Workshop on Universal Accessibility of Ubiquitous Computing: Providing for the Elderly
One content, three devices, the same need:
access to information by people with special needs.
Jorge Fernandes
Minister of Science and Technology / Acesso Unit
[email protected]
http://www.acesso.mct.pt
Keywords
personal computer, digital video broadcast, DVB-T, UMTS, web, access, information, design for all,
MHP, disabled, elderly, impairment, guidelines, total conversation.
Abstract
In our days the PC, the TV and the telephone, mainly the mobile phones, will be the privileged equipment
to accede to the information. As if information can draw that serves the necessities of each one of these
equipment. It will be this possible? How to obtain to make comp atible the necessities of each one, in a
standard one that it serves to all? Will not have been always this the question when we spoke about
citizens with special needs? They will be the citizens special, or they use special equipment, or better
different equipment with its proper needs? How to obtain this Standardization? The stress industry will
think in standards before market sales? And the users, what it is that they ask for?
This paper it presents 3 documents: the first one arrests with an effort of implementation of the web
guidelines (on the basis of the WAI) in the Portuguese Public Administration. The second guidelines is
resulted of public consultation and international gauging of that the users need to use the digital television
and the last document mentions the third generation of mobile phones.
In a word, as the users can usufruct of a constitucional law: that is the right to access to information.
Technical questions like: The DVB MHP operating systems should be standardised?; The AUDETELi
standard for audio description in DVB should be a European wide standard?; There should be a standard
for picture-in-picture signing in DVB? All the services offered on DVB terminal should be available
electronically at an standard external connection point - facilitate the use of special assistive devices
(e.g., voice synthesisers, braille printers)? The information should be available in an industry standard
format (e.g. XHTML)? The DVB terminal should have a standard interface for keyboard and mouse? It
should be possible to store different profi les if some of the family members have different needs
terminals? The numerical keypad should have the same layout as a telephone?
Finally, about the telecommunications, the issue is not just one of making sure people with special needs
are not excluded from using telecommunications terminals and services, but also to ensure that
telecommunications can have additional value for people with functional restrictions or other impairments
by helping to organise social relationships at home or at work and by supporting care services thus
empowering people with special needs to participate as active members of society.
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Workshop on Universal Accessibility of Ubiquitous Computing: Providing for the Elderly
Accessibility Requirements.
Implementation - Phase I - Accessibility
Requirements. MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY.
Presentation of the Information
6 - Enable users to use the keyboard to activate
page content.
People with reduced dexterity or who are unable
to see the cursor on the screen find it difficult to
use a pointing device like a mouse. The
keyboard may be their only alternative.
1 - Associating text with non-text equivalents.
Conformance.
In most cases it is enough to use "ALT" to
briefly identify the content of a non-textual
element.
7 - Implement accessibility requirements.
We suggest that you give priority to the
accessibility requirements mentioned in this
document. You may however use the
accessibility requirements from the W3C Web,
which are available in Portuguese at the UTAD
site at: www.utad.pt/wai/wai-pageauth.html.
This rule applies to:
- images;
- text graphics, including symbols;
- image map areas;
- animations (e.g. animated GIF);
- applets and programmed objects;
- ASCII art;
- frames;
- interpretable programs;
- images used to signal enumeration points;
- spacers;
- graphics buttons;
- sound (whether produced with the user's
interaction or not);
- independent audio files;
- audio tracks for video;
- video clips;
Contacts.
2 - Offer a clear and simple way to contact the
organisation's content developer and the site
administrator(s).
8 - Check the site's accessibility.
Test the accessibility of the information by
using automatic accessibility analysis tools or
services and text navigator emulators.
We recommend Bobby
(http://www.cast.org/bobby) for analysing
accessibility and the Lynx Viewer emulator
(http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html).
You can also use the keyboard to navigate
through and interact with the information in the
site you are testing.
9 - Make any necessary adjustments and test it
again.
10 - Dis play the accessibility icon.
3 - Give the organisation's address, phone
number, fax number and e-mail address.
4 - Webmasters should subscribe to the e-mail
distribution list [email protected],
by sending a blank e-mail (with no subject or
message) to [email protected]. ii
Navigation
5 - Make sure that text links or links with text
alternatives are understandable out of context.
Use the TAB key to jump from one link to
another on a Web page and read the text out
loud. The blind use a similar technique to
navigate, with a synthesiser to make up for their
visual impairment. "Click here" links are no use
to people that only hear the link information.
Also, if you use the same text several times for
different links it can cause confusion.
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Accessibility Guidelines to
Telecommunication Services for Citizens
with Special Needs iii
(Version 0.4 - October, 30th)
Citizens may feel they have special needs when
the telecommunication equipment and services
they are offered cannot be handled in the ways
they master, and do not allow information
exchange in the ways they prefer. The ability of
human beings to exchange information and
carry out control operations in different ways
varies considerably. These variations are often
enhanced by age and disabilities.
It is important to ensure the accessibility of
telecommunication equipment and services,
regardless of such variations. National and EU
laws and regulations should provide that the
facilities of basic telecommunications are to be
accessible to all citiziens without exception.
The key to accessibility is to provide
information exchange and offer control over
telecommunication equipment and services in a
number of alternative ways. A good example
would be the Total Conversation concept. It
adds real time text conversation to video and
voice services wherever such services exist, and
can be seen as a migration path for the text
telephone services to richer functionality and
widened user benefit.
Basic information and control modes are: visual
(text, sign language, gestures, images and light
signals); audible (voice, tones and ringing
signals); and haptic (profiles, Braille, embossed
symbols, keypress, movements, positions and
vibration).
Conversion between modes is often needed as
an additional service to enable people to be able
to share information when they need to handle it
in different ways. Added value services like text
and video relay services, translating between
different modes of communication, should be
encouraged in order to further expand the
opportunities of those citizens who are
disadvantaged by their limitations in access to
the voice telephone services.
Since it is not feasible to include provision for
all specific variations in an original design,
interfaces should always be included, so that
access can be provided in other modes by
additions to the original design.
The following are guidelines to follow to assure
accessibility for citizens with special needs.
Awareness about Equipment and Services
1. A department should be set up, to attend to
customers with special needs (DCSN) and
collate information about telecommunications
equipment and services; this department should
preferably be staffed with people with special
needs.
2. Advertisement, promotion and appropriate
awareness actions should be carried out
regarding telecommunications equipment and
services and new solutions to increase
telecommunications accessibility for citizens
with special needs. These actions require
accessible formats and media (including
videotapes in sign language for the deaf and
practical workshops).
3. Close cooperation should be established
between the DCSN and organisations of people
with special needs and professionals working in
this field, for larger dis semination of the DCSN
activities and support to user education actions.
Availability of Equipment and Services
4. Additional telecommunications equipment
and services should be provided to compensate
for any lack of technical compatibility or
accessibility, in order to ensure full and
accessible end-to-end telecommunication
services to citizens with special needs.
5. Suitable tele-alarm services should be
provided to citizens with special needs.
6. Standardised interfaces should be provided,
to allow access by text -phone users and others
who require special devices to use telematics.
7. Text relay, video (sign language) relay and
speech-to-speech relay services should be
provided for citizens with hearing and speech
impairments. A good example would be the
European Telecommunications Standards
Institute (ETSI) "Guidelines for
Telecommunication Relay Services for Text
Telephones", ETSI TR 101 806, 2000-06.
8. Priority attendance should be put in place for
citizens with special needs in case of
malfunctions, etc..
9. Mail, bills, product manuals and contractual
information should be presented in Braille, large
print or in electronic format (computer disk, email and Web pages) to citizens with visual
impairments, upon request.
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Workshop on Universal Accessibility of Ubiquitous Computing: Providing for the Elderly
Appropriateness of Equipment and Services
10. Providers of telecommunications equipment
and services and the regulatory authority should
regularly consult organisations of and for people
with special needs about their accessibility
requirements in order to take appropriate
measures.
11. Providers of telecommunications equipment
and services should consult national and
international organisations and experts of and
for people with special needs, regarding the
development of future services and products.
between users in video, text and voice so that
users can communicate in the combination of
modes that is most suitable for their needs.
20. Where universal access is impossible,
services or additional equipment should be
supplied to compensate the lack of accessibility.
21. Service providers should stay in contact
with and support accessible technology
researchers, so that wherever universal access is
still impossible, it can be implemented as soon
as feasible, thus reducing the need for additional
equipment.
About the guidelines
Affordability of Equipment and Services
12. Citizens with special needs should, as far as
possible, be able to use telecommunication
services at prices equivalent to (or cheaper than)
those for people without special needs.
13. Additional costs of providing access to
citizens with special needs should be met by
means of dedicated financial resources or
included in the general operating costs.
14. Universal access to telephone
communications should be ensured, including
the accessibility to solutions of text - and videotelephony at affordable prices for citizens with
special needs.
15. A free information service should be
provided, adapted to citizens with special needs;
in particular, access to the telephone directory.
16. The possibility to link delegations with new
generation communications at reduced prices
should be made available to organisations of
citizens with special needs; this should include
not only set-up costs but also running costs.
Design for All
17. Iinformation about telecommunications
equipment and services should be provided in
an accessible format (including information on
the Internet, videotapes in sign language for the
deaf and practical workshops).
18. In case the provider offers public call boxes,
these should be in reasonable number, fully
accessible by wheelchair, with text telephones
and hearing aids, and with volume
amplification.
19. Total Conversation services should be
provided, to allow simultaneous communication
These Guidelines were drawn up on the basis of
“The Telecommunication Charter” from
COST219 bis and on the document
“Telecommunications services for people with
disabilities” iv from UK. The recommendations
were organised in accordance with the 5 priority
factors of the PROMISE (PROMoting an
Information Society for Everyone) project of the
European Union: Awareness, Availability,
Appropriateness, Affordability and Design for
All.
To provide the highest level of technical
evaluation, Portuguese Accessibility Special
Interest Group invited several experts to form an
International Telecomm Accessibility Board
(the "Board"). The Board reviewed and
discussed the Guidelines in online forum, from
the 9 to 18 of October 2000.
The Board members were:
Name
Representing
Country
Beat Kleeb
Fondation PROCOM
Switzerland
Gunnar Hellström
Omnitor AB
Sweden
Jan Ekberg
STAKES and COST 219 bis
Finland
Jim Tobias
Inclusive Technologies
USA
Moderators:
Name
Representing
Country
Diamantino Freitas
FEUP
Portugal
Francisco Godinho
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PASIG
Portugal
In this document “citizens with special needs”
mean older people and people with disabilities.
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Workshop on Universal Accessibility of Ubiquitous Computing: Providing for the Elderly
Guia de Acessibilidade à Televisão Digital
Terrestre por cidadãos com necessidades
especiais (Guidelines of Accessibility of DVBT for people with special needs) v
Versão 1.0 - 17 de Dezembro de 2000
Note: During the workshop we will distribute
this document in English.
A televisão desempenha um papel muito
complexo na vida dos cidadãos, proporcionando
entretenimento, informação, companhia,
integração e coesão social.
Para pessoas com necessidades especiais
(acamados, idosos e pessoas com deficiência),
confrontadas com limitações físicas, sensoriais,
de mobilidade e participação social, o acesso
aos benefícios da televisão, como instrumento
de comunicação de massas e equipamento
doméstico, representa sem dúvida um factor
muito significativo de qualidade de vida.
A evolução da televisão terrestre, da plataforma
analógica para a digital, vem modificar a forma
como hoje se vê televisão. A tecnologia digital
vai permitir a difusão de vários canais de vídeo,
áudio e dados; o fornecimento de se
interactivos; a integração da Internet e a
convergência com a tecnologia da indústria
Esta convergência permitirá aproveitar todo o
know-how adquirido na acessibilidade de
equipamentos e aplicações informáticas
(incluíndo as de natureza telemática como a
Internet) por pessoas com deficiência, por forma
a garantir o acesso universal a um serviço de
televisão terrestre, que usufrui de um recurso
público muito limitado - o espectro
radioeléctrico.
Porém, para que estes objectivos sejam
alcançados, são necessárias politicas activas,
compromissos sociais sérios e muita iniciativa.
A acessibilidade da televisão por cidadãos com
necessidades especiais representa
fundamentalmente um comp romisso social
relacionado com a promoção da qualidade de
vida das pessoas com deficiências e idosos; da
língua gestual portuguesa, enquanto expressão
cultural e instrumento de acesso à educação e da
igualdade de oportunidades; e o cumprimento
de um direito fundamental dos cidadãos,
consignado na Constituição da República
Portuguesa: o direito à informação.
Recomendações
1. Deve ser garantido o acesso universal à
informação da televisão digital terrestre por
parte dos cidadãos com necessidades especiais,
recorrendo para o efeito à legendagem, à
tradução em língua gestual, à descrição de
imagens e à conversão de texto em voz.
2. As entidades reguladoras e os fornecedores
de equipamentos de televisão digital terrestre
devem assegurar a introdução progressiva de
interfaces (receptor de televisão digital, set-top
boxes e soluções para computador) com acesso
e compatibilidade com tecnologias de apoio
para cidadãos com necessidades especiais, tais
como: comando remoto adaptado, teclados e
ratos especiais , leitores de ecrã, sintetizadores
de fala e terminais braille.
3. Na impossibilidade do acesso universal,
devem ser fornecidos serviços ou subsidiado
equipamento adicional que compensem
qualquer falta de compatibilidade com as
tecnologias de apoio ou de acessibilidade ao
nível da informação e interacção sem recurso à
visão, à audição, a movimentos precisos e
acções simultâneas.
4. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre, as
entidades reguladoras e os fornecedores de
equipamentos devem permanecer em contacto
com a investigação em tecnologia de
acessibilidade televisiva e apoiá-la, de forma a
que o acesso universal actualmente inviável seja
concretizado logo que possível, reduzindo assim
a necessidade de serviços e equipamento
adicional.
5. As organizações de pessoas com deficiências
e idosos devem assegurar a sua representação e
participação em órgãos consultivos da
comunicação social e organizações de defesa de
consumidor, fazendo ouvir-se em relação à
acessibilidade de equipamentos, conteúdos e
programas específicos que os afectam.
6. As entidades reguladoras da televisão digital
terrestre devem consultar regularmente as
organizações de e para pessoas com deficiências
e idosos sobre as suas necessidades especiais de
acessibilidade, peritos em acessibilidade
televisiva, nacionais e internacionais, bem como
os operadores de televisão, a fim de tomarem as
medidas adequadas à promoção do acesso
universal.
Segue-se um guia da acessibilidade à televisão
digital terrestre por cidadãos com necessidades
especiais:
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Workshop on Universal Accessibility of Ubiquitous Computing: Providing for the Elderly
7. Os programas emitidos em língua portuguesa
devem ser legendados, de forma progressiva,
através do teletexto, nos prazos mais imediatos
possíveis e de acordo com o estado da técnica,
com prioridade para os programas de notícias,
debates políticos e sociais, sem esperar pela
perfeição técnica.
8. A cobertura noticiosa dos principais
acontecimentos nacionais e estrangeiros deve
incluir tradução gestual.
9. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem adoptar serviços de teletexto
compatíveis, para permitir o intercâmbio de
programas.
10. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem divulgar, valorizar e promover o ensino
da língua gestual portuguesa, enquanto
expressão cultural e instrumento de acesso à
educação e da igualdade de oportunidades, a
surdos e ouvintes, através de programas
televisivos específicos, recursos multimédia
interactivos e livros adaptados para vídeo.
11. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem emitir programação específica
\direccionada para cidadãos com necessidades
especiais , bem como desenvolver uma
pedagogia televisiva que sensibilize a sociedade
quanto aos deveres de respeito e solidariedade
para com aqueles cidadãos.
12. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem fornecer um serviço gratuito de
livros falados em formato digital
e livros adaptados para língua gestual em
formato de vídeo digital, com prioridade para
livros educacionais direccionados às crianças.
13. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem fornecer informação específica
direccionada aos cidadãos com necessidades
especiais no teletexto e na Internet.
14. Os operadores de televisão digital terrestre
devem fornecer informação sobre serviços e
programação em formato acessível, incluíndo a
disponibilizada na Internet.
15. Os custos adicionais resultantes do
fornecimento de serviços para cidadãos com
necessidades especiais devem ser incluídos em
fundos específicos criados para esse efeito.
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References
i
Audetel ((Audio Description of Television for Visually Impaired and Elderly People)
http://www.rnib.org.uk
iii
UMTS.
http://www.acessibilidade.net/umts/access_guide04.html
v
TV Accessibility.
http://www.acessibilidade.tv
Other References
Web Accessibility HelpDesk of Public Administration WebMaster
[email protected]
Bobby test of Accessibility
http://www.cast.org/bobby
TAW – Test Web Accessibility(Spain)
http://www.tawdis.net/
Lynx Viewer
http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview.html
Web Accessibility Symbol
http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/ncam/currentprojects/symbolwinner.html
WAI Guidelines
http://www.utad.pt/wai/wai-pageauth.html
Portuguese Accessibility Special Interest Group
http://www.acessibilidade.net
Microsoft Accessibility Technology for Everyone.
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/
The Telecommunication Charter
http://www.stakes.fi/cost219/charter.htm
Telecommunications services for people with disabilities
http://www.oftel.gov.uk/consumer/
PROMISE
http://www.stakes.fi/promise/respack/actions/pract1.htm
Omnitor AB
http://www.omnitor.se/
STAKES and COST 219 bis
http://www.stakes.fi/cost219/
DVB-T Introduction in Portugal.
http://www.icp.pt/actual/dvbdoccon.html
Tiresias Project
(Devices specifications for people with special needs, BlueTooth Technology)
http://www.tiresias.org
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