National and Global Public Inclusive Infrastructures_Gregg Vanderheiden

© 2010 Trace Center - University of Wisconsin -Madison

National and Global Public Inclusive Infrastructures

Gregg Vanderheiden Ph.D.Trace R&D CenterUniversity of Wisconsin- Madison

Workshop at ONCE2010-10-05


Everything should be made as simple as possible – but no simpler

Albert Einstein

- I wish that we had a simple problem to

present - and a simple solution. We don’t. It

isn’t. - But we think we CAN create a solution that is

simple to users, public, and government/policy

– but, like a car, it will be simple only if you

don’t look under the hood.

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Key Problems Looming - Many causes

1. Internet will no longer be optional – yet many can not access or use it Essential for participation in education, employment, commerce, civics, health and safety

2. Access solutions don’t exist for everyone• Not available for some types, degrees & combinations of disability, or functional limitation

3. Current solutions won’t work for all of the new technologies emerging- Cloud computing, Web 2.0, 1 million authors of next gen apps

4. Access solutions are too complex• Not just for many users, but also public access points, companies, and even governments

5. Fear of the internet combined with complexity stops many Fear of what happens to you / comes to you - and no understanding of how to prevent it.

6. Access solutions are hard to find & find out about• Many do not know that any solutions exist – so it doesn’t occur to them to even search for one

7. Many can’t afford the high cost of access solutions they need• Again, not just users. Public access points and even governments can’t afford the cost for all

In addition people need access to all the computers they encounter, at work, home, community, etc. Not just one that is set up for them somewhere.


Underlying Problems / Needs(Things that contribute to the primary problems/needs)

Limited market/sales for AT Vendors Contributes to cost – and is vicious cost/sales circle

High cost for new innovators to get into the market – get to market Contributes to limited new products, - limited innovation, Part of reason solutions don’t exist for many disability types

Limited support for research and development in this area Limits involvement of some of our best researchers Keeps students (and their faculty) from entering this field

Limited communities of practice - (need for capacity and community building) Researcher (see above), Service Delivery personnel, Awareness People,

Mavens, Policy People Limited continuity of funding

Continuity is a severe problem: Funding comes and goes causing turnover. Underfunding causes burnout. Prevents depth from developing. Causes gains and expertise to be lost.


4 part Strategy

1. Foster innovation in accessibility and expand the market for innovative vendors

2. Maximize the portion of accessibility that can be addressed through ordinary market mechanisms -- and minimize the portion that must be served through government or philanthropic intervention.

3. Maximize the accessibility of mainstream products.

4. And figure out how to provide basic access for those that regular market forces still cannot reach, even with the above.


Situation and Approach

Addressed by Assistive

Technologies

Addressed by Universal Design

(built-in)

Cannot fill the gap with

government funded

or philanthropic access

efforts. Too large


National and Global Public Inclusive Infrastructures

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Three Key Goals

Simplify • To users - Public Access Points - Companies - Gov

Provide solutions for all (all types of disabilities, literacy, & aging)

• One Size does NOT fit all ----

Provide solutions for emerging technologies• Technology is getting away from us

• Need to empower and facilitate developers of all types

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What if…


We had Auto-Personalization

Interfaces that automatically change into a form that users can understand and use

Content that automatically comes, or is changed into, a form that people can understand and use


What if…

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What if…

An elder – with any set of abilities or limitations

1. Could quickly and easily determine what would help them - and then to store that information safely for future use.

2. Then use those stored preferences to invoke the access features, technologies and services they need - anywhere on any device they need to use


What if…

We could make it so that when anyone approached a computer or other device…

…. the device would automatically change to something that would work for them

- Something that was simple

- Something that was familiar

For example • If an older person wanted to be able to communicate with children and

with nieces and nephews

- Email

- Chat

- Picture sharing….

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Instead of these three simple activities

(email, chat, picture sharing)

looking like ….

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© 2010 Trace Center - University of Wisconsin -Madison15



Instead what if ….

EmailChat (text, voice and video)

Picture sharing

could look like this….

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What if……..


What if

Countries that don’t have AT, or only have a couple types

Could localize a set of free and commercial AT and make it available in their language to all people in their country

• And it would update along with the full set – to continue to work with new IT that is constantly being released

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What if …

In the future

• People just wear a ring.

• And when they walk or roll up to a device, they just touch the ring to the device and it changes into a form they can use.

- For an elder – it might make it simpler and with larger text

- Any computer

- Any phone

- Their thermostat

- Their oven

- Their clothes washer

- The TV control in the hotel

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Three Key Goals of NPIIs

Simplify • To users - Public Access Points - Companies - Gov

Provide solutions for all• One Size does NOT fit all

Provide solutions for emerging technologies• Technology is getting away from us


The NPII (GPII) Concept

Building a disability, technology and platform independent ‘inclusive infrastructure’

• To grow all types of access (BI, AT, CS, AOD)

• To spur innovation (new solutions) (Idea-to-market)

• To increase markets and lower costs (More solutions – more served)

• To address the problems of complexity (Simpler for all)

• To provide access to emerging cloud technologies (Future proof)

• To create an internationally scalable base that facilitates the creation of affordable solutions for all - everywhere (Outreach)

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Key Components -

Grouped by 3 key goals - “Three legs of a stool”

1. A way for people to determine what would help them - and then to store that information safely for future use.

2. A way to use their stored preferences (and permissions) to invoke the access features, technologies and services they need

3. Tools and infrastructure to allow diverse developers and vendors to create new solutions - and easily and cost effectively move them to market and availability to users who need them.


1) A way for people to determine what would help them - and then to store that information safely for future use.

There is a Fix for that• Awareness progthem – and where to start looking.ram so that everyone knows

that there are things that can make ICT easier for

Extended Usability Wizard• On-line evaluation tool that allows people to find out how what types of things

would make ICT easier for them to use.

Private Preference & Permission System• Ability to securely and privately store their preferences so they can uses them

later to shop and to change things to work for them.

Matchmaker• To find everything that matches a person's needs & preferences.

Safe Source• Open marketplace: all that is safe to download and try.

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2) A way to use their stored preferences to invoke the access features, technologies and services they need - anywhere on any device they need to use.

Private Preference & Permission Server (see also above)• Also provides users with the ability to privately and anonymously use their

preferences and settings anywhere.

Unified AnyWhere Delivery System• Infrastructure for delivering any combination of settings and AT (commercial and

public) -- anywhere, anytime, any device.

Auto-Personalization Services• Automatically personalizes the user interface on devices and adapts content based

on user preferences and needs.

Caption & Description Finder• Finds captions, descriptions, or other supplemental information for video or images

if they exist anywhere.

Assistance On Demand• Infrastructure to build and deliver automated and human Assistance on Demand

services

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3) Tools and infrastructure to allow diverse developers and vendors to create new solutions - and easily and cost effectively move them to market and availability to users who need them.

Tool Kit & Parts Store & Development environment• Components to facilitate others in building access solutions and services.

- Built in, Platform, Network Services (computer, and human)

Assistance on Demand Infrastructure (see above)• Infrastructure also makes it easy for vendors to create and offer new automated

and human services on demand

Safe Source/Marketplace (see above)• A marketplace that makes it easy for users to find all that is available, would

also make it easy for new developers to get their products seen and disseminated to users.

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Summary

Where tech is going – many people with disabilities and aging can’t currently follow- Yet access to BROADBAND is rapidly becoming critical to participation

Government can’t currently afford to develop all solutions and provide access to all- - And Private Sector can only (afford to) reach 15% with current approach

NEED A PARADIGM SHIFT

Need to find ways that government can invest a relatively small amount that will facilitate private sector solutions

- Infrastructure (Develop and op) - to lower costs, increase competition & innovation, and enable new approaches (that are more efficient, simpler, and address more disabilities)

- Awareness - to grow the market, lower costs, reach more people

- Tools - to lower bar for new researchers, innovators, and vendors; to increase interoperability

- Research Support - to create a community of practice; to allow sustained effort or researchers to make careers in this area

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Opportunity

We have an unprecedented opportunity to change accessibility in very fundamental ways

make it cost less to develop and deploy and reach more people (we currently get to 15% or so) and serve disabilities and aging groups we don't now

We also have a chance to build access that will work with the new technologies that are coming (that won't work with many of our current access strategies)

Finally, we have the opportunity to build something that can be replicated locally in other countries

countries that don't have good access technologies or infrastructure allowing them to create their own full range of access solutions– by localizing

solutions from an NPII and delivering them via their own NPII.

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Who

Mainstream industry

AT industry

Consumers and consumer advocates

Researchers & developers

Policy makers

International participants

Unique combination

Adoption built in

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Thanks

Contact informationGregg Vanderheiden [email protected] 692-5281 (cell)

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Thanks


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Questions

What does this all look like to you?

How does this align with your priorities?

Part of this is long term infrastructure

- How can this be done in Europe? How funded? Impl. In/Out of gov?

How to handle international collaboration

- How can we work together to create this capability

Your thoughts?

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Documents

National and Global Public Inclusive Infrastructures_Gregg Vanderheiden