Grants:IEG/Accessibility - reading, reusing, and contributing

status: idea
project:
Accessibility - reading, reusing, and contributing
idea creator:
project contact:
sumanah(_AT_)wikimedia.org
participants:
summary:
Improve technology or do social outreach to encourage people with disabilities to read, reuse, or contribute to Wikimedia content.
created on: 18:13, 10 June 2013‎

Project idea edit

As you see in the Accessibility page on our tech wiki, we have a variety of opportunities to make Wikimedia content more accessible to people with disabilities who want to experience it, reuse it, or contribute to it. And we already have some studies, audits, and guidelines that we can work from.

Some ideas for how to achieve this goal (ideas that themselves could form the basis of an IEG project):

  • designing and manufacturing an offline wikireader device with a built-in Braille display
  • improving our guide for developers, to ensure they write accessible software, and running trainings for Wikimedia template and gadget makers (especially editors who don't speak English)
  • improving the accessibility of important onwiki processes and discussion forums (for instance, ensuring that there are good fallbacks for color-based indications, to help colorblind people)
  • running edit-a-thons with Gallaudet, the National Federation of the Blind, National Organization on Disability, and similar groups
  • running caption-a-thons to add captions to educational material on Commons
  • training organizations interested in people with disabilities to upload materials to Commons and Wikibooks and Wikisource

People with disabilities probably don't edit as much as the temporarily able, and might benefit from better tools for reading the content as well.

More ideas and data are welcome! Accessibility and mw:Groups/Proposals/Accessibility Tracking have more.

Project goals edit

This is a way to broaden reach, diversity, and participation in Wikimedia projects.

Get involved edit

Welcome, brainstormers! Your feedback on this idea is welcome. Please click the "discussion" link at the top of the page to start the conversation and share your thoughts.


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