[LUM#4] An Open Web
Although the internet is an essential tool in our daily lives, it remains largely inaccessible to the visually impaired. To break down these barriers, Yoann Bonavero is turning to artificial intelligence. Helping the visually impaired access the internet: that is the focus of Yoann Bonavero’s dissertation, which he defended in November 2015.
A brilliant idea that addresses a huge need. In France, where one in every 100 people has a visual impairment, fewer than 4% of government websites are accessible to the visually impaired. These needs are not limited to France: worldwide, more than 246 million people have vision impairments.
Vitale Canvas
These individuals currently face the greatest difficulties accessing content available online. Yet the internet is becoming indispensable, as Yoann Bonavero points out:“Access to services is increasingly happening through the web. The internet has therefore become vital, especially for older adults, for whom it is difficult to visit government offices in person.”
Yoann himself has a visual impairment.“My eyesight is deteriorating, and I’m finding it increasingly difficult to view web pages properly.” Admittedly, he continues,“there are tools available to adapt a computer workstation. But most of them are designed for very general use and cannot be configured to meet specific needs.”
Identify useful information
“There areas many types of visual impairment as there are individuals, ” explains Yoann. “There are many different conditions, and the progression of the condition and coping strategies vary.” In 2011, while pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Montpellier, Yoann proposed an original thesis project. He envisioned a solution using artificial intelligence: a computer interface capable of adapting to the specific characteristics of each visual impairment.
The challenge: to help each user identify, on any web page, the content that is useful to them. A real headache… Especially since the web isn’t making it any easier. The proliferation of information is only a minor obstacle. There’s something even more serious… Far from taking accessibility criteria into account, most websites actually tend to make accessing content increasingly difficult…
“Information is deliberately buried among numerous distracting elements,” explains Yoann Bonavero: “advertising pop-ups, commercial links, redundant information, sponsored links… With a little practice, a sighted person can find their way around. For a visually impaired person, finding useful information is like looking for a needle in a haystack!”
Custom Tool
With his thesis now complete, Yoann is nevertheless very close to finding a solution.“The tool uses optimization algorithms that incorporate the user’s customization preferences: font size, contrast level, use of colors and grayscale… It also helps identify the menu and the navigation context…”
The project has already demonstrated its feasibility during testing. To continue the work, Yoann Bonavero has signed a one-year contract with the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics (Lirmm). His goal is clear: to develop and roll out an interface that could change the lives of millions of internet users.
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