Over one billion people have no ready access to information and communication technologies (ICT) as a result of personal barriers, (digital) illiteracy or age-related restrictions. In order to offer this large group of people access to digital technologies, the partners involved in the EU's Prosperity4All project have now developed a unique online platform, DeveloperSpace.
Dr. Matthias Peissner, who is heading this EU project, explains the scientists’ vision: "Our primary goal is not about developing entirely new solutions for persons facing barriers to ICT. Instead we want to provide a platform that brings together elements that already exist: a place where developers, for example, can find modules, codes, diagrams and ideas from other developers or scientists and can use these themselves. We want to bring together existing research findings to create new solutions that actually work in a market context." So developers, companies and anyone who is interested in putting accessibility into practice can find tools, business models, applications, and much more on the platform.
The online DeveloperSpace platform is the first of its kind in the world and is geared towards developers of assistive technologies, researchers, companies that install assistive functions in existing products, public institutions, and political decision-makers. It is one of the three pillars of the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure, or GPII for short. "It’s about people creating new solutions for other people. It’s the only place to offer new developers the whole range of resources and information on accessibility that is available online. It allows them to understand accessibility and turn their ideas into reality," says Professor Gregg Vanderheiden, co-director of the GPII and co-founder of Raising the Floor International, a non-profit organization responsible for the development of GPII.
Developed by assistive technology experts and companies in Europe, Canada and the U.S., the aim of the GPII is to create simpler, faster and more cost-effective accessibility solutions. Another of its goals is to facilitate the customization of digital technologies for all users. In this way, for example, digital technologies (e.g. computers, smartphones, televisions, ticket machines, etc.) can be tailored to the individual needs of the user. Each user’s personalized settings are stored in the cloud and can be transferred from there to any device, anytime and anywhere.
The GPII and DeveloperSpace were developed as part of the EU’s Prosperity4All project, which was launched in February 2014 and will run until the end of January 2018. It is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart and jointly implemented with 24 partners in 13 countries. The GPII is an initiative headed by the non-profit organization Raising the Floor International.
REHACARE.com; Source: Fraunhofer IAO
