AccessCat’s website is accessible. This has been guaranteed by an accessibility audit performed by TOTHOMweb, a company accredited as an inspection entity for the analysis of accessibility in websites and mobile applications by the public body ENAC (Spanish National Accreditation Body), Spain’s representative in the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). 

The audit analysed the website from its most visible features down to its underlying structure in order to ensure that technologies such as screen readers can quickly and clearly share the information with the users. You can read the Accessibility Statement for more information on the audit, the decrees, and the articles that regulate web accessibility, which the AccessCat website meets.

The Network has now taken a new step forward: we have enabled Able Player, an accessible media player. This free, open-source tool will allow a wide range of users with diverse needs to customise how videos are played. Among other features, Able Player offers many customisation options, such as the following improvements in accessibility:

• Possibility of adding audio description and customising it (changing the voice, volume, and speed, among others).
• Possibility of adding sign language interpreting and customising its display.
• High-contrast tools. Colours can be adjusted to meet specific needs. Moreover, the controls that are in use are clearly distinguishable.
• Subtitle customisation (font, size, colours, transparency...).
• Keyboard accessibility. In addition, its code is designed to work with screen readers.
• It includes customisable keyboard shortcuts to facilitate keyboard access.
• Adjustable playback speed (both slowing down and speeding up the video).
• Tools that facilitate navigation within the video for all types of users (from persons who only use the keyboard to those who navigate using screen readers).
• Translated and adapted to several languages, including Catalan.

The installation of Able Player was carried out by TOTHOMweb who, as well as considering the AccessCat website’s specific needs, has added the adaptations required to ensure compliance with European accessibility regulations.

Below, you can see a video showcasing an example of Able Player, in which members of our research groups describe the Network and its mission [in Catalan]: 

Several of Able Player’s functions are enabled in this video as a demonstration. These include subtitling and audio description, produced with a synthetic voice chosen based on the type of content and with the aim of exploring the media player’s TTS functionality. Below, you can see a video with audio description produced using a human voice [in Catalan]: