Prosperity as a model for next-generation accessibility

Abstract

We propose a multisided platform approach that is user-based but seeks to provide an infrastructure that supports all stakeholders, making it easier for vendors to design, market and support access features, products, and services and that makes it easier for consumers to find, secure, and use access features, products and services, individually or mixed, on any device they encounter. The system is designed to support use by both mainstream and assistive technology developers and to draw new people into the ecosystem in new roles including developers as resources and users and clinicians as developers. Central to this latter role is a developer space that provides rich resources in the form of tools, component, frameworks, service infrastructures, guidelines, how-to's, mentors, testers, and marketing aids to help both experienced and new developers enter the market and to broaden the range of people contributing to include both non-disability-related researchers/developers and less technical consumers and professionals. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.