Advancing Accessibility in Academic AI: Our Platform Meets EAA and WCAG 2.1 Standards
CACTUS' AI Writing Platform Elevates Accessibility and Inclusivity in Academic Publishing
CACTUS Communications, a leading technology company, has developed an AI writing platform designed to be an inclusive, intuitive solution for individual users worldwide. This platform, now fully compliant with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 Level AA), is revolutionizing academic research and publishing by integrating accessibility features as core functionalities.
The platform's commitment to accessibility is evident in its multi-lingual audio tool, which converts research content into audio format in multiple languages. This feature expands the global audience reach, enabling users worldwide, including those with visual impairments or reading difficulties, to access research in their preferred language and medium.
Another key feature is the context-aware alt text generator, which produces meaningful, accurate descriptions for images by analyzing the manuscript context, captions, and technical vocabulary. This ensures that visually impaired users can understand graphical content effectively, meeting WCAG guideline requirements for non-text content.
The AI summary tool simplifies dense academic research into clear, jargon-free language without compromising scientific rigor, reducing cognitive load and making research content more comprehensible for users with diverse expertise levels and cognitive abilities.
These features are designed with accessibility as a default setting, reflecting compliance with the EAA that demands inclusive digital experiences, and targets the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards by facilitating multiple modalities for content consumption and ensuring clarity and usability across user abilities.
In addition, CACTUS Communications continually innovates with AI-powered solutions developed in collaboration with industry leaders (like AWS), further enhancing scalability and user-centric design to address challenges of accessibility and inclusion in scholarly publishing.
CACTUS's platform not only improves accessibility for people with disabilities but also promotes inclusive global engagement by overcoming language and format barriers, making academic research more reachable and usable for a broader and more diverse audience.
The platform has partnered with Taylor & Francis, Morressier, and the American Society of Microbiology to simplify the editorial process, improve scholarly workflows, and transform manuscript submissions. It is a ready-to-integrate solution for academic institutions and currently used by over 200,000 users globally.
Nishchay Shah, CACTUS's Group CTO and EVP, Products & AI, stated that the platform's EAA compliance marks a significant step towards championing true accessibility and inclusivity across the global scientific community. The achievement positions the platform as a crucial advancement in making academic support tools more equitable and inclusive for all researchers.
Compliance with accessibility standards is paving the way for a more accessible and equitable future in academic research and publishing. As one of the earliest platforms in academic AI to meet such rigorous accessibility criteria, CACTUS's AI writing platform is leading the charge towards a more inclusive academic ecosystem.
[1] CACTUS Communications. (2021). CACTUS Communications' AI Writing Platform Achieves European Accessibility Act (EAA) Compliance. [Online]. Available: https://www.cactusglobal.com/news/cactus-communications-ai-writing-platform-achieves-european-accessibility-act-eaa-compliance/
[2] CACTUS Communications. (2021). CACTUS Communications and AWS Announce Strategic Partnership to Enhance AI-Powered Solutions for Academic Publishing. [Online]. Available: https://www.cactusglobal.com/news/cactus-communications-and-aws-announce-strategic-partnership-to-enhance-ai-powered-solutions-for-academic-publishing/
[3] CACTUS Communications. (2021). CACTUS Communications and Morressier Announce Partnership to Improve Scholarly Workflows with Preflight's AI-Powered Checks. [Online]. Available: https://www.cactusglobal.com/news/cactus-communications-and-morressier-announce-partnership-to-improve-scholarly-workflows-with-preflights-ai-powered-checks/
[4] CACTUS Communications. (2021). CACTUS Communications and Taylor & Francis Announce Partnership to Simplify the Editorial Process with a Pioneering AI Solution. [Online]. Available: https://www.cactusglobal.com/news/cactus-communications-and-taylor-francis-announce-partnership-to-simplify-the-editorial-process-with-a-pioneering-ai-solution/
[5] CACTUS Communications. (2021). CACTUS Communications and the American Society of Microbiology Transform Manuscript Submissions with the Platform Preflight. [Online]. Available: https://www.cactusglobal.com/news/cactus-communications-and-the-american-society-of-microbiology-transform-manuscript-submissions-with-the-platform-preflight/
- By integrating writing support features such as the audio tool, context-aware alt text generator, and AI summary tool, CACTUS' AI Writing Platform aims to make academic writing more accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of users, including those with visual impairments or reading difficulties.
- As academic institutions increasingly prioritize education-and-self-development in the digital age, CACTUS Communications' partnering with industry leaders like AWS and academic publishers such as Taylor & Francis, Morressier, and the American Society of Microbiology enhances the scholarly writings' accessibility through more equitable and inclusive AI-powered tools, thereby broadening the reach and usability of academic research.
- Beyond merely improving accessibility for people with disabilities, CACTUS' platform also targets academic writing support for a global audience by addressing language and format barriers, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and collaborative environment in the broader academic world.
