Pear Square: Design and Development of Inclusive Digital Media Technology

This project investigates the development process of accessible digital media technologies using Pear Square, a web platform aimed at assisting post-secondary students with their academic accommodations, as the research basis. Current development processes are contextualized by identifying relating concepts and resources that demonstrate approaches in creating accessible systems. The research process consists of technical analysis of several accessibility tools and their influence on the development processes of websites, such as colour and contrast or screen reader functionality for people with low or no vision. The development of the Pear Square platform consists of identifying key user-case scenarios and ensuring the developed features accommodate current accessibility standards. Through the analysis of the development process of Pear Square, the objective of this research is to assess current development technologies and propose future solutions that enable efficient accessible development processes.