HiQ MAKES ONLINE NEWSPAPERS ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE
Today, ”Tidning för alla” (“Newspapers for everyone”) is launched. The solution is developed by HiQ and makes news websites and articles accessible for people with reading disabilities, enabling them to view content simultaneously and just as simple as other citizens.
”For most of us it’s standard going to one of the online newspapers for the latest update, or to read interesting articles and stories. For people with reading disabilities or who are visually impaired it’s not as easy. This new solution solves the problem without changing a single line of code on the websites,” says Magnus Gudéhn, Managing Director at HiQ Stockholm.
At the moment Aftonbladet, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet are connected to ”Tidning för alla”. The solution scans the three major news sites in real-time and presents the essential content - cleared from images, ads, and other disturbing elements - on an accessibility-adapted website, that supports tools such as screen readers.
”Tidning för alla” is based on machine learning which means that the already high level of accuracy, in the scanning of the sites, will increase the more the solution is used.
”In the group ‘people with reading disabilities’ we include the around 100,000 visually impaired and people with deafblindness in Sweden, as well as everyone with dyslexia. That’s a lot of people who will now have a new tool, and it’s been incredibly important to work closely with the target group during development,” Magnus Gudéhn explains.
More newspapers can be added in the future, and from a technical point of view the service can also be expanded with international sites, regardless of language. ”Tidning för alla” is initiated by HiQ and conducted with support from the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority’s innovation competition ”Available for everyone?”
”A couple years back, we created a Facebook service for people with deafblindness. That made us aware of the democracy problem that occurs when people with high demands on accessibility don’t have access to the news sources that are a given for the rest of us,” says Lars Stugemo, President and CEO of HiQ.
”This is a great example of how digitalisation creates opportunities to simplify and improve. Our team has developed a solution that makes everyday life, for a lot of people, a bit more simple and fun,” Stugemo concludes.
To try out the solution, go to tidningforalla.se
For more information, please contact:
Lars Stugemo, President and CEO HiQ, tel. +46 8 588 90 000
Magnus Gudéhn, Managing Director HiQ Stockholm, tel. +46 704 200 082
Jenny Normark Sperens, Head of Corporate Communications, tel. +46 734 431 007
HiQ helps to make the world a better place by making people’s lives simpler through technology and communication. We are the perfect partner for everyone eager to achieve results that make a difference in a digital world. Founded in 1995, HiQ currently has 1,400 specialists in four countries and is listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm MidCap list. For more information and inspiration, please visit www.hiq.se
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