China Research Center for Disabled Persons' Information and Accessible Technology

Zhejiang University, in collaboration with the China Disabled Persons' Federation, has established the China Research Center for Disabled Persons' Information and Accessible Technology, the first technology research center outside the China Disabled Persons' Federation system. For the past 15 years, it has developed a range of accessible information systems and platforms, including the China Digital Library for Visual Impairment and Accessible Live Streaming System, providing efficient and precise accessible online information services to over 36 million registered disabled individuals in China.

The lab is committed to research on artificial intelligence to aid in information accessibility, combining cutting-edge technologies like computer vision, speech recognition, and natural language processing. It focuses on accessible intelligent media computing, working on projects such as accessible assistive glasses for blind people, text recognition, and automated accessibility testing for websites.

Moreover, the Center has formed a joint working group with the China Disabled Persons' Federation and other organizations to develop information accessibility technology standards, some of which are currently used nationwide. This initiative has resulted in a basic framework for an accessibility standards system encompassing internet content, assistive tools, and content processing and generation. The system has been applied to websites of institutions like ZJU and Beihang University. Collaborating with leading internet companies like Alibaba, the center is driving the accessibility upgrade of internet products and services.