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

NSF 融合加速器轨道 H：解决碎片化信息访问问题 - 社区驱动、人工智能驱动的包容性多模式内容创建平台

• 批准号: 2345159
• 负责人: Jenna Gorlewicz
• 金额: $ 500万
• 依托单位: Saint Louis University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-12-15 至 2026-11-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2345159&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Addressing

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.

想象一下，试图在不看到图形的情况下了解图形。缺乏视觉内容是当今患有失明和视力低下（BLV）的人面临的最紧迫，最持续的挑战之一。在最佳情况下，具有BLV的个人通过屏幕读取器，基于触摸的介质或其他使用声音和触摸的工具访问图形 - 但是其中许多解决方案都要求另一个视力个人来创建替代格式。缺乏访问和独立性是零散的可访问性生态系统的结果，这导致教育程度，全职工作和独立性的差异令人困扰。这项工作使整个孤立的生态系统的合作伙伴更改我们创建和消费视觉内容的方式，使所有人都可以使用视觉状态。通过促进辅助技术领导者的专业知识的伙伴关系，领先的内容提供者和数据可视化工具，深度进入社区以及真实的测试网站，团队将开发包容性的软件可访问性解决方案，该解决方案是一种端到端的软件访问解决方案，该解决方案使任何人都可以找到和创建可访问的内容，并在其首选的媒体中使用它的启用媒体式启动式启动式启动式启动式启动式启动式式启动式式式式启动式式式式启动式式式式启动式式式启动式式式启动式式式式启动式式式式式式启动式式式式式启动： （AI）和一个可访问的创作套件。包容性背后的核心思想是，该平台可以采用多种输入数据格式，并在主流平台（移动和Web应用程序）以及最常用的辅助平台（盲文和触觉压花，多模式触摸板以及可刷新的触觉显示）中输出。在第二阶段，团队将建立内容平台的核心基础架构，以托管社区中最常用的内容，从而使其在多个输出平台上进行互操作。团队还将建立AI和自动化功能，以减少创建最高要求的图形所需的时间，同时通过可访问的创作套件启用最佳实践和标准的人类创建和内容优化。在整个设计和开发的每个阶段，我们在内部团队，合作伙伴学校和合作伙伴组织网站上采用迭代，快速的用户测试，覆盖200多名BLV的人，有视觉障碍的学生的老师以及领先的内容提供者。在第二阶段结束时，团队将推出Inclusio，开创了可访问性的新时代。 Inclusio不仅仅是一种尖端的工具；它将重塑整个生态系统，不仅影响了BLV的个人，而且还影响了更广泛的残疾人社区，创造了一个未来，所有内容都无缝地适应了个人需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的智力和更广泛影响的评估来审查Criteria通过评估的支持。