[Wikimedia-l] Contribution to Visually impaired

Fri Jan 24 11:08:05 UTC 2014

Hi,
I came across this interesting thread and I would like to contribute with results of our recent TAO project (Third Age Online). We did R&D in the context of a joint EU project with respect to Wikipedia and Accessibility. A summary you can find here:
http://www.thirdageonline.eu/project-tao-2/software-development/mediawiki-accessibility-enhancements/
among others containing a link to a tracking list for developers: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Groups/Proposals/Accessibility_Tracking

Some of the accessibility issues that have been identified in our study have already been fixed by the team of the German Chapter of Wikipedia, but there is still a lot to do in order to improve the situation.

Kind Regards,
Eduard
----------------------------------------
Eduard Klein
BUAS Bern University of Applied Sciences
-------------------------------------

Yes, indeed.

Collaborating to get a well advertised clearing centre running would be a very good first step. But to get over the usual issue that nobody in the community comes forward to point out where the gaps are (which may not be surprising as the people we want to contact here are by definition already excluded from the community) we need outreach to the relevant impairment/disability groups to get their members involved. That is something that the Chapters would be good at, as many such groups/charities are national ones.   There are quite a few in the UK, and no doubt more in Germany and elsewhere.

Outreach is what the chapters do!

Best regards

Michael

____________

Michael Maggs

Chair, Wikimedia UK

On 15 Jan 2014, at 11:44, rexx <rexx at blueyonder.co.uk<https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l>> wrote:

> The single biggest problem, Michael, is that when one talks in the abstract, we end up chasing illusory problems that don't actually have any impact. It's very difficult to create systems that are always 100% accessible by all if we start by trying to second-guess what accessibility problems visitors might encounter.

>

> What we need is a well-advertised "clearing centre" where anybody who experiences an accessibility problem on one of our sites can register their problem, which would then allow us to examine it and provide the most effective solution.

>

> I'm quite happy to continue giving advice on the issues covered at

>

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility

>

> and I'd like to see it adopted as default on the WMUK Wiki, but I question the value of volunteers re-inventing the wheel by chasing "gaps" that I'm not at all sure actually exist.

>

> --

> Doug

>

>

>

>

> On 15 January 2014 11:08, Michael Maggs <michael at maggs.name<https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l>> wrote:

> Can WMUK collaborate with WMDE (and others) on this to push it forward?  Obviously a lot of good work has already been done, but perhaps it now needs some long term commitment and leadership to ensure that what has been done is made easily accessible,  and to work on filling gaps in functionality (covering all aspects of disability).

>

> Michael

>

> WMUK Chair

>

> > On 15 Jan 2014, at 09:34, Jon Davies <jon.davies at wikimedia.org.uk<https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l>> wrote:

> >

> > How about starting with what a 'ULS' is? That would help :)

> >

> >

> >> On 15 January 2014 08:50, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com<https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l>> wrote:

> >>

> >> Hoi,

> >> One obvious point to start is the functionality of the ULS. It already

> >> serves one function for people who have a handicap with their perception.

> >> It has the OpenDyslexic font for people with dyslexia. There are multiple

> >> ways functionality can be provided who have a visual handicap. The size of

> >> the characters can be increased, the colour scheme can be changed (some

> >> people only see yellow on white..)

> >>

> >> If there is one thing wrong with the ULS, it is not in the functionality

> >> but by the utter lack of visibility. ULS is a major component of MediaWiki

> >> and it is not given prominence, Truly how are people going to find

> >> OpenDyslexic... (we are talking about 7 to 10% of a population)...

> >>

> >> Work is done to get more support for webfonts on mobile phones.. It is

> >> being developed.

> >> Thanks,

> >>      GerardM

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