Down with Internet obstacles!

A few months ago, the German government passed a law which aims to improve the mobility of handicapped people, also as Internet users. The I2BN project is investigating the needs of such users and developing the appropriate solutions for Internet servers.

Most people realize the importance of pedestrian ramps for wheelchair users. But many are puzzled by the idea of unrestricted Internet access. In May this year, the German government passed a law on equal opportunities for the handicapped. The section dealing with information technology states: The objective is that user interfaces should be designed to permit the blind and visually handicapped to obtain access to the Internet. Public institutions and town councils, in particular, now have to find solutions to this challenge - along with many companies for whom unrestricted access to their Web sites counts as a matter of prestige.
Indistinct vision is not the only difficulty that prevents the eight percent of the German population suffering severe handicaps. Using computers, despite the availability of physical aids such as electronic magnifying glasses and Braille keyboards for the blind, the aged and the mentally handicapped often have to battle with problems caused by the design of Internet sites: Minuscule text, insufficient contrast, tiny pop-up boxes and multicolor animated icons stretch the limits of their already restricted powers of concentration and self-confidence. Even voice-output programs stumble over such obstacles.
Scientists working on the I2BN project, which is sponsored by the German Ministry of Education and Research and still has one year to run, are developing special software designed to improve access to interactive Internet services by these less privileged users. The first step was to equip the server software with our personalization module, explains Jürgen Baum, project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Telecooperation SIT. It serves as a filter enabling content and interactive components such as buttons and dialog boxes to be configured to individual requirements. We are now working on a version that allows the use of digital signatures. The project poses a multitude of challenges, as its participants - the Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing IITB, the city of Bonn, its Multimedia Center and various users - have quickly learnt to appreciate. There is the issue of security: How can personalized Web sites be build that can be used by people with different handicaps without compromising data protection and confidentiality? And the issue of adaptability: What is the most economical way of adapting existing Internet sites to the needs of the handicapped? Such problems call for more than just technical solutions, and need to be resolved in constant dialog with the users concerned.,For further information:,Dipl.-Geogr. Jurgen Baum ,Telefon: +49 22 41 / 14-31 33 ,Fax: +49 22 41 / 14-30 07 ,E-mail: [e-mail]
Fraunhofer-Institut fur Sichere Telekooperation SIT ,Schloss Birlinghoven ,D-53754 Sankt Augustin ,http://www.sit.fraunhofer.de/german/hps1/index.html
Dipl.-Inform. Gottfried Bonn ,Telefon: +49 7 21 / 60 91-3 01 ,Fax: +49 7 21 / 60 91-4 13 ,E-mail: [e-mail]
Fraunhofer IITB ,http://www.iitb.fraunhofer.de/
Links: ,Projekt I2BN ,http://i2bn.server.de/
Multi-Media-Center, Bonn ,http://www.mmc-bonn.de/

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Germany