IDRC - Celebrating 25 Years

1993 - 2018

Continuing Our Work During COVID-19

Read the letter regarding COVID-19 by IDRC Director, Jutta Treviranus.

Ongoing Projects

Direct links to Ongoing Project Websites:

Project Descriptions:

  • AChecker Accessibility Checker

    This is a model system that demonstrates how web pages may be checked for accessibility problems. The accessibility checks in this system are based upon the proposed Open Accessibility Checks (OAC), a universal series of tests that may be applied to HTML pages to determine their compliance with accessibility standards.

  • ATutor

    ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning  Management System (LMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. ATutor's availability as Open Source makes it a cost effective tool for both small and large organizations presenting their instructional materials on the Web, or delivering fully independent online courses. With ATutor, students learn in an adaptive learning environment.

  • Accessible Digital Office Document

    ADOD is developing vendor-neutral guidance related to digital office documents, including: a harmonized framework, based on W3C-WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 1.0, for determining the accessibility of office documents, office document formats and office applications; a set of practical application-specific, but vendor-neutral instructions, on how to create accessible office documents from common office application suites. ADOD is being developed in partnership with UNESCO and the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.

  • ÆGIS Ontario: Integrating Accessibility into Emerging ICT

    The ÆGIS(Ontario) project, funded by the Ontario Research Fund Research Excellence program, is working in close partnership with ÆGIS(Europe) to ensure that emerging information and communication technologies (ICT) are designed inclusively, thereby supporting Ontario's commitment to equal access and preparing Ontario's ICT businesses to meet the growing global demand for products and services that provide accessibility to people of all abilities. Along with the IDRC, ÆGIS(Ontario) also includes researchers at Ryerson University, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, York University, and the University of Toronto.

  • ÆGIS EU: Integrating Accessibility into Emerging ICT

    The ÆGIS(Europe) project is a major open source accessibility project funded by the European Commission. This 20-member consortium (including the IDRC) seeks to use third generation access techniques to deeply embed accessibility into mainstream ICT (desktop, rich Internet and mobile applications). This approach is developed and explored with the Open Accessibility Framework (OAF) through which aspects of the design, development and deployment of accessible mainstream ICT are addressed. The OAF provides embedded and built-in accessibility solutions, as well as toolkits for developers, for “engraving” accessibility in existing and emerging mass-market ICT-based products, thus making accessibility open, plug and play, personalised and configurable, realistic and applicable in various contexts. All developments will be iteratively tested with a significant number of end users, developers and experts in 3 phases and 4 Pilot sites Europe-wide (in Belgium, Spain, Sweden and the UK).

    The project includes strong industrial and end user participation (the participating industries are among the market leaders in the corresponding mainstream ICT markets). The project results’ uptake is promoted by strong standardisation activities, as well as the fact that much of the technology results will be either new open source applications or will be built into existing and already widely adopted open source ICT.

  • Bridging Gaps to Access & Employment in the Entertainment & Media Industries for Persons with Disabilities

    The Bridging Gaps to Access & Employment in the Entertainment & Media Industries for Persons with Disabilities project focuses on the transfer of knowledge gained in the development and implementation of a uniquely accessible online support system with social networking and an online learning system to an industry where clients with disabilities experience barriers and are underutilized.  An integrated management system and data base for artists will provide a referral service for employment; support casting directors, host online courses, and introduce social networking tools for community building.

  • Cloud4All

    Cloud4all is an European Commission FP7 grant that will develop key parts of the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII), building the knowledge base and algorithms needed and evaluating the ability of the concept to work across platforms, technologies and applications.

  • Enabling Change

    The goal of the project was to create accessible infrastructure to both train and provide support in implementing the AODA. The infrastructure will be initially applied to support the Customer Service and Information and Communication standards but will be broadly applicable. The infrastructure itself provides an exemplary, sustainable implementation of the I&C standard. It implements ISO AccessForAll (ISO 24751) which provides accessibility by dynamically meeting the needs of each learner or user. It is freely available and includes supports to create new training.

  • Floe Project

    Floe provides the resources needed to enable inclusive access to personally relevant, engaging learning opportunities for the full diversity of learners and content producers. Through the Open Education Resources community, Floe makes tools available that transform, augment, and personalize the learning experience.

  • Fluid Project

    FLUID is an open source software community that designs user interfaces, build Web tools, teaches inclusive design, and integrates interface components into open source applications. The Fluid community consists of an international team of partners, individuals, and institutions focused on designing flexible, customizable, user-centered interfaces. Fluid produces Infusion, an open, rich, reusable set of user interface components and more.

  • Inclusive Design Institute

    The Inclusive Design Institute (IDI), Canada’s first research hub to focus on the inclusive design of emerging, mainstream information and communication technologies (ICT), will provide world leadership in addressing the critical and timely question: “how do we design and develop our ICT systems and practices such that they are inclusive of people with varying abilities, languages and cultural preferences?” The IDI will act as a generative hub of research, innovation and training to help Ontario and Canada respond to legislative commitments, market demands, and regional/provincial/national values of inclusion and diversity.

  • Fluid Infusion

    Fluid Infusion is a code package that combines JavaScript, CSS, HTML and user-centered design, rolling them all into a single package that sits on top of the popular jQuery toolkit. Infusion includes ready-to-use components as well as a framework to build your own. Put in the hands of Web developers, Infusion makes building accessible features into Web applications easy.

  • ISO/IEC adoption of IMS ACCLIP specification

    The AccessForAll Meta-data specification is intended to make it possible to identify resources that match a user's stated preferences or needs. These preferences or needs would be declared using the IMS Learner Information Package Accessibility for LIP specification. The needs and preferences addressed include the need or preference for alternative presentations of resources, alternative methods of controlling resources, alternative equivalents to the resources themselves and enhancements or supports required by the user. The specification provides a common language for identifying and describing the primary or default resource and equivalent alternatives for that resource.

  • SNOW (Special Needs Opportunity Window)

    Online courses and a wealth of information to support teachers of students with special needs.

  • Raising the Floor

    Raising the Floor is an international coalition of individuals and organizations working to ensure that the Internet is accessible to people experiencing accessibility or literacy problems, even if they have very limited or no financial resources. The goal is to ensure that individuals who need special interfaces are as free and able as everyone else to use the new and emerging Internet tools and resources to live more independently and productively, and to achieve their life's goals.

  • W3C Web Accessibility Authoring Tool Working Group
    The IDRC is an active participant in the Web Accessibility Initiative of the W3C. Jutta Treviranus, Director of the IDRC,  chairs the W3C Authoring Tool Guidelines Working Group.