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Singapore’s Digital Access for the Visually Impaired

Image Credits: imda.gov.sg

With the support of the Digital for Life Fund administered by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS) collaborate on a project to develop effective training and learning resource toolkit for individuals with visual impairment.

The project, which is based on “experience-based co-design,” aims to bridge the digital gap for people with visual impairments by teaching them how to operate smartphones and mobile apps that may not have been specifically developed with their usual requirements.

Smartphones are largely created with images in mind, making it difficult to integrate technical concepts with the learner’s inherent understanding. Persons with visual impairments may have difficulties learning how to navigate the latest gizmos in the digital world without sufficient instruction and help.

However, Tan Hwei Lan, Senior Lecturer at SIT, was driven to question the existing quo considering these issues. While advancements in assistive technology devices give more useful assistance to people with vision impairments, she believes that better training resources are just as crucial in providing access to digital gadgets that can support them in their daily lives.

Collaboration is critical for a project of this magnitude. Using all stakeholders’ skills and experience throughout the toolkit’s fundamental design would ensure that it is well-suited to serve the diverse needs of individuals with visual impairment, making the learning process more organic and impactful.

– Tan Hwei Lan, Senior Lecturer, Singapore Institute of Technology

Another stumbling block is the design of assistive technology devices’ user interfaces and user experiences. Learners might easily get disengaged and lose interest when they are overwhelmed with new technical terms.

Better tools at a trainer’s disposal could greatly improve the dynamic and relationship between them, making it easier for the learner to take in new information. For example, the trainer could connect with the learner on an emotional level or make a personalised training programme for them.

Furthermore, the project is divided into two parts, the first of which involves the beneficiaries as participants in the co-design process, allowing the SIT and GDS research team to thoroughly understand their needs and construct the toolkit with specific challenges in mind. The toolkit will be rigorously tested by stakeholders and refined until it is ready for public distribution in phase two, which is set to begin in early 2023. The project will be off this year with co-design sessions to better understand the community’s requirements and close the research gap.

Without the right help and guidance, people who are blind or have low vision may find it hard to figure out how to use the latest gadgets in the digital world. Chia Hong Sen from GDS says that a “personal touch” is very important when helping a person with a visual impairment figure out how to use a new device. “Based on the preliminary research findings, I am encouraged to learn that our approach to teaching is shared by other trainers outside of Singapore.”

SIT and GDS, with the help of IMDA’s Digital for Life Fund, have the potential to become the “go-to” resource for a user-centric curriculum, saving users and their trainers the time and effort of scouring the many different resources available.

As long as IMDA continues to support worthwhile projects like this one, organisations like SIT and GDS will have the resources they need to develop meaningful solutions that will help Singaporeans build a more equitable digital society. IMDA administers the Digital for Life Fund, which provides monetary support to non-profit organisations that promote digital inclusion, literacy, and wellbeing.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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