NSF Convergence Accelerator Track H: Addressing the Fragmented Information Access Problem - A Community-Driven, AI-Powered Platform for Inclusive, Multimodal Content Creation

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Imagine trying to learn about a graphic without seeing it. Lack of access to visual content is one of the most pressing, persistent challenges facing individuals with blindness and low vision (BLV) today. In the best case scenario, an individual with BLV accesses graphics through screen readers, touch-based mediums, or other tools that use sound and touch - but many of these solutions require another sighted individual to create the alternative formats. This lack of access and independence is the result of a fragmented accessibility ecosystem, which leads to troubling disparities in educational attainment, full-time employment, and independence. This work converges partners from across the siloed ecosystem to change the way we create and consume visual content, making it accessible for all people, independent of visual status. Through partnerships converging expertise from industry leaders in assistive technology, leading content providers and data visualization tools in education, deep in-roads into the community, and authentic testing sites, the team will develop Inclusio, an end-to-end software accessibility solution that enables anyone to find and create accessible content and to consume it in their preferred mediums.Three key tenets drive Inclusio: a content platform, automated conversion capabilities using artificial intelligence (AI), and an accessible authoring suite. The core idea behind Inclusio is that the platform can take in multiple input data formats and output it across both mainstream platforms (mobile and web applications) and the most highly used assistive platforms (braille and tactile embossers, multimodal touchpads, and refreshable tactile displays). In Phase II, the team will build out the core infrastructure of the content platform to host the most highly used content in the community, making it interoperable across multiple output platforms. The team will also build out AI and automation capabilities to reduce the time required to create the most highly requested graphics, while enabling human-in-the-loop creation and content optimization, rooted in best practices and standards, through an accessible authoring suite. Throughout every stage of design and development, we employ iterative, rapid user testing across our internal team, our partner schools, and partner organization sites, reaching over 200 individuals with BLV, teachers of students with visual impairments, and leading content providers. At the end of Phase II, the team will launch Inclusio, pioneering a new era of accessibility. Inclusio is more than a cutting-edge tool; it will reshape an entire ecosystem, impacting not only individuals with BLV but also the broader persons with disabilities community, creating a future where all content seamlessly adapts to individual needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.