http://www.headstar.com

• Nigel– nigel.lewis@abilitynet.org.uk– http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/