Accessibility, an ongoing struggle in every domain of daily life - At ATTRACT event .

1. Presented by Karel Van Isacker (PhoenixKM - MCA)

2. Outline
• Definition eInclusion
• Some numbers
• Opportunities and barriers
• Best practices
– UCD, End-users, Persona usage
• Industry involvement through FP6/7/LLP projects
• Findings from recent surveys
– Older people:
• OASIS
– People with disabilities
• ÆGIS
• ACCESSIBLE
• ViPi
• Ethical issues
– Omnipresent, often ignored

3. eInclusion definition
• “all efforts by the public and private sector, civil
society and the technology community devoted to
developing and using ICTs to address issues of
societal exclusion in any dimension; creating new
opportunities for inclusive empowerment and
development through ICTs, and preventing new
ICT-induced gaps from emerging.”
Source: Revisiting eInclusion: from Vision to Action, 2006

4. • Areas to address in eInclusion
– ICT in support of equitable participation in the
economic sphere (eLabour, eWork, AT);
– ICT to support life-long learning (eLearning,
mLearning, Web 2.0/3.0, Social Media);
– ICT in support of equitable participation in public
and political life (eEngagement, eDemocracy,
eGovernment);
– ICT to minimize individual impairments caused by
ageing, disability and disease (eHealth, and IST for
independent living and active ageing).

5. Who?

6. • Who do we aim to support using ICT
(HW/SW)?
– Older people - Facts
• 80+ population: doubles until 2050
• 60+ population: from 20% in 1995 to 25% in 2020
• 50+ population: 21% has severe vision/hearing/dexterity
problems
• Today 4 working for 1 retired, in 2050 2 working for 1 retired
• Cost of pensions/health/long-term care: up by 4-8 % of GDP
(2025)
• Lack of care staff

8. Figures are from 2001, Eurostat

9. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities: The social dimension on health 2001, section 2, p.49.

10. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities: The social dimension on health 2001, section 2, p.50.

11. Figures are from 2001, Eurostat

12. • People with disabilities - Facts
– Lowest estimate, based on the
extremes of currently defined
disablement categories:
• Around 74 Million persons in Europe
alone
– Other estimates that take into
account:
• People in the so-called hinterland
between fully able bodied and the
classically termed disabled, should
considerably raise those numbers
– Disability rates vary
• Different disability definitions and
classification
– E.g. defining disability within the context of
incapacity to work, as they do in Poland, while it
is functionality in UK
IDRM research, 2007

14. Gérard Abramovici: Social Protection in Europe, Statistics in focus: Population and social conditions Theme 3 – 6/2004, p.1-8

15. Economic Policy Committee (2001) “Budgetary challenges posed by ageing populations”, EPC/ECFIN/630-EN final, Brussels, p.9.

16. • ICT can benefit both older people and people with disabilities:
– At Work
• Staying active and productive for longer
• Accessible Work environment (AT HW/SW))
• Better quality of work and work-life balance
– In the Community
• Overcoming isolation & loneliness
• Keeping up social networks
• Accessing public services
• Accessible Tourism
– At Home
• Better quality of life for longer
• Independence, autonomy and dignity
– On the Road
• Travel in accessible manner
• Independently
• Multimodal
Source: Hüsing, T. (2004). „The impact of ICT on Social Cohesion: Looking Beyond the Digital Divide

17. • Conceptual Framework of Independent Living
• Source: Leys, M. and De Rouck, S. (2005). „Active Ageing and Independent Living Services: Core
Propositions Leading to a Conceptual Framework‟. IPTS unpublished project report

18. • Business opportunities –
Older people
– Wealth and revenues in Europe of AAL ICT industry in the EU
persons 65+ estimated at € 3000B + complex
•Market still in an early phase
– Smart homes market expected to •No established structures,
triple between 2005 and 2020 prices, networks
– Tele-health expected to reduce cost •European industries so far have
failed to fully exploit the market
social security potential of products and
– Tele-care technology at home, services for the rapidly growing
combined with domotics number of older users
– ICT uptake

19. • Business opportunities – People with disabilities
– PwD represent at least 16% of the overall EU
working age population
– Only 40% of persons with disabilities are
employed compared to 64.2% non disabled.
– Gap often exists because of not well adapted
working environments (both in terms of hardware
or software).
– 5 key AT ICT AT ICT industry in the EU
complex
• Hearing aids
•Large number of products
• Braille displays •Large number of small firms
• Environmental control systems •Different service provider
systems that are used to get AT
• Software ICT products to disabled end-
• Communication devices users

20. • The variety of actors who participate – directly or indirectly – in the AT
ICT industry GOVERNMENT & LEGAL
ORGANISATIONS
– European Commission
– Government at various
administrative levels: national,
INFORMATION, SERVICE & regional, county and municipal.
TRAINING FINANCING
– Service delivery institutions ORGANISATIONS
– Institutional users – Financing agencies
(rehabilitation centre,
hospital, school etc.)
ASSISTIVE (public and private)
– Social security systems
– End-users TECHNOLOGY – Insurance organisations
INDUSTRIAL MARKET
PROFESSIONAL & USER
ORGANISATIONS
ORGANISATIONS
– Manufacturers TECHNOLOGY-ORIENTED – Lobbyists
– Dealers ORGANISATIONS – User organisations
– Wholesalers – R&D organisations
(rehabilitation & technology-
oriented)
– Universities
– Standardisation organisations
– Testing organisations
Source: Analysing and federating the European assistive technology ICT industry, Final Report, March 2009

21. • Core drivers AT ICT industry
– Knowledge of the disabled end-user
– Knowledge of the diagnostician, prescriptor of product solutions
– Knowledge of the rules and procedures of different national service provider
systems in Europe, but also reimbursement schemes
– Flexibility in product design to be able to serve different geographical markets
• Barriers
– The lack of knowledge by the marketplace of the types of solutions available (i.e.,
not all possible AT ICT solutions are included in national service provider systems).
– The cost and time needed to navigate the different national service provider
systems in Europe in order to ensure compliance
– The different interpretations of national service provider systems at the regional level
(thereby fragmenting a national market into regional markets)
– The lack of a coherent social policy for subsidising/reimbursing assistive
technology products and the lack of coordination between the stakeholders involved.
– High assistive technology ICT equipment prices (i.e., which result in lower overall
sales volume).
Also largely valid for AAL targeting older people

22. APPLS FOR VOICE SOFTWARE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
HEARING AIDS BRAILLE READERS
COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION CONTROL SYSTEMS
AUSTRIA medical social social social social
BELGIUM medical social social social social
DENMARK social social social social social
FINLAND medical medical medical medical medical
FRANCE medical social consumer social + consumer social + consumer
GERMANY medical social social social social
GREECE medical consumer consumer consumer consumer
HUNGARY medical consumer consumer consumer consumer
IRELAND medical + consumer medical + consumer medical + consumer medical + consumer medical + consumer
ITALY medical medical medical medical social
NETHERLANDS medical social social social social
PORTUGAL medical consumer medical + social social + consumer consumer
SLOVAKIA medical social social social consumer
SLOVENIA medical medical medical social + consumer social + consumer
SPAIN medical * consumer social + consumer social + consumer social
SWEDEN medical medical medical medical medical
UK medical social social consumer social
Source: Analysing and federating the European assistive technology ICT industry, Final Report, March 2009, Jennifer Stack, Leire
Zarate, Carmen Pastor, Niels-Erik Mathiassen, Ricard Barberà, Harry Knops, Hugo Kornsten
Purchase of AT by end-users

23. • Industry as key player (source AAATE)
– Interest shown by Industry still quite fragmented
– Mainly restricted to specialised niches
– Danger: Industry at risk of not recognising the people with
disabilities and older people as target groups showing an
interesting potential.
– Major international industries developed accessible products due to
the market demand generated by specific US regulations, and most
such products are still available only in the US.
– European signal (see eInclusion driven calls within FP6 and FP7 as
first step), both large–players and small and medium size
enterprises
– Developing an appropriate EC legislative framework to stimulate
the inclusive approach

24. RESEARCH MODELING REQUIREMENTS FRAMEWORK REFINEMENT
Users & Users & use Definition of user, Definition of Of behaviour, form
domain contexts business & technical design structure & content
needs & flow
Opportunities, constraints and Form, content and behaviour
context
What is it?
Who will use the service? What does it look like?
What problems will it solve for How does it behave?
them? What does it contain?
Key to acceptance: UCD  Projects apply iterative approach

25. Best Practice 1: User Involvement with …. the users
• Experts from the field…
– Greece
• Disability NOW
• Athens & Thessaloniki
• www.disabled.gr
• admin@disabled.gr
– Belgium
• Werkgroep Vorming en Aktie vzw
• Ypres
• www.wvavzw.be
• wim.moeyaert@wvavzw.be

26. Best Practice 2: Knowing the user
• Real people
– Who:
• Ms. Anna Evangelinou, 30 years old, quadriplegic
• Academic background in media and ICT,
• Disability Now editor (magazine, website)
• Experienced project manager (EU, national projects, e.g.
ETNAT, ViPi advisory board Greece, etc.)
– ICT background
• AT specialist/expert user (HW/SW)
• Web 2.0 pioneering at Disability Now
– Challenges:
• Accessible transportation means in Athens (metro is OK,
busses and tram are … a challenge)
• Social security framework in Greece flawed

27. Best Practice 2: Knowing the user
• Identified barriers in AT usage
– Only 4 in 10 PwD aware of AT solutions that meet
their accessibility needs in using ICT.
– 11% of non-users of ICT with a disability believe
that their disability prohibits them from using AT.
– 9% indicates that there is no AT adapted to their
needs.
– Non-use of ICT attributed to lack of digital skills
for 23% of non-users with a disability.
– 45% of all participants with a disability believe that
using ICT and AT requires a high level of digital
skills.

28. Best Practice 2: Knowing the user
• Mobility assessment in Athens
– Collaboration between older people groups, tourism services and people with
disabilities
– E.g. 08/05/2011 press contact session on accessibility Athens roads

29. Best Practice 3: Personas
• Fictitious character based on real data
– Interpreting:
• Problems
• Needs
• Wishes
– Bring target group to life, create empathy
– “Someone to design for”; not just the “average user”
• 47 different personas (Creative Commons Attribution-Share
Alike 3.0 License scheme) - downloadable
– 30 created by ACCESSIBLE project – www.accessible-project.eu
– 17 by AEGIS project – www.aegis-project.eu

30. Disability Motor impair-ments Hearing impair- Visual impair-ments Speech impair- Cognitive impair- Expert
Persona ments ments ments
Jackie Dough X X
Magda Paskimada X X X
Charles Lewis X X
Maria Skoufakis X X
John Howard Jones X X X
Maurice Nalobaka X
Kathleen de Munck X
David Burt X
Peter Brown X
Ellen Kell X X
Nikolaos Souflakos X X
Andy Catteeuw X
Matthew Perkins X X
Benoit Dupré X
Clyde Channing X
Ramin El-Fassi X
Nitesh Sarin X X
Peter Vandezande X X
Emma Karlsson X X
Adam Ljung X
Jane Brown X X
Edward Hodgins X
Tomasa Almaraz X
Gert Van Dijk X
Paulina Reyes X
Carlos Portillo X
Wayne Edwards X X
Mikel Vargas X
Caroline Combs X
Märta Hansson X

31. Industry involvement through FP6/7 projects
• Older people
– OASIS
• Vast set of services in 4 domains
(see pic)
• Open and innovative reference
architecture
• Plug and play and cost-effective
services interconnection
• Independent and autonomous living
• Fall detection

32. Industry involvement through FP6/7 projects
• People with disabilities
– ASK-IT
• Ambient Intelligence (AmI) space for the integration of functions and
services for Mobility Impaired (MI) people
– ACCESSIBLE
• Increasing the use of accessibility standards and the development of an
assessment simulation environment
• Includes suite of accessibility analysing tools as well as developer-aid
tools
– ÆGIS
• Open Accessibility Framework (OAF) through which aspects of the
design, development and deployment of accessible mainstream ICT are
addressed
• Provide Open Source Accessible Desktop Applications

33. Industry involvement through LLP projects
• People with disabilities
– ViPi (KA3 ICT - Thematic Network – aggregating
results various projects/initiatives)
• Virtual Portal for Impaired Groups Interaction
• Vision:
– ICT provide alternative and creative solutions for the employment of PwD
– PwD can benefit enormously from digital competences
» core life and employability skills (see Lisbon Objectives)
» Recent studies (www.accessible-project.eu, www.aegis-project.eu)
– Main barrier is the lack of specific training support or material
– ViPi project envisages fulfilling the gap by…
» making available accessible and flexible training,
» designed to be adopted directly by PwD,
» and through centres providing special education and vocational training.

34. Industry involvement through LLP projects
• People with disabilities
– ViPi
• Main aims:
– A “one-stop-shop” interactive portal & learning environment (online and via
Android/Blackberry mobile devices) that deliver:
» a multilingual platform (English, Dutch, Greek, Lithuanian) with:
» an embedded social community (for VET centres, PwD, ICT training centres, etc.);
» accessible (WCAG 2.0) online ICT for learning environment for PwD, their trainers;
» with an interactive and vast repository of interoperable SCORM compliant learning
objects
» supported by Web 2.0 social services, and Web 3.0 for semantically enriched
content
– Bring together key stakeholders and gatekeepers (VET, target groups, umbrella
organizations)

35. Findings recent surveys - public
• Older people – OASIS
– Fall and other accidents detection
• Directly touches a main concern for older people, namely falling
• Very much liked by the User Forum participants
– Specific cognitive training exercises and activities
• Closely connected to the memory losses with which most older
people are confronted, and which all want to “fight against”.
– Remote health monitoring
• Provides older people with a safety beacon
• Directly linked to it is also the health profile definition and
personalization which is to ensure a personalised approach
• Alerting and assisting applications provide support in cases of
emergencies.

36. Findings recent surveys - public
• Older people – OASIS
– Rehabilitation support system
• Ensures recovery after a possible injury, possibly combined with
the activity management service
• Latter also supports any rehabilitation that is needed, or in other
cases supports daily training on a personalised level.
– Cultural differences become obvious
• Bulgaria, China and Greece
– overall the participants rate all services very positively.
• Germany, Italy and Romania:
– participants are more critical and have doubt in some of the services.
• United Kingdom
– Participants critical to most of the services.
– Way of organising this User Forum was different from others: expert end-users
involved

37. Findings recent surveys – soon public
• People with disabilities – ÆGIS
– Desktop application usage
• Majority uses computer
• Most use desktop (although laptop is increasing quickly)
• OS
– Proprietary: Mostly Windows XP followed by Vista
– Non-proprietary: Ubuntu
• Mainly used at home and to a lesser extent at work
• Barriers
– Lack of training
– Cost of computer
– Cost of AT
– Accessing specific software
• AT
– Speech output, Braille displays and embossers, OCR, on-screen keyboard, integrated OS settings

38. Findings recent surveys - public
• People with disabilities – ACCESSIBLE
– Main findings – Public/Private Service Providers
• Accessibility requirement in provided services.
• Interest in further knowledge about web and mobile accessibility, through real work
in this area.
• High awareness level of various accessibility standards and guidelines, especially
WCAG 1.0, with an interest to go to WCAG 2.0.
• Up-to-date information and access to new tools via online resources
• Customers desire accessibility certification.
• Accessibility now evaluated with assessment and simulation tools, followed by the
use of AT and the participation of potential users with disabilities.
• Usage of assessment and simulation tools, both for accessibility and for AT.

39. Forthcoming surveys – to be public
• People with disabilities – ViPi
– Understanding basic ICT skills needs
for people with disabilities
– Assess current training practices
– Soon to be available from www.vipi-
project.eu
– Data from Belgium, Cyprus, Greece,
Lithuania, UK, but also Pan-European

40. Core ethical issues
• Privacy protection and confidentiality
• Transparency of the collected data
management by the system
– Location
– Interests
– POIs
• IT-Security and identity management
• Risk assessment (Insurance) when
piloting
• Delegation of control

41. Forthcoming event
• Final AEGIS Workshop and Conference “Accessibility reaching
everywhere”, 28-30 November 2011 - Brussels, Belgium [ahead of
EDPD event (1-2 December 2011)]
• Scope
• Present the status of the ÆGIS project, notably the accessible OSS AT products
– plenary meeting
• Discuss AT policies and role of ÆGIS in policy (and industry) developments –
plenary
• Present research on accessible technology (parallel sessions/workshops –
papers)
• Showcase (OSS) AT projects (exhibition halls)
• Highlight accessibility overall (airline industry, tourism, etc.)
• Free entrance but registration required
• Registration, call for papers, exhibitors  www.aegis-conference.eu

42. www.AccessForAll.eu

43. Project websites
• www.oasis-project.eu
• www.aegis-project.eu
• www.accessible-project.eu
• www.vipi-project.eu

44. “Marie Curie” Association
Plovdiv 4023, Trakiya, 31 Osvobozhdenie Blvd,
Karina House fl.1, apt. 4
BULGARIA
www.marie-curie-bg.org
projects@marie-curie-bg.org
Contact person: Mrs. Mariya Goranova-Valkova
PhoenixKM BVBA
Amersveldestraat 189, 8610 Kortemark
BELGIUM
www. phoenixkm.eu
info@phoenixkm.eu
Contact person: Mr. Karel Van Isacker