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Content archived on 2023-11-13

eACCESS+: the eAccessibility Network

Project description


ICT for health, ageing and inclusion : e-Accessibility thematic network

Much expertise, many guidelines and tools exist on e-accessibility but they are of a highly fragmented nature. As announced in the Communication of December 2008 on eAccessibility, the Thematic Network eAccess+ will create a platform for collecting and providing guidance on how to use in practice this body of knowledge. eAccess+ is a best-practice network too that will facilitate co-operation between the community of practitioners (found in research institutions and consultancies) and all the other stakeholders (policy makers, administrators in the public sector, technical staff in the private sector…).
The purpose is to accelerate the take-up of e-accessibility specifications and technical solutions, and to contribute to a common approach at European level.
The network will support the development of common guidelines and standards, and, where needed, will provide rationale for harmonised political and legal measures.

eAccess+ will address the following areas:

- web accessibility, as a main focus, in order to ensure accessibility of public web sites in the Member States, in particular through the migration from national web accessibility guidelines and methodologies to the new W3C/WCAG2.0 guidelines,
- accessible convergent communications and in particular accessibility of interactive digital television,
- self-service terminals, in particular in the banking/financial sector, in public transports, in tourism / cultural heritage, and in e-government.

Work will be organised in four methodological steps: consultation (introduction, information, advice, feedback), analysis (problems, ideas, incentives, proposals), support (examples, best practice, guidelines), and dissemination. Those four steps will be implemented in three waves, work will start with a first group of already more advanced Member States and then will extend to include more Member States, while expanding activities in the first group.

eACCESS+ intends to establish, co-ordinate and systematically grow a platform for co-operating, discussing and improving the implementation of eAccessibility throughout Europe. eACCESS+ focusses on the three principal topics outlined in the ICT PSP3 call and will include related emerging aspects of eAccessibility.The eACCESS+ network aims to overcome the widening gap between the potential of ICT/AT and eAccessibility for people with disabilities and the ageing population and the actual implementation of eAccesibility in practice. Much expertise, guidelines, policy, and tools on eAccessibility and the provision of inclusive production and consumption environments, processes and technologies do exist but are of a highly distributed nature. Within specialist organisations; or within university research laboratories; or indeed within specific industries, many processes, policies, technologies and tools have been designed and implemented at least partially to execute the necessary adaptation procedures. However, each has its own, highly specific, field of application. eACCESS+ casts a wide net of all relevant stakeholders (end users, policy makers, administration, industry, service providers for end users, research, education) and will address guideline and standard development, political and legal aspects, professional support of public service provision and private product/business development. eAccess+ will implement measures to• consult: introduction, information,advice,feedback• analyse: problems, ideas, incentives, proposals• support: examples, best practice,guidelines• disseminate: raising awareness, marketing, conferences, workshops• roadmap: plans for future activitiesThe eACCESS+ approach taken is to provide a "eAccessibility HUB" which links to, gives guidance how to make best use of existing resources and to outline where resources are missing and should be addressed and which supports an efficient co-ordination of the network. A considerable body of knowledge exists and therefore eAccess+ starts by providing guidance on how to use this in practice and by facilitating enhanced co-operation between stakeholders.

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

CIP-ICT-PSP-2009-3
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

TN - Thematic Network

Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT LINZ
EU contribution
€ 165 000,00
Address
ALTENBERGER STRASSE 69
4040 Linz
Austria

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Region
Westösterreich Oberösterreich Linz-Wels
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data

Participants (25)

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Last update: 25 April 2017

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