Digital Accessibility for People with Special Needs: Research, Methodology, Analysis of Accessibility

Abstract

The paper presents a major part of the research work of a team of scientists under project No. KP-06-Н42/4, funded by the National Institute for Scientific Research, concerning the analysis, evaluation, and improvement of digital accessibility for people with disabilities. The research aims to support accessibility for people with severe or total vision loss, as well as understanding the problems they face, and the ways to overcome them. This includes offering a methodology for assessment, analysis and evaluation of accessibility tested on more than 100 sites and documents. Software programmes were also reviewed for accessibility. The paper also includes examples offering more adequate digital presentations of information to people with disabilities. Examples include a site with accessibility and QR codes, a training site and a system with appropriate digital representation and encoding of information.

An Ecosystem for the Provision of Digital Accessibility for People with Special Needs

“…The aim of this AB ecosystem is to assess the accessibility of digital resources after analysis [21]. The assessment considers accessibility for people with different needs, and in the case of an unsatisfactory assessment, various guidelines are indicated to deal with the barriers found.…”

Digital Accessibility for People with Special Needs: Conceptual Models and Innovative Ecosystems

“…A project on design of an "Accessibility Barometer (AB)", aiming to be able to assess the digital resource at the respective Url as sufficiently, or insufficiently, accessible for people with different needs, is currently being developed [7]. A print-screen of the AB website is given in Fig.…”

“…As pointed out in [1], the main components of the technological ecosystem are: software, hardware and the people, working collaboratively on its design and implementation. Some issues, addressed in relation to the implemented software are discussed in [7]. In support of accessibility for people with severe or total vision loss, a site with accessibility and QR codes, a training site, and a system with appropriate digital representation and encoding of information, are analysed.…”

“…The present paper discusses three identified issues in designing digital systems for help in overcoming various barriers to knowledge in the present-day social environment being a complex innovative ecosystem, integrating in itself ubiquitous web access, devices such as robots and systems such as intelligent chatbots. The three issues are sensor support, knowledge provision from a variety of digital and non-digital repositories, and increase of the motivation of the learner, supported by a novel tool for assessment of such technological ecosystems, called Accessibility Barometer [7].…”

Digital Accessibility of Cultural Values: Means and Technologies

“…Подобно проучване е направено и по проект "Дигитална достъпност за хора със специални потребности: методология, концептуални модели и иновативни екосистеми", финансиран от ФНИ. То включва събиране на материали за цифрова достъпност и обучение на хора в затруднено положение (Bogdanova et al, 2022), (Dimitrova et a., 2023).…”