AI platform for visually impaired students
Students with visual impairments often face major hurdles in their everyday studies: Teaching materials are often not barrier-free and digital solutions are rarely sufficient. To meet these challenges, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is expanding the ACCESS@KIT center into a service center for visually impaired students in Baden-Württemberg. The aim is to create an AI-supported platform that automatically converts learning materials into accessible formats. The Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts is funding the project with 2.4 million euros.
At the heart of the expansion is the new AI-based teaching platform IncluDocs BW: students with visual impairments will be able to upload scripts, presentations or other lecture materials and have them converted into accessible documents. Assistants will be able to intervene if artificial intelligence does not offer a suitable solution.
Accessible materials for students in Baden-Württemberg
"We want equal opportunities for all students. The IncluDocs BW teaching platform is another milestone on the road to equal participation for students with visual impairments," says Minister of Science Petra Olschowski. "The Karlsruhe center will become a state-wide contact point and pioneer of inclusive education in Baden-Württemberg."
"With ACCESS@KIT, KIT has a unique central institution in the state that prepares teaching materials for visually impaired students and conducts research in this field," says Professor Oliver Kraft, Vice President of Research, Teaching and Academic Affairs at KIT. "The expansion is an important step towards making studying more accessible for everyone and at the same time setting new standards in digital accessibility."
The Scientific Computing Center (SCC) of KIT is responsible for hosting the IncluDocs BW platform. This ensures that visually impaired students from all over Baden-Württemberg can use the service. All uploaded materials are processed on the platform in compliance with legal requirements.
About ACCESS@KIT
The Center for Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technologies (ACCESS@KIT) at KIT has been advising and supporting students and prospective students with visual impairments and blindness since 1987. In this way, it enables self-determined and inclusive studies at KIT. It also researches new assistive technologies and access to STEM degree programs. Since 2020, ACCESS@KIT has also been part of the "Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technologies" real-world laboratory, which is funded as part of KIT's Institutional Strategy.