White paper 2016

Table des matières

G3ict 3

Acknowledgments 3

About G3ict 3

Editors 3

Contributors 3

Reviewers 4

Special Mentions 4

Foreword 6

Preface 7

Framing e-Accessible Knowledge. The stick, the carrot, and cozying up: A litigation and legislative strategy for making e-accessibility the default in American post-secondary education 8

Legal obligations 8

The stick 9

The carrot 9

Cozying up 9

Conclusion 10

Learning Points 10

Framing Accessible Technology. The EDUPUB Alliance and EPUB for Education - Building a Global, Accessible, Interoperable Educational Ecosystem 11

The EDUPUB Alliance 11

EPUB for Education 13

What Makes EPUB for Education Special? 13

Is EPUB for Education Ready for Use? 14

Learning Points 15

Making Complex Content Accessible. Accessible Scientific Content: Challenges and Prospects 16

The need for equal access to science 16

The challenges of adapting scientific content 16

Creating accessible alternatives 17

Developing standardized formats and production tools 17

Building a unified production chain 17

Organizational and economical challenges 17

Technical challenges 19

Prospects 19

Learning Points 19

Making Complex Content Accessible. Born Digital = Born Accessible New Developments in Creation and Use of Accessible Materials in the DIAGRAM Center 21

Introduction: Toward Accessible Online Content 21

Accessible Publishing: Addressing the Challenge of Non-Text Content 22

Methods for Creating Accessible Images 22

Image Descriptions 23

Tactile Graphics 23

3D Objects 23

Accessible Math 23

Sonification 23

Accessible Interactive Widgets 23

Looking Ahead 24

Learning Points 24

Making Complex Content Accessible. The State of Accessible Math 25

Introduction 25

Accessible Equations 27

Images with alt text are not the answer 27

MathML is the answer 27

MathPlayer 4: going beyond accessible web pages 28

Creating accessible math 29

Summary 29

Learning Points 29

Making Complex Content Accessible. From Bitmap Graphics to Fully Accessible Chemical Diagrams 30

Introduction 30

Finding an automated solution to making chemical diagrams fully accessible 30

Image Analysis 31

Annotated SVG Generation 31

Semantic Enrichment 31

Browser Front End 31

Conclusion 33

Learning Points 33

Accessible e-Learning & MOOCs. Accessible e-Learning & MOOCs 34

Introduction 34

Who is involved? 34

Expert Panel 35

Discussion 35

The way forward 37

Developing Accessible Learning Experiences. The French National Centre for Distance Learning's "E-Accessibility for Learning” program 39

The origins of the project and the key stakeholders 39

Creating an accessible working environment for CNED staff 40

Computer equipment 40

Raising awareness on professional inclusion 40

Training in digital teaching 40

Building an accessible learning environment for CNED students 40

Improving accessibility for primary and secondary schools, universities and professional training centres 41

Schooling in French Sign Language (LSF) 41

Caring for Autism in the classroom 41

Customised adaptation of educational material with Cned-Adapt 41

Personalized Schooling Program (PPS) and Custom Support Plan (PAP) 41

Integrating young adults into the workplace 42

Self-training in adapted and remedial education 42

Self-training in digital accessibility 42

Conclusion 42

Learning Points 42

Developing Accessible Learning Experiences. Reliant on Readers, Stuck with Scribes or independent with ICT? Can technology replace human support in examinations? 43

CALL Scotland 43

Access to Scottish Examinations 43

Trials and pilots of Digital Question Papers 44

Choice of format 44

Functionality 44

Enhancements 45

Uptake since 2008 46

Limitations 46

Conclusions 46

Learning Points 46

Co-curricular and Extra-curricular Learning. Bridging the Gap: The Sign Language eLibrary of Finland 48

The Sign Language eLibrary of Finland 48

Sign Language in Finland 48

Library Act 49

Objectives 50

User interface 50

Cooperation 50

The future 50

Conclusion 51

Learning Points 52

Co-curricular and Extra-curricular Learning. Building accessibility into mass digitization at the French National Library 53

Introduction 53

Why Epub? 53

Producing EPUB from the library collections 54

Document Selection 54

Content engineering 54

Quality assurance 54

Archiving and long term conservation 55

Distribution 55

Production Costs 55

Producing accessible content 55

Content engineering 55

Quality Assurance 56

Distribution 56

Production Costs 56

Conclusion 56

Learning Points 56

Conclusion 57

9th European Accessibility Forum Partners 58

9th European Accessibility Forum Sponsors 59

Foreword

Knowledge is a key driver of social and economic development. It helps shape individual and collective identity and can be a tool for empowerment and inclusion.

Its production, dissemination and acquisition continue to gain currency in our information-rich society, and economic growth is increasingly determined by society's capacity to transform learning outcomes into quality goods and services.

In this context, disparities in capacity to access and use knowledge can greatly hinder the development of an inclusive society and become a significant source of inequality. While important progress has been made through assistive technologies and accessibility standards elaborated by major stakeholder's consortia such as W3C, IDPF and DAISY, persons with disabilities are still at risk of exclusion, from education in particular. Rapid changes in the fields of consumer technology and publishing, however, are transforming the educational ecosystem and the growth of digital and multisensory resources provides a unique opportunity to cater for the needs of millions of individuals who are unable to access printed material. Providing they are used appropriately and according to agreed standards, emerging ICTs can help overcome visual impairments, physical disabilities, or learning differences and greatly enhance access to knowledge for all.

Dominique Burger

This G3ict White Paper presents and discusses:

• 
  The need for customizable educational environments which adapt to diverse learning styles, abilities, preferences, and needs;
  
• 
  The importance of working with existing international standards that are accessible, interoperable, sustainable and recognized by industry;
  
• 
  How existing legislation can be used to challenge some of the mainstream technology and content vendors who fail to provide integrated access to their products and services;
  
• 
  Scalable technology solutions that are being developed to enable content producers and education providers to produce accessible publications at source, even for particularly complex content;
  
• 
  How some digital content producers are adapting their production processes to take advantage of the efficiency and interoperability that accessible standards provide;
  

How accessible content, learning environments and assessment methods can benefit all students, regardless of disabilities or learning differences.

Axel Leblois