Desenvolvimento de um portal de objetos em audiodescrição: recurso de tecnologia assistiva para inclusão de pessoas com deficiência visual - "BOCAWEB"

Abstract

This research aimed to develop an assistive technology resource for audio description through the creation of a web portal conceived under the perspective of universal design. This thesis’ product is an audio description portal named BocaWeb. As for the methodology, this essay consisted in a research project and experimental development made by a collaborative network formed by researchers linked to the BOCA Project – “Seeing with words – audio description as assistive technology for social, educational and cultural inclusion for people with visual impairment”, carried out at the Information and Communication Technology Research Study Group – GEPETIC (Grupo de Estudo de Pesquisa em Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação). BocaWeb is one of the intended products of this bigger project. The theoretical references adopted in this thesis were concepts of network society by Manuel Castells and the distorted communication by Claus Mueller, in addition to conceptual tools such as social technology, assistive technology, universal design, educationware and audio description. The thesis we defend is that in the development of technologies, when universal design basics are observed from the beginning until the final phases, the results are, in fact, accessible products. To prove this thesis, the basics of universal design were systematized and identified as requirement (software engineering technique) during BocaWeb’s development steps, so that it was possible to verify the conformity. This conformity analysis was made by seven external consultants: people with visual impairment – low sight and blindness, who tested BocaWeb since the first versions, identified barriers and suggested improvements until the latest version. The achieved results show that not only it’s possible to develop technological resources according to the basics of universal design, but also that these basics must be unfailingly followed, otherwise, the final product won’t have solid accessibility principles. Furthermore, we concluded that people with disabilities must act as consultors at the development of assistive technology resources, that is, the motto “nothing about us without us” must be observed in a wide manner, not restricted to the development of public politics, but also for every single assistive technology resource, whether it is a public power or a private initiative project.