The ægis project, an EC-funded initiative, aims to integrate accessibility into mainstream ICT by developing a comprehensive framework that includes user-driven solutions for desktop, web, and mobile environments. It highlights the history of ICT accessibility, the evolution of assistive technologies, and outlines steps for creating and disseminating accessible infrastructures and applications. Key goals include establishing standards, leveraging open-source tools, and ensuring accessibility for various user needs across multiple platforms.

1. The ÆGIS concept, with updates
from the Pan-European Workshop
and User Forum
Peter Korn, Accessibility Principal
& ÆGIS Technical Manager

2. Presentation Overview
• What is ÆGIS
• Brief history of ICT Accessibility
• Steps to build an accessible...
...physical world ...ICT environment
• The Open Accessibility Framework (OAF)
• Updates from the Pan-European workshop

3. What is ÆGIS?
• EC-funded FP7 project to “...build
accessibility into future mainstream ICT...”
• Focus on...
– future: look at where accessibility is going
– mainstream: do research as close to products
as practical
– ICT: desktop, web, mobile; communication

4. What is “ÆGIS”?
• Open Accessibility Everywhere:
Groundwork, Infrastructure, Standards
• Inspiration from Greek myth
– ÆGIS is the shield of Zeus
– Now means a shield, protection, or sponsorship
– For us: building accessibility into ICT is a way
to protect people at risk of exclusion

5. What is “ÆGIS”... in Letters & Words?
• open: collaborate with existing communities
• Accessibility: focus of the project
• Everywhere: desktop, web, mobile
• Groundwork: start from users, user needs
• Infrastructure: build it in to ICT
• Standards: define, then build to standards

6. Key Goals of the ÆGIS Project
• Develop a complete framework to building
accessibility into ICT
– Prove it with users in desktop, web, and mobile
• Help developers & authors as well as users
• Address accessibility cost issues
– Leverage popular open source apps, platforms
– Use commodity hardware where possible

7. More Key Goals of the ÆGIS Project
• Seek to advance the state of the art
– Framework for magnification
– Concept Coding Framework for authoring
– Face tracking, eye tracking, gesture switches
– Aid to developers, authors
– “Platform on a platform” challenges

8. A Brief History of ICT Accessibility
• Late 1960s – early 1980s 1st generation access
– Character based screens
– Blind access via Optacon, screen readers from text
buffers
– Low vision access via custom video card
– Input device replacements (special keyboards, etc.)

9. More Brief History of ICT Accessibility
• Late 1980s – early 2000s 2nd generation access
– Graphical desktop
– Blind access via off-screen model: reverse engineered hack
– Low vision access via software magnification: also a hack
– Evolution of voice recognition systems
– Switch access software
– Specialized apps for cognitive impairments

10. rd
Emergence of 3 Generation Access
• Starts in 1997
– Java Accessibility API &
Pluggable Look & Feel of Swing
– W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
– MSAA
– Roots in two earlier attempts:
• RAP & AccessAware

11. rd
Focus of 3 Generation Access
• Provide everything needed by AT via APIs
– Address “platform-on-a-platform” issues
– Accessibility standards start to appear
– WCAG, UAAG, ATAG, ISO 13066
– Similar shift for accessibility as with printing
• Direct app-to-printer interfaces became mediated
by the operating system
– OS-defined printer driver APIs

12. Steps to Physical Accessibility – creation
Step 1: Define “Accessible”
• How wide must a door be for a wheelchair
to fit through it?
• How much force must you need to open a
window?
• How do we make an elevator accessible -
tones, Braille...

13. Steps to Physical Accessibility – creation
Step 2: Stock building materials
• Sets of standard doors - all wide enough for
a wheelchair
• Sets of standard windows - with little force
needed to open
• Standard elevators - with tones, Braille,
tactile symbols

14. Steps to Physical Accessibility – creation
Step 3: Tools for accessible building
• Manuals & standards for installing windows,
doors, elevators
• Specs. for wheelchair ramps; testing ramp
elevation
• Special tools for installing windows, doors,
elevators, etc.

15. Steps to Physical Accessibility – use
Step 4: Locate the building where it will work
• Is the building near public transit?
• Is there a wheelchair ramp leading up to
the building?
• Can people find the crosswalk buttons

16. Steps to Physical Accessibility – use
Step 5: Make the accessible buildings
• Follow the plans, use the stock building
materials, locate the building where it
should go
• And then build it

17. Steps to Physical Accessibility – use
Step 6: Disseminate access devices people need
• Distribute wheelchairs
(that work with the ramps)
• Provide canes for the blind, train seeing
eye dogs
• Diagnose hearing problems, prescribe
hearing aids

18. Steps to ICT Accessibility – creation
Step 1: Define “Accessible”
• Define keyboard navigation scheme
• Define theme mechanisms for high
contrast, large print
• Define an accessibility API for
communication with AT

19. Steps to ICT Accessibility – creation
Step 2: Stock UI elements, toolkits
• Build sets of desktop UI elements
– Menus, windows, etc.
• Build sets of web UI elements
– Charts, drag & drop, etc.
• Build sets of mobile UI elements
– Text fields, radio buttons, etc.

20. Steps to ICT Accessibility – creation
Step 3: Tools for developing accessible ICT
• Manuals & standards for how to make
accessible applications
• Developer tools that provide stock
accessible UI elements
• Developer tools that flag programmatically
determinable inaccessible app designs

21. Steps to ICT Accessibility – use
Step 4: Make platform accessible, able to run AT
• Does the platform expose accessibility
APIs from the applications?
• Can the user select a high contrast, large
print theme?
• Does the platform have text-to-speech,
Braille, for AT to use?

22. Steps to ICT Accessibility – use
Step 5: Make the accessible ICT applications
• Follow the plans, use the stock UI
elements & toolkits, deploy on an
accessible platform
• And then build the apps

23. Steps to ICT Accessibility – use
Step 6: Disseminate access devices people need
• Ensure blind have access to screen
readers for the platform
• Ensure low vision have access to screen
magnification
• Ensure access to augmentative/alternative
communication systems, etc.

24. Open Accessibility Framework
• Core idea of the ÆGIS project
• ÆGIS OAF deliverables:
1.Document describing the framework of 3rd
generation accessibility, validated by ÆGIS
prototypes and feedback
2.Prototypes implement OAF, proven in ÆGIS
• Many prototypes contributed back in open source

25. Open Accessibility Framework cont.
• Addresses all facets of building
accessibility into ICT
• Completely analogous to physical
accessibility
– Looks at “creation” and “use” sides
• It is essentially the “Steps to ICT
Accessibility” of previous slides

26. ÆGIS Technology Focus Areas
• Desktop
– Build on 3rd gen. accessibility already in GNOME
– Focus on authoring assistance in
OpenOffice.org
– DAISY, Braille, Concept Coding Framework
– Blind, low-vision, physical impairment, cognitive
impairment, developers / testers

27. ÆGIS Technology Focus Areas, cont.
• Web
– Work in all facets of OAF (except AT)
– UI element sets used in developer tools to
create apps that run in user agents on desktop
platforms (with AT)
• Mobile
– Work in all facets of OAF (including AT)

28. Creation Use

29. Updates from Pan-European Workshop
• <updates to go here, added the night
before, at the conclusion of the workshop>