Individual Solutions for Consumers

This program area is focused on identifying existing ready to use free and open source accessibility solutions as well as the development of new solutions. It includes identification, development, and distribution efforts (efforts to develop user support mechanisms are covered in their own effort area).

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Resource List

This ongoing project brings together listings (with links to the program or code repository) of all free and open source accessibility solutions that are available today. This project is closely related to the “master list” project above (see Needs and Features Masterlist in the area of I & D of Needs & Solutions.) The focus of this project is to provide an easy to use central resource for free and open-source software. The goal is to have a comprehensive listing and resource that can be used by developers, researchers, and others. This listing will include code at all levels of development. (See also RtF Free-Store of Accommodation Software, which lists those programs, which have been checked out and are ready for mass consumer use.) This is a collaborative effort that will both draw from and feed other individual efforts by RtF participants in this area.

Current Efforts, Projects, and Working Groups in this Area Include: 

• Database of Free & Open Source Accessibility Solutions (FOSAS)

"Distribution Hardening" of FOSS Solutions

The focus of this project is to take new ideas and programs that have been proven to work, but that are not yet in a form that they can be deployed and used reliably on a mass scale. For example, students and researchers may create innovative new solutions or approaches for providing access to people with disabilities, but often do not have the knowledge of or experience necessary to turn those ideas into software that is robust enough to be able to be distributed on a widespread basis and work reliably. Or the code may not be designed in a way to be worked on by multiple programmers simultaneously or to be easily supported over time. Or the students/developers may not have the security experience needed to ensure that their code is not susceptible to hacking or other security risks. This project will be composed of experienced programmers who create commercial grade code and who can work with developers of new solutions to help them improve their code to make it scalable, secure, and supportable by other programmers as well as post distribution support teams.

RtF Free-Store of Accommodation Software

This program is focused on the development of an "RtF Free-Store" (a web application) where consumers can find ready-to-use solutions that have been checked for reliability and safety and that can be downloaded, or used on-line to meet their individual needs. The store would include both free and open source solutions. This collection will be narrower than our other comprehensive collections and will focus on just those solutions that meet the current RtF criteria for general distribution.

We currently have identified five areas for the free-store: 

• Download-and-Install Solutions
  • Solutions that users can download and install on their computer. These may be plug-ins to their browser, alternate browsers, or other installable solutions.
    
• USB Memory Stick Solutions
  • This includes both access applications that are launched from a stick (USB Drive) and solutions where the users directly boots from the stick (USB drive).
    
• Network Based Solutions
  • Services that exist in the network and are called up by users as they are needed.
    
• Cellphone-Based Solutions
  • This would include programs that are loaded onto cell phones as well as programs that take over a cell phone and repurpose it to another function such as a dedicated e-book reader.
• FOSS ebook Readers
  • Free and open source e-book readers of all types. Some of these solutions will also appear in the other sections of the shopping store, but they are all gathered here for convenience and comparison
• Content Authoring Tools
  • Tools to assist Web content authors in creating more accessible content.

Identifying Mainstream WebApps that Need Accessibility

This project is focused on identifying popular and important mainstream programs or services that are needed by consumers but are not yet accessible. Participants in this area do not need to be technical themselves or able to make the mainstream programs accessible. The purpose of part (a) of this project is to identify mainstream programs that have accessibility problems and then to compile a list of those problems. More technical members of this group can then examine these accessibility issues or bugs, confirm them, and define the exact problem and, where possible what is needed to solve them. The results of this project will most often be fed directly back into the mainstream product's development team. It may also be fed to the next area (Fixing Accessibility of Key Mainstream Programs) to research solutions in collaboration with the original authors.

Cross-Disability Telecollaboration Tools

This will be an ongoing project to explore and continually improve available telecollaboration tools and to identify what is needed in order to create truly cross- disability, accessible telecollaboration tools and services. These tools and services will be critical to the RtF effort to ensure that people of all disabilities can participate in the activities of RtF. This project will also compile a list of existing telecollaboration tools and services with commentary on their strengths and weaknesses with regard to accessibility.

Library & Public-Access-Point Packages

This program will be focused on the development of prepackaged sets of solutions designed specifically for use by libraries and public Internet access points.

Simple Alternate Web Apps

This program is focused on the development of simple alternative web applications. Although most of the projects and programs in RtF are focused on providing access to other mainstream content and applications, it is difficult to create access solutions that will make complicated mainstream programs simple (enough) for those who cannot deal with program complexity. This program area focuses on the development of alternative solutions to complex but important mainstream program functionality. Alternative applications that are much easier to understand and use, ideally are designed in a layered fashion so that users who are able can slowly increase complexity and functionality over time. One project in this area that has already been identified where efforts have been initiated is the "Easy One Communicator" project. This project seeks to develop a single, very simple program that provides e-mail, chat (text, voice, and video), and picture sharing for elders and others who cannot handle normal complexity of computers.

Current Efforts, Projects, and Working Groups in this Area Include: 

• TOHRU - Trace Online Hand Raising Utility. A fully accessible online tool that facilitates participation in online teleconferences by allowing users to digitally "raise their hands" to signal that they would like to speak next.
• Simple Alternate Web Apps - Web applications that offer a simple alternative to common online tools, such as an email interface that is simplified to only the most necessary functions of writing and reading letters.
• CapScribe - A web application designed to give users ready, free access to captioning software that runs as part of a web page.

Do-It-Yourself Solutions

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions are a means to create products, tools, technologies from readily available materials that can be done at home or in remote locations with little or no skill level. These projects allows users who don't access to funds to purchase access solutions to construct solutions for themselves or for others in their family or community (local manufacturing). This is particularly important where physical components (switches etc) are needed that cannot be downloaded from the net.

Current Efforts, Projects, and Working Groups in this Area Include:

• Assistive Technology Solutions - A collection of plans and information about DIY AT solutions.
• Do-It-Yourself Project Page

Specific FOSS Accessibility Solution Projects

In addition to the standing projects above, there will also be a number of specific projects launched by different teams to develop new consumer solutions. These projects will all be listed under this general program area "specific FOSS solution projects." Developers are encouraged to add their projects to this category and to initiate new projects.

Current Efforts, Projects, and Working Groups in this Area Include: 

• Built-in Accessibility Features
• Web Browser Projects
  • Download and Install
    
    • Firevox - A plugin to Mozilla Firefox that provides text-to-speech, magnification, and other features for web content.
    • LowBrowse - A plugin to Mozilla Firefox that magnifies and visually simplifies web pages.
  • USB Memory Stick Solutions
    
    • AccessTomorrow - A portable and accessible browser that is bootable from a USB flash memory drive.
  • Network Solutions (Web-Based)
    
    • WebAnywhere - A specialized, web-based browser that provides text-to-speech, navigation features, and simplified display of web pages.
    • Browser access to platform TTS - This project supports the other projects in this area. Its goal is to allow web-based applications and content to use the operating system's built-in speech synthesizers.
    • DocAccess - When sent a PDF or a document in an image format, this service will return it in an accessible format.
    • ReadIt - When sent a document, this service will do text-to-speech processing and return a spoken version as an audio file.
    • Proxy Transcoding - This service  will filter Web content through an online proxy that transforms it for easier accessibility.
    • Color changer - When sent an image or colored text, this service will modify and return it in a format that is easy to see with low vision or specific types of colorblindness.
    • ATRC: Fluid Skinning System (previously "TransformAble/Stylable") - This service uses content and user metadata to match and transform content according to user preferences.
• Literacy
  • Network Solutions (Web-Based)
    • BookAnywhere - A web-based e-book reader for Bookshare.org
    • Route66 Literacy - Developed by Benetech and The Center for Literacy and Disability Studies (CLDS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Route66 is a web-based service that provides teaching resources and literacy instruction for persons (adolescents and adults) with developmental disabilities and/or those who are learning to speak, read, and write English. This project is continuing development within RtF as the Route66 Project.