Unified Component and Delivery Infrastructure

This program area is focused on the development of a unified architecture that can facilitate the development of solutions for a broad range of different disability, language, and literacy levels from a common set of components or libraries. The goal here is to eliminate the duplication of effort in developing similar tools for different groups that occurs when they are all done as separate activities.

There are two major areas of effort:

A unified architecture that can allow for the development of solutions for a broad range of different disability, language, and literacy levels from a shared set of components and services. This architecture will support solutions that use a number of different approaches (models) from download-and-install solutions through network based services.

A unified delivery architecture that will allow for the mixing and matching of different features (public and commercial) as needed by people with different types or combinations of access barriers.

Unified Architecture Task Force

The architecture task force is charged with the development of the overall unified architecture. This includes the architecture both for the solutions and the unified delivery architecture.

Interoperability Standards for Components and Services

This program area is focused on the development of the internal standards needed to allow the different components to work together and to work with mainstream technologies and other assistive technologies. This work will be done in close collaboration with the other interoperability standards efforts to ensure maximum compatibility where these components would interface with external technologies. This project will require interoperability at multiple levels. The goal is to create standards that can allow the different RtF solutions to seamlessly build upon each other and with other accessibility options.

Overall Planning and Architecture Groups

• Core Services Architecture Working Group - A working group for the core architecture of Common Shared Modules.
  
  • API working subcommittee - A subcomittee that works with external APIs.
  • CSM Interoperability Standards Subcommittee - A subcommittee that develops standards to allow interoperability of Common Shared Modules.

Core Service Working Groups

• Unified Pronunciation Services Project - A collaborative pronunciation service for Text to Speech engines.
• Unified Supplemental Dictionary Services Project - A common referenceable dictionary.
• Personalization, Preferences, and Privacy - Development of safe, secure method for interface personalization/preference.
• Free & Open Source Text-to-Speech Project - A set of central text-to-speech services that are available in open source to other projects and users.
• ATRC: Wifi Indoor Positioning System (WIPS) - A service used to provide context awareness, location-based services, and navigation aidsd to mobile web apps (e.g. Fluid Engage)

Personalization/Preference Task Force

This project area is focused on the development of a common mechanism for users to describe the specific features and capabilities that they need. This includes both the preference specification and the means to transport and apply preferences in a secure and private manner. Again this work will draw heavily from existing work in this area in order to create a secure and reliable personalization mechanism for use in the unified accommodation features delivery system.

Wizards and Recommendation Tools

This project is focused on wizards and other tools to help new users identify potential features that would be helpful to them. This work is seen as key in helping new users who are not familiar with accessibility solutions identify features or tools that would be helpful to them. The focus here is not “accessibility tools for people with disabilities” but rather “accommodation tools for anyone having difficulty accessing and using the Web”. Elders for example may need such a tool to identify things that are useful to them yet not perceived as “disability access”.

Security and Privacy Task Force

This task force will consist of experts on security and privacy and is focused on ensuring that all of the software and services of RtF (including all of those listed in the RtF Free-Store) preserve individuals’ privacy and are free of any known spyware or malware.

Assistive Technology Manufacturer Collaboration/Exploration Team

The RtF model includes support for, and collaboration with, commercial assistive technology companies. RtF hopes to support commercial AT vendors both through the provision of open source modules and services that can be built into commercial assistive technologies and through the unified delivery infrastructure which will support commercial AT alongside the free public access features. This team will explore ways that RtF can work with AT vendors most productively for both groups.

Commercial AT Virtualization & Support

The RtF infrastructure envisioned would not be restricted to free and open source software. Commercial assistive technologies must also play a key role. The RtF delivery architecture therefore is being created to support commercial assistive technology in parallel with the free and the open source accessibility features. This project is focused on providing tools for, and assisting vendors in, adapting and creating commercial software that can exist within the RtF distribution architecture where it can be available on demand (anywhere, anytime, on any computer) to those who have purchased their software.

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

• Commercial Assistive Technology Virtual Launch Project - A code module and tools to assist commercial assistive technology vendors in creating virtual versions of their products (making them runnable from the web without installation).

Unified Update Identifier/Installer

This project will be tasked with the creation of a tool and interface to ensure that all solutions offered through RtF can be easily managed, maintained, and updated. This could be a portal that manages installed solutions, and offers additional downloads. It could also be extended to manage beta tests, and bug reporting.

Cycle Sourcing Options Task Force

This project is focused on the identification of resources that can be used to provide the “cycles” and server storage needed to operate the server-based accommodation services and solutions. Key to the sustainability of free and public accessibility services and features will be the identification of free or cost effective mechanisms for providing the CPU cycles that these services will require. This task force will be charged with exploring approaches and alternatives for obtaining these resources in different countries.

Accessibility Crowdsourcing

A key strategy in providing access to more complex materials and pages is the use of human assistance. Doing this on a person by person basis however is not scalable or practical. RtF members have already shown that crowd-sourcing can be very effective at leveraging resources by turning to the extensive pool of technical and non-technical individuals on the web who are interested in helping on accessibility problems. This task force is focused on solutions that rely on participation from online communities to address accessibility barriers in a way that can then be taken advantage of by many users. Our interests are network services that could be used both by free and open source as well as commercial accessibility solutions.