Jonathan Lazar, Director, Universal Usability Laboratory, Towson University
Disability Area: Topic Area:
Length of Session (in hours): 5-6 hr
Format: Lecture
Expertise Level: Intermediate
Type of session: Not provided
Summary of Session
Exploring the dynamics of creating curricula in different faculties and schools which aim to integrate Universal Design and Assistive Technologies.
Abstract
This pre-conference programme will introduce attendees to a series of courses that have been run by the speakers over recent years and in each case highlight the way Universal Design and AT have been introduced to their intended audiences, the way the authors gained 'by-in' with their school, college or university authorities, the course content, issues arising and outcomes. It will be a day of discussion and exploration looking at the latest instructional techniques used on the courses, future aims and objectives and the impact of new technologies on universal design and AT knowledge building and how this can be shared with potential users and their supporters, peers, researchers and academic colleagues.
Kepoints
Planning for the integration of UD and AT within curricula
Issues related to the integration of UD and AT within curricula
Outcomes of integration of UD and AT within curricula
Speaker Bio(s)
E.A. Draffan
E.A. Draffan is a Speech and Language Therapist who specialises in the use of assistive technology and accessibility. She has worked with those who have communication and written language difficulties in hospitals, schools and universities. She has recently been working on open source projects involving the Arabic language.
Jonathan Lazar
Dr. Jonathan Lazar is a professor of computer and information sciences, director of the undergraduate program in information systems, and founder and director of the Universal Usability Laboratory, all at Towson University. His research focuses on understanding how people with disabilities interact with technologies, how improved interface design can change the quality of life, and how human-computer interaction and public policy influence each other. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Dr. Lazar was the Shutzer Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, researching the relationship between web-based interfaces that are inaccessible to people with disabilities, and how those inaccessible interfaces lead to forms of discrimination that are illegal under US law. Lazar has published more than 120 refereed articles in journals, books, and conference proceedings. He has also authored three books and edited three, including Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction (Wiley, 2010), Universal Usability: Designing Computer Interfaces for Diverse User Populations (Wiley, 2007), and Web Usability: A User-Centered Design Approach (Addison Wesley, 2006). He was awarded a 2011 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Public Service, a 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind for working towards achieving the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality, and a 2009 Innovator of the Year Award from the Maryland Daily Record for his work on improving the accessibility of web-based security features. He currently serves as chair of public policy for ACM SIGCHI (the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction).