Project Description

Project acronym: ACCESSIBLE

Project name: Accessibility Assessment Simulation Environment for New Applications Design and Development

Contract number: 224145

Priority component: Accessible and Inclusive ICT

Project Beneficiaries:

• P1: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas / Informatics and Telematics Institute and Hellenic Institute of Transport
• P2: Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Institute of Computer Science
• P3: Sun Microsystems
• P4: University of Stuttgart, Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management
• P5: ALCATEL-LUCENT DEUTSCHLAND AG
• P6: Fundação da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
• P7: Softeco Sismat SpA
• P8: Netscouts gGmbH
• P9: Marie Curie Association
• P10:CONCEPT SWISS
• P11: SOLINET GmbH

Summary:

ACCESSIBLE is an EU FP7 project spanning over 36 months, start date 1st September 2008, with the aim of improving the accessibility of software development products, by introducing an harmonised accessibility methodology into accessible software development processes, using significantly better measurement strategies, methodologies, etc. The envisaged improvement will enable large organisations, SMEs or individuals (developers, designers, etc.) to produce software products of superior accessibility and usability, accompanied with appropriate measures, technologies and tools that improve their overall quality.

Project main goals

The objectives set forth by the ACCESSIBLE project are:

• To exploit the technologies behind the recent expansion of accessibility tools and standardisation methodologies, in order to provide an integrated simulation assessment environment for supporting the production of accessible software applications, mobile or not.
• To provide developers and designers a framework for gaining insight into the accessible software development process - the right disability and accessibility information, standard, tool or methodology. Instead of a simple developer and designer-aid framework, the designers/developers will have a user-centred interface to get access to the different piece of methodological approaches they need.
• To provide a “harmonised methodology” between different standard developing organisations, end user groups, expert groups, decision makers and policy makers.

Target User Groups

There are four main target groups identified for the ACCESSIBLE:

Software Developers and designers that will use ACCESSIBLE in order to support them for the development and testing of accessible software applications Groups and public bodies involved in policy making and providing basis for policy making (e.g. organisations dealing with e-accessibility, International Organisations for disabled persons, etc.).   Service providers, private organisations and/or SMEs Users who benefit from enhanced accessibility (e.g user groups with various disabilities - wheelchair users, blind, deaf, elderly, illiterate people, upper limb impairments, etc.).

Technical approach

• To research and develop an Assessment Simulation module by collating and merging different methodological tools, checking the coherence with the W3C and other standardisation works in order to fully support and incorporate accessibility approaches for the design and development of accessible new applications.
• To research and develop for the first time reliable and harmonised methodological approaches and tools for large-scale assessment accessibility of applications and services. A harmonised Accessibility methodological framework (HAM) will be implemented which can be incorporated to a multilayer ontology based knowledge Resource. Thus, ACCESSIBLE will introduce for the first time a complete ontological framework (extending the ASK-IT ontological framework) for assessing new multi-domain applications in terms of accessibility
• To implement a developer/designer-aid framework in order to involve appropriate accessibility standards and methodologies within software development processes.
• To present the accessibility evaluation results through the implementation of an EARL based Reporting module in order to export results in a form helpful to potential receivers of test results, including designers, developers and business stakeholders.

ACCESSIBLE application scenarios

The ACCESSIBLE prototype and implemented modules will be evaluated in a series of pilots that will be designed and realized within the running period of the project. It is expected that these pilots will evaluate the accessibility of the prototype. The pilots will be planned in such way as to cover the most important aspects of the ACCESSIBLE and will exhibit its modularity and adaptation in multi-purpose scenarios.

Specifically, the ACCESSIBLE system will be evaluated in four pilots:

1. Mobile applications assessment (including JavaFX Scripts)
2. Web services assessment
3. Web applications assessment
4. Description languages assessment pilot

Expected achievements/impact

ACCESSIBLE will empower research community on effective accessibility standards and technologies helping to create and improve the understanding of those aspects. This consideration will unquestionably add to quality, acceeebility and usability of software applications. The ACCESSIBLE working environment system will support the software development of future applications that will be more accessible and designed for all. This project will help to overcome the fragmented approaches that are currently taking place in accessibility issues. It will enormously contribute to inspire innovation and thus stimulate the ICT and digital content markets in Europe. By empowering software developers, and organisations with accessibility assessment systems and ubiquitous and personalised design and developer’s aid tools, the competitiveness of Europe’s software, services will be increased in this emerging market.

Coordinator contact details