Javaabu and BVISM Showcase the Next Generation of Accessible Web at Maldives IGF 2026
Javaabu and the Blind and Visually Impaired Society of Maldives (BVISM) presented “Managing the Next Generation of Accessible Web” at Maldives Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2026 on 19 September 2026 at Villa College. The session was delivered by Javaabu Co-Founder and CEO Mohamed Jailam, demonstrating how established accessibility standards can be combined with artificial intelligence to build digital platforms that are easier for visually impaired users to navigate and easier for organisations to manage.
Held from 3:10 PM to 3:20 PM at Ocean View Hall of Villa College, the presentation formed part of the “AI & Innovation for Everyone” theme of Maldives IGF 2026. The forum brings together government, civil society, the private sector, academia and the wider technology community to discuss the future of internet governance in the Maldives. The 2026 edition also brought together the National IGF and the first Youth IGF Maldives.
At the centre of the presentation was the newly developed BVISM website, undertaken by Jailam as part of Javaabu’s corporate social responsibility initiatives. Jailam, who is also a member of BVISM, demonstrated how accessibility can be considered throughout the design, development and ongoing management of a modern website rather than being treated as an additional feature after development.
The bilingual Dhivehi and English platform includes audio for its content, adjustable font sizes and contrast settings, and automatically generated alternative text for images. It also includes an AI-powered question feature that allows visitors to ask questions using either voice or text and find relevant information from the website more naturally.
Audio and AI capabilities for the platform are powered by DhivehiGPT, including Dhivehi text-to-speech technology. These services are being provided free of charge under Javaabu’s CSR programme and its partnership with BVISM. Javaabu and BVISM formalised their collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2025, providing BVISM with access to DhivehiGPT capabilities including AI assistance, speech-to-text, text-to-speech and OCR.
The presentation also explored how AI is changing the effort required to develop accessible websites. Jailam highlighted that modern AI coding agents can help developers implement accessibility requirements much more efficiently by explicitly instructing them to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This can make established accessibility practices easier to incorporate into everyday development workflows, alongside appropriate review and testing.
Beyond making the public-facing website accessible, Javaabu also focused on making the platform itself manageable by BVISM members. Jailam conducted a live demonstration showing how members can update and manage website content through a Telegram bot, providing a more conversational interface for maintaining the site without requiring users to work through a conventional website administration panel.
The session continued a longstanding collaboration between Javaabu and BVISM around digital accessibility. At Maldives IGF 2023, Javaabu and BVISM jointly presented a session on making the internet inclusive and accessible, where accessibility challenges on Maldivian digital platforms and practical approaches for developers were demonstrated to participants.
It also continued Javaabu’s engagement with the Maldives IGF over successive years. In 2024, the Javaabu leadership team presented DhivehiGPT and its role in expanding access to AI for Maldivians. At Maldives IGF 2025, Javaabu explored the opportunities and challenges involved in developing AI technologies for low-resource languages and the Maldivian context.
BVISM is a non-profit organisation established in 2010 with the aim of empowering blind and visually impaired people and supporting them in achieving their full potential. Through the new website and its continuing partnership with Javaabu, the organisation is exploring how accessible design and emerging AI technologies can support greater independence in both accessing information and managing digital services.
The Maldives IGF 2026 presentation demonstrated how accessibility, AI and practical software engineering can work together: not only making digital information easier to access, but also giving the communities served by those platforms more direct control over how their information is maintained and shared.
