The Alternate Format Business Technology Challenge

This contest is over.
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The Alternate Format Business Technology Challenge Deadline: 2020-04-23
Award: $150,000 CAD
Open to: Canadian entities*

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is seeking a solution that will result in innovation and efficiency in the production of, and access to, a wide variety of physical and digital alternate format materials for Canadians with print disabilities.

The majority of published materials remain inaccessible to people with print disabilities in Canada; only a small number are produced in alternate formats and the population is aging, so this need will increase. It is costly and time-consuming to produce physical formats like Braille and human-narrated audiobooks. While some publishers are producing digital publications, they are not always accessible.

Producing accessible digital and physical materials currently requires technical expertise. The time, knowledge, and effort to do so is too high to meet the ongoing need for new publications, let alone for current or historic (legacy) materials. Devices that facilitate access to digital alternate formats remain costly, limited (e.g., only provide a few lines of Braille at a time) and complicated for populations without strong technical literacy (e.g., some seniors). To meet this diverse population's needs, alternate formats also increasingly need to be produced in many languages.

ESDC is looking for solutions that increase access to alternate format materials for Canadians with print disabilities.

* Details may apply. See contest website to confirm eligibility.


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