Romanian ASSIST Software and the University of Suceava launch a project for digital accessibility for people with disabilities

Technology company ASSIST Software and Ștefan cel Mare University in Suceava (Romania) have officially presented the A(I)BILITIES project, an innovative initiative in the field of artificial intelligence aimed at creating adaptive and personalized digital experiences for people with disabilities. The project uses generative AI technologies and aims to transform the development and delivery of digital services in Romania and Europe in accordance with the European Accessibility Act (EAA), BalkanEnginieer.com learned from the official A(I)BILITIES website.

In the context of active digitization in everyday life, the risk of exclusion of people with disabilities is becoming increasingly serious. A(I)BILITIES offers dynamic user interfaces that adapt to different physical and sensory disabilities through features such as gesture input and personalized design components.

ASSIST Software coordinates the project and provides technical implementation—from software development to training and validation of AI models at the newly established AI Center in Suceava. The academic expertise of the MintViz lab at USV, led by Prof. Radu-Daniel Vatavu, contributes important research in the field of gesture accessibility, leading to the creation of the Gesture-A11Y tool, winner of the accessibility award at the Web4All 2025 conference.

The project is a proactive response to the requirements of the European Accessibility Act, which from 2025 will require essential digital services – including e-commerce platforms, banking apps and government websites – to be accessible to people with disabilities. Instead of treating accessibility as an afterthought at the end of development, A(I)BILITIES embeds it at the core of design, creating solutions that adapt to users' needs and provide a better user experience.

For its part, the project also highlights Romania's ethical and social commitment to AI development by placing people with disabilities at the center of innovation. ASSIST Software is also actively involved in other European research initiatives, including DataPACT and TwinShip, aimed at ethical AI processes and reducing emissions in transport.

Funding for A(I)BILITIES comes from UEFISCDI national research programs under PNCDI-4, project ID PN-IV-P7-7.1-PTE-2024-0434.

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