New IBM Tools Help Developers Create iOS and Android Apps for Users with Disabilities

Monday, March 9, 2015

In an effort to help app publishers make their apps more accessible for users with disabilities, IBM has released the AbilityLab Mobile Accessibility Checker which allows app developers and designers to automate, document and report on accessibility standards conformance directly within mobile hybrid and native iOS and Android application development environments.

The tool identifies and then helps resolve usability and accessibility issues, such as lack of description, low color contrast or limitations to keyboard navigation. The tool also helps developers focus on these issues early in the development cycle to help deliver an optimized mobile user experience.

The IBM Checker can help developers by:

- Ensuring adherence to accessibility standards and government regulations.

- Saving time and expense by correcting accessibility violations automatically.

- Eliminating roadblocks for developers less familiar with accessibility compliance requirements.

- Delivering better insights into usability to create a better mobile experience for all users.

For example, the Checker can help create better usability for people with vision impairments by flagging text with foreground and background color contrast issues, and then recommending ways to easily correct it.

The IBM AbilityLab Mobile Accessibility Checker can be licensed as a service or as a software component, which includes a Java software development kit (SDK) to enable deeper integration into products or solutions.