JOIN USTraining to be testers
For many visually challenged persons, it is hard to think of life without the numerous gadgets that aid them work and lead a normal life. They can tap into the vast pool of information and entertainment available over the internet as well as use all channels of communication to build their professional network and stay closer to their dear ones.
Yet, there are certain barriers that stop them from taking full advantage of technology that has empowered them. Many have blamed lack of awareness and non-availability of a proper training curriculum to create the work force, while a practical strategy to remedy the situation has remained evasive so far.
A start-up IT company and an NGO that trains and places persons with disability have teamed up to work on the problem and their idea of setting up a software accessibility lab to have a bunch of testers appears sound.
“The Software Accessibility Lab would have persons with vision challenge and other disabilities,” said Madhu Singhal, managing trustee, Mitra Jyothi. “As users, they have the best idea of accessibility features in a software product that would help them operate it without a glitch. Understanding the shortcomings of a software product and addressing them technically would require extensive training, technical guidance and connect with the industry.”
This is where Prakat Solutions, the start-up company that provides a range of software testing solutions and services, primarily for telecom, health care and banking/ finance sectors, would help the NGO.
Prakat is putting in place a comprehensive training system to prepare the visually challenged to be full-fledged testers. As testers, their job would entail checking software and website contents for compliance with access guidelines provided by the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and US federal regulations.
“They will be trained extensively in checking and validating software and websites for accessibility,” said Anuradha Biswas, CEO of Prakat Solutions.
“The first major task for us will be to see the kind of environment in which they are currently working, to assess their limitations and to make the training environment friendlier for them. A team from Prakat Solutions is working with Mitra Jyothi to analyse how the visually impaired and people with other motor disabilities use the internet and other software products. This would also extend to applications on mobile phones.”
Besides introducing them to all standard testing tools, procedures and methodologies, Prakat will also create a conducive working atmosphere for the visually challenged and testers with other disabilities. It would identify and build tools for them using different access technologies.
“After the initial training with Mitra Jyothi, we would internally develop the framework and requirements for the accessibility lab,” Biswas explained.
“Mitra Jyothi conducts training programmes for the visually/ physically challenged where they are trained on computer skills. Prakat will join hands with them to assess the skills and the related domain experience some of these candidates come with. This would create the basis for us to identify suitable candidates who would receive more training on accessibility.”
Eventually, candidates become eligible to be a part of Prakat’s extended workforce. They will be given an opportunity to work on real life customer projects and will also receive a stipend for the duration of the projects.
The two organisations will also evolve a training system capable of imparting the skills to several visually and physically challenged persons in future.
“Initially, our focus would be around accessibility testing for websites. We would then extend the services to testing any software used by consumers or consumer-facing applications,” said Krishan Kumar Murugan, system analyst and consultant for Digital Talking Book Library at Mitra Jyothi.
“From Mitra Jyothi’s side, I will be closely working with the Prakat team and see if the lab can equip itself to test various software products. We will also address the question of training to meet all the requirements,” he added.
The lab would be a springboard for several visually challenged persons who fancy a career in IT. Biswas also hopes that the vast number of software they would be testing in different domains and the real projects they work on during their training would stand them in good stead when they appear for interviews in IT companies.
Consequently, they can also continue to be a part of Prakat’s extended workforce and do testing from home on customer projects.
The company would expand its repertoire to include testing for all kinds of accessibility and assistive technologies used by the blind, colour blind, and those with low vision, hearing impairment, locomotive disability/ paraplegic and cognitive challenges (dyslexia, learning difficulties).
For details, visit: www.prakat.com; Email: info@prakat.com