JISC

Accessibility experts from the world of social media will be helping those in education to make technology adapt and enable people to use it, rather than the other way around, at an event in Nottingham called Rewiring Inclusion on 8 and 9 February 2010.

Speakers from Google and Yahoo! Europe will address the conference, which is jointly organised by The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) and JISC TechDis, to promote barrier-free learning.

Julian Harty from Google will be sharing his knowledge and experience on how mobile technologies and open source software can make the previously inaccessible, accessible for everyone. Delegates will also learn about the impact that the latest Google services, such as Wave, Chrome OS, and Android will have on learning.

Yahoo Europe will also be taking part in the event with Artur Ortega, their accessibility evangelist, outlining the Yahoo! approach to accessibility and his personal experiences in overcoming barriers as a blind IT practitioner.

Speakers will also include Dr Dónal Fitzpatrick from the School of Computing at Dublin City University and plenary contributions will come from leading figures in the commercial and research fields, including accessibility researcher, Dr Jane Seale from the University of Southampton, and Peter Hartley, Bradford University’s Professor of Education Development, Alison Mills Head of Assessment for learning at The Manchester College, and James Clay from Gloucestershire College.

“Technology can make an important contribution to barrier-free learning”, said Seb Schmoller, Chief Executive of ALT. “Technology companies like Google and Yahoo! Europe, with their global presence and commitment to research and development, are making great strides to ensure their services are accessible.

“At the same time they are changing the nature of the Web, putting tools and services into the hands of learners that make content accessible, thereby reducing barriers. This conference will provide a unique opportunity for organisations to get updated," added Seb.

The closing date for conference bookings is 2 February 2010.

Register and find out more