OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 29
Cover
"The full diversity of consumer needs is not addressed
by the current market. IDRC therefore supports suppliers
and producers (including individuals at the margins of our
economy that face barriers to employment) to fill the market
gaps experienced by individuals that require alternative access
systems... Our goal is to help companies grow their own internal
capacity to deliver accessible ICT to consumers."
Treviranus notes the Centre is a hub for "a diversity of
perspectives" that includes web developers, designers, engineers,
engineering graduates, and researchers, as well as advocates and
volunteers, and many individuals with experiences of disability
or other barriers, all working to ensure that emerging digital and
information technology are designed inclusively and equitably.
Treviranus explains that the IDRC frames disability as "not
a personal trait, but a relative condition created by a mismatch
between the needs of the individual and the design of the
product, system, or service... Accessibility therefore means
adapting the system to the needs of each individual."
professor Jutta treviranus:
inclusive desiGn pioneer
"The moment I was hooked [on inclusive design] was when I
took on a project to support Bill 82 The Education Amendment
Act (1980), which required the full integration of students
with disabilities. I was asked to work with several students
with a range of disabilities at McMaster University to develop
strategies for equitable participation in university education.
Personal computers were just beginning to emerge, providing
an opportunity to translate controlling actions and methods of
presentation to match personal abilities." She connected with
colleagues at the University of Washington and the Canadian
National Research Council's Rehabilitation Technology Unit to
create alternative computer access systems, including alternative
keyboards, text-to-speech systems and speech-to-text systems.
The opportunity to work with individuals with disabilities to
proactively develop technologies that could improve their lives
solidified Treviranus' passion for, and commitment to, inclusive
design.
what is inclusive desiGn?
Treviranus developed a guiding framework for inclusive design,
based on three dimensions:
1. Inclusive design recognizes the uniqueness of each individual,
striving to create integrated one-size-fits-one approaches.
2. Inclusive design ensures that design teams are as diverse as
possible and include end-users or those with disabilities. This
is in part achieved by making sure the design process itself is
inclusively designed.
3. Inclusive design strives to have a beneficial impact beyond the
intended end-user, because design should benefit everyone.
Large enterprise companies such as Microsoft have adopted
the inclusive design ethos and methods developed by the
IDRC to refresh and innovate the corporate approach to user
experience design.
Treviranus notes that in the 1980s, it was easier to create
alternative interfaces because computer technology was more
open and transparent. Today, computer systems have become
more proprietary and complex, and consumers with disabilities
are not well served as businesses are focused on their core
markets, rather than on making technology interoperable with
assistive technologies.
"As technology progresses, there's an [increasing] distance
between the end-user, including those with disabilities, and the
technology [that's developed by a corporation]..." In addition,
"there isn't a fixed way to address accessibility... we need
personalization. We need to recognize difference and design for
diversity."
Treviranus believes that designing systems for diversity
benefits everyone. An excellent example is the Web. The
participation of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) in the
formation and standards development of the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) - the main international standards
organization for the Internet - played a major role in the success
and continued growth of the World Wide Web. The WAI helped
to compel the W3C to build in flexibility, open standards and
interoperability.
"Accessibility is a precarious value - everyone agrees it is
important, but it is the first thing to be compromised when other
priorities get in the way. It shouldn't be seen as an obligation
but as an opportunity for government and businesses. Ontario
and Toronto have the potential to use inclusive design as an
economic driver and thereby help all people realize their full
potential," Treviranus said. "We have the ideal conditions to be a
world leader in inclusive design, but we need inclusive systems,
processes, and practices."
When asked what she would like to see in the future
policy agenda for the ICT sector, Treviranus offers three
recommendations:
June 2017
The VOICe
29
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - June 2017
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - Cover1
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - Cover2
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 3
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 4
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 5
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OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - 7
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OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - Cover3
OSPE - The Voice - June 2017 - Cover4
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