Event summary posted and next steps in progress.

February 22, 2012 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, event summary, iconference 2012

We have posted a summary of the discussion that occurred at the fishbowl here. One thing that was clear from the discussion was that there was still so much more to discuss! For example, of the 17 topics we hoped to discuss, we only really hit on 5 of them.

Topics we discussed to some extent include the following:

• Important themes and values found within accessibility research
• Introduction to the iSchools for accessibility researchers
• Disseminating research results (as publications, open source technology, etc.)
• Legal and ethical concerns (e.g., IRB, recruiting challenges)
• Integrating service learning into course curriculum, benefits and lessons learned

Topics we missed include the following:

• Connections between accessibility research and related fields
• How is iSchool accessibility research different from accessibility elsewhere?
• Accessibility for people who don’t have disabilities (e.g., foreign languages, situational impairments, culture, economics), e.g., universal access
• Challenges of and needs for effective machine transcription systems
• Barriers to accessibility within iSchools
• Lessons learned from accessibility and related research
• Respecting participants and including them in research
• Entering and working within participant communities
• Conducting longitudinal research with people with limited abilities
• Conducting research in situ or in the lab
• Participatory research and design
• Open areas that still need active research

We look forward to continuing this discussion on these topics and more in future iSchools- and accessibility-related events. Stay tuned for announcements of when our next event will be!

Accessibility fishbowl a success!

February 15, 2012 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, fishbowl, iconference 2012, wrap-up

We had a great discussion at our iConference 2012 event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” Thank you to all the participants, especially those who braved the fishbowl format to come join us in the “center seats!”

We covered a wide range of topics, from the important themes and values found within accessibility research, to how to disseminate research results to reach broader audiences, to the inter/multi-disciplinary nature of both iSchools research and accessibility research.

Stay tuned for a comprehensive event summary and pointers for further discussions!

Join us for a tour of TRI’s lab facilities before leaving the iConference!

February 9, 2012 in iConference 2012. 1 Comment
Tags: accessibility, iconference 2012, iDAPT, rehabilitation, TRI

For those who were at the accessibility fishbowl on Tuesday, or for those who might be visiting this page after hearing about our fishbowl, here is the information about the tour of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s recently completed lab facilities to be held tomorrow, Friday February 10th. Hope you can join us! If you can, please leave a comment on this post.

We will be meeting in the lobby of the Marriott Eaton Centre (conference hotel) and heading over at 9:30am. The tour will begin approximately at 10am. The information from our tour liaison, organizer Sonya Allin, is below:

Just fyi we’re to meet tomorrow at 10 am in the lobby of the Elm St. entrance of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) for the tour.

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is at 550 University Avenue.  If you walk west on Dundas Street to the corner of Dundas and University you will be one block south of TRI.

Hope to see you there!

List of topics for the accessibility fishbowl!

February 6, 2012 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, fishbowl, iconference 2012, topics

I am sure you are as excited as we are now that our iConference 2012 event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” is only 2 days away! Here is the final list of topics for discussion. Don’t forget: the discussion will be held on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, in room “York A” of the conference venue.

List of topics for discussion:

• Important themes and values found within accessibility research
• Connections between accessibility research and related fields
• Introduction to the iSchools for accessibility researchers
• How is iSchool accessibility research different from accessibility elsewhere?
• Accessibility for people who don’t have disabilities (e.g., foreign languages, situational impairments, culture, economics), e.g., universal access
• Challenges of and needs for effective machine transcription systems
• Barriers to accessibility within iSchools
• Lessons learned from accessibility and related research
• Respecting participants and including them in research
• Entering and working within participant communities
• Conducting longitudinal research with people with limited abilities
• Disseminating research results (as publications, open source technology, etc.)
• Legal and ethical concerns (e.g., IRB, recruiting challenges)
• Conducting research in situ or in the lab
• Participatory research and design
• Integrating service learning into course curriculum, benefits and lessons learned
• Open areas that still need active research

Hope to see you at the discussion on Wednesday!

Feedback on topics for the accessibility fishbowl?

January 26, 2012 in iConference 2012. 2 Comments
Tags: accessibility, fishbowl, iconference 2012, topics

We have been getting ready for our iConference 2012 event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” and we are excited to announce the list of possible topics we would like to discuss at the fishbowl! Do you have feedback on these topics or perhaps other topics you would like to see us address? Leave them in the comments! Before the event, we will post the final list of topics we’ve selected based on the feedback we receive on this post.

Possible topics for discussion:

• Important themes and values found within accessibility research
• Connections between accessibility research and related fields
• Introduction to the iSchools for accessibility researchers
• How is iSchool accessibility research different from accessibility elsewhere?
• Accessibility for people who don’t have disabilities (e.g., foreign languages, situational impairments, culture, economics), e.g., universal access
• Barriers to accessibility within iSchools
• Lessons learned from accessibility and related research
• Respecting participants and including them in research
• Entering and working within participant communities
• Disseminating research results (as publications, open source technology, etc.)
• Legal and ethical concerns (e.g., IRB, recruiting challenges)
• Conducting research in situ or in the lab
• Participatory research and design
• Integrating service learning into course curriculum, benefits and lessons learned
• Open areas that still need active research

Don’t forget to leave your feedback on these topics or your ideas for new topics in the comments!

One month until the accessibility fishbowl!

January 8, 2012 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, fishbowl, iconference 2012

The iConference 2012 program has been posted here, and our event will take place on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. That means it’s just one month until our event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” happens in Toronto! Are you planning to attend?

Meet the organizers!

December 10, 2011 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, mcgill university, organizers, toronto rehabilitation institute, umbc, university of toronto, women's college hospital

We have a team of 5 organizers working together to bring you an exciting discussion on the topics of accessibility in the iSchools:

Shaun Kane is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). His research focuses on how touch, gesture, and natural user interfaces can be used to increase the independence of people with disabilities. Shaun uses assistive technologies in the car and at the computer, but is assisted primarily by regular doses of coffee.

Amy Hurst is an assistant professor in Human Centered Computing at UMBC in the Information Systems Department. Her research focuses on developing technology to automatically adapt to diverse user needs and how existing DIY (Do-It-Yourself) culture and tools can be applied to Assistive Technology.

Lisa Anthony is a post-doctoral research associate at UMBC, also in the Information Systems department. Her research focuses on applying multimodal input technologies such as pen, speech and gesture to creating natural and engaging interactions for a variety of applications such as learning and gaming. She is interested in accessibility for diverse user populations such as children, older adults and students with cognitive or learning disabilities.

Karyn Moffatt is an assistant professor in the McGill School of Information Studies. Her research explores the ways in which technology can be employed to enable individuals to overcome everyday challenges and obstacles, focusing primarily on the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Sonya Allin is an adjunct researcher at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and research consultant at the University of Toronto and Women’s College Hospital.  Her research has focused on tools for home-based monitoring and rehabilitation for stroke survivors and those with balance deficits.

What are your research interests, and how do they relate to accessibility? Let us know in the comments!

Event description posted!

November 30, 2011 in iConference 2012. Leave a Comment
Tags: accessibility, event description, goals, iconference 2012, motivation

We have posted the event description for our iConference 2012 event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” here. It includes the motivation of the event, goals and a rough outline of the 90-minute session.

Fishbowl on accessibility issues in the iSchools accepted!

November 19, 2011 in iConference 2012. 2 Comments
Tags: accessibility, fishbowl, iconference 2012

We just heard that our proposed event “Accessibility in the iSchools: Not Just for People with Disabilities?” was accepted to the iConference 2012 program! This website will document the event and its outcomes. Stay tuned for more information on this event, the organizers, and how to participate!