The 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 24-26 October 2011, Dundee, UK.

People with disabilities can use Computer and Information Technologies to overcome barriers encountered in day-to-day life, and to participate more fully in society.

The ASSETS series of conferences explores the potential of Computer and Information Technologies to support and include individuals with disabilities, and those around them. ASSETS is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies by people with disabilities. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and its SIGACCESS Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing, ASSETS includes formal paper sessions, demonstrations, posters, a doctoral consortium, and a student research competition. The single track and friendly atmosphere make ASSETS the ideal venue to meet researchers, practitioners, developers and policymakers to exchange ideas, share information, and make new contacts.

Topics

High quality, original submissions on topics relevant to computers and accessibility are invited. Appropriate topics include (but are not limited to) the use of technology by and in support of:

• Individuals with hearing, sight and other sensory impairments
• Individuals with motor impairments
• Individuals with memory, learning and cognitive impairments
• Individuals with multiple impairments
• Older adults

Successful submissions typically present (though submissions from other related areas are encouraged) novel ideas, designs, techniques, systems, evaluations, scientific investigations, methodologies, social issues or policy issues relating to:

• Assistive technologies that improve day-to-day life
• Assistive technologies that improve access to mainstream Computer and Information Technologies
• Innovative use of mainstream technologies to overcome access barriers
• Accessibility and usability of mainstream technologies
• Identification of barriers to technology access that are not addressed by existing research

Where relevant, work that includes empirical data from the target user groups is strongly preferred. ASSETS strives to publish research that carefully addresses the issues involved when individuals with disabilities interact with information technologies. In general, this means that empirical studies should include participants that are representative of the intended users of the system being studied. This does not mean that all participants must be representative of the intended users, but it does mean that some individuals fitting this description should be included in an appropriate way in the data collection process. In some cases, articles may be accepted for publication if representative users are not included in studies, but only if a sufficiently compelling argument is presented as to why it is appropriate or necessary to use non-representative users and any implications of this decision are adequately addressed. Authors should refer to the General Writing Guidelines for Technology and People with Disabilities when preparing submissions.

Submission Procedures

ASSETS accepts submissions in the following categories:

• Technical papers
• Posters and demonstrations
• Doctoral consortium
• Student research competition

All submissions will be peer-reviewed by an international panel. Submissions MUST contain substantial original, unpublished material. Please refer to the ACM policy on plagiarism for guidance.

Important Dates

Requesting mentors:

4 March 2011, Friday

Paper submission:

6 May 2011, Friday

Notification of acceptance:

17 June 2011, Friday

Posters and demos submission:

1 July 2011, Friday

Doctoral consortium submission:

1 July 2011, Friday

Student research competition submission:

1 July 2011, Friday

Notification of posters and demos acceptance:

27 July 2011, Wednesday

Notification of doctoral consortium acceptance:

27 July 2011, Wednesday

Notification of student research competition acceptance:

27 July 2011, Wednesday

Camera-ready materials:

15 August 2011, Monday

All deadlines are at midnight HAST (GMT-10:00) on the specified day.

Labels: ASSETS, Call For Papers, Conferences

This year's ASSETS Conference hosted its fifth Microsoft Student Research Competition (SRC) event. The SRC allows students from diverse ACM areas to present their work and get recognised for achievement. The competition had both Undergraduate and Graduate categories, with the following students winning in their respective categories.

Undergraduate Category

1. AudioWiz: Nearly Real-time Audio Transcriptions
   Samuel White, University of Rochester, USA
2. Utterance-Based Systems: Organization and Design of AAC Interfaces
   Timothy Walsh, The University of Delaware, USA
3. LocalEyes: Accessible GPS and Points of Interest
   Jason Behmer and Stillman Knox, University of Washington, USA

Graduate Category

1. GoBraille: Enhancing Independence and Safety for Blind and Deaf-Blind Public Transit Riders
   Shiri Azenkot and Emily Fortuna, The University of Washington, USA
2. Investigating Meaning in Uses of Assistive Devices: Implications of Social and Professional Contexts
   Kristen Shinohara, University of Washington, USA
3. Accessible Indoor Navigation
   Kyle Montague, University of Dundee, UK

Labels: ASSETS, Awards, Student Research Competition

The 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)
25 - 27 October 2010, Orlando, Florida, USA

We cordially invite you to come this year to sunny Orlando Florida, USA to share, discuss, and learn about exciting research in the intersection of computers and accessibility. ASSETS is the premier forum for dissemination of research on assistive technologies addressing needs of people with vision, motor, hearing, and speech impairments; cognitive limitations, including learning disabilities; and issues of aging.

To Register for ASSETS 2010

Please Visit: http://www.sigaccess.org/assets10/registration.html. Early registration ends Aug 21, 2010 Authors of Accepted Papers must register by Aug 17, 2010

To Book Hotel Reservations

To book hotel reservations (at the ASSETS discounted rate) are made directly with the hotel Call: +1 407 239 1144 or Visit: http://www.embassysuiteslbv.com/ when booking, please mention to the operator or enter online the following code: Group/Convention Code = AST. Please note, room/space is limited, and filled first-come first-serve basis.

Labels: ASSETS

July 2nd, 2010: Posters, Demos, Doctoral Consortium and Student Research Competition.

People with disabilities can use Computer and Information Technologies to overcome barriers encountered in day-to-day life, and to participate more fully in society. The ASSETS series of conferences explores the potential of Computer and Information Technologies to support and include individuals with disabilities, and those around them. ASSETS is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies by people with disabilities. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and its SIGACCESS Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing, ASSETS includes formal paper sessions, demonstrations, posters, a doctoral consortium, and a student research competition. The single track and friendly atmosphere make ASSETS the ideal venue to meet researchers, practitioners, developers and policymakers to exchange ideas, share information, and make new contacts.

Topics

High quality, original submissions on topics relevant to computers and accessibility are invited. Appropriate topics include (but are not limited to) the use of technology by and in support of:

• Individuals with hearing, sight and other sensory impairments
• Individuals with motor impairments
• Individuals with memory, learning and cognitive impairments
• Individuals with multiple impairments
• Older adults

Successful submissions typically present (though submissions from other related areas are encouraged) novel ideas, designs, techniques, systems, evaluations, scientific investigations, methodologies, social issues or policy issues relating to:

• Assistive technologies that improve day-to-day life
• Assistive technologies that improve access to mainstream Computer and Information Technologies
• Innovative use of mainstream technologies to overcome access barriers
• Accessibility and usability of mainstream technologies
• Identification of barriers to technology access that are not addressed by existing research
• Where relevant, work that includes empirical data from the target user groups is strongly preferred.

Labels: ASSETS, Call For Papers, Posters and Demonstrations

We are looking for experienced authors to help us with mentoring individuals new to the ASSETS conference. If you have published in ASSETS or similar venues, we encourage you to volunteer to be a mentor. If you are interested, please email the Mentor Chair (mc-assets10@acm.org) with your name, affiliation, and up to 4 keywords that represent your research areas by March 7th, 2010.

Mentoring Request

Help with submissions by seasoned researchers is available through the ASSETS Mentoring Program. You may receive advice on your submission in any of the submission categories provided by ASSETS. Although we do not guarantee that your submission will be accepted by ASSETS, most individuals who have used the mentoring service at ASSETS or at the CHI conference where it began have reported positive experiences and an improved understanding of what is required by reviewers.

If you think you would benefit from mentoring either because you are new to presenting your research, new to the type of category you are interested in submitting to or simply find that preparing English language papers foreign to your paper writing experience, please consider applying for mentoring help by emailing the Mentor Chair (mc-assets10@acm.org) a 1 page extended abstract of your paper. The deadline for mentoring request is March 5th, 2010. A mentor will be assigned to you shortly. You will then need to send your submission to the mentor assigned to you and work with this person through email, voice over IP, etc.

Deadline to request a Mentor:

March 5th, 2010

Deadline to volunteer as a Mentor:

March 7th, 2010

Website:

http://www.sigaccess.org/assets10/mentor.html

Labels: ASSETS, Mentoring

We are very pleased to announce the launch of an ASSETS Conference page on Facebook.

This page will be another venue for past and future ASSETS Conference attendees to share information, get announcements about upcoming conferences, finding and stay connected to colleagues they meet at the ASSETS year to year. In addition, videos and photos of conferences can be posted, to allow us to share links, videos, pictures, and other media from conferences! This Facebook page will be updated with information about each upcoming ASSETS Conference.

The new ASSETS Conference Facebook page is open to anyone who has a Facebook account. Any member will be able to post to the online discussion list, share media and links.

Labels: ASSETS, Conferences, Social Networking

The 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 25-27 October 2010, Orlando, Florida, USA.

People with disabilities can use Computer and Information Technologies to overcome barriers encountered in day-to-day life, and to participate more fully in society.

The ASSETS series of conferences explores the potential of Computer and Information Technologies to support and include individuals with disabilities, and those around them. ASSETS is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies by people with disabilities. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and its SIGACCESS Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing, ASSETS includes formal paper sessions, demonstrations, posters, a doctoral consortium, and a student research competition. The single track and friendly atmosphere make ASSETS the ideal venue to meet researchers, practitioners, developers and policymakers to exchange ideas, share information, and make new contacts.

Topics

High quality, original submissions on topics relevant to computers and accessibility are invited. Appropriate topics include (but are not limited to) the use of technology by and in support of:

• Individuals with hearing, sight and other sensory impairments
• Individuals with motor impairments
• Individuals with memory, learning and cognitive impairments
• Individuals with multiple impairments
• Older adults

Successful submissions typically present (though submissions from other related areas are encouraged) novel ideas, designs, techniques, systems, evaluations, scientific investigations, methodologies, social issues or policy issues relating to:

• Assistive technologies that improve day-to-day life
• Assistive technologies that improve access to mainstream Computer and Information Technologies
• Innovative use of mainstream technologies to overcome access barriers
• Accessibility and usability of mainstream technologies
• Identification of barriers to technology access that are not addressed by existing research
• Where relevant, work that includes empirical data from the target user groups is strongly preferred.

Important Dates

Paper Submission:

7th May 2010

Posters, Demos, Doctoral Consortium and Student Research Competition:

2nd July 2010

URL:

http://www.sigaccess.org/assets10/

Labels: ASSETS, Call For Papers, Conferences

This year's ASSETS Conference hosted its fourth Microsoft Student Research Competition (SRC) event. The SRC allows students from diverse ACM areas to present their work and get recognised for achievement. The competition had both Undergraduate and Graduate categories, with the following students winning in their respective categories.

Undergraduate Category

1. Sensation Augmentation to Relieve Pressure Sore Formation in Wheelchair Users
   Raphael Rush, Queen's University, Canada
2. Designing AAC Interfaces for Commercial Brain-Computer Interaction Gaming Hardware
   Stephen Steward, The University of Delaware, USA

Graduate Category

1. iSET: Enabling in Situ and Post Hoc Video Labeling
   Mish Madsen, MIT, USA; Abdelrahman Mahmoud, American University in Cairo, Egypt; Youssef Kashef, American University in Cairo, Egypt
2. Defining Virtualization Based System Abstractions for an Indoor Assistive Living for Elderly Care
   Nova Ahmed, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
3. MGuider: Mobile Guiding and Tracking System in Public Transit System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments
   Wei-Hsun Chen, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan

Labels: ASSETS, Awards, Student Research Competition

Volume 2, Issue 2 of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing is now available. This edition is a Special Issue from the ASSETS 2008 Conference and can be accessed in the ACM Digital Library.

Table of Contents

1. Guest Editorial
   Armando Barreto and Torsten Felzer
2. A3: HCI Coding Guideline for Research Using Video Annotation to Assess Behavior of Nonverbal Subjects with Computer-Based Intervention
   Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, James Halle, Laura Dethorne and Mary-Kelsey Coletto
3. A Linguistically Motivated Model for Speed and Pausing in Animations of American Sign Language
   Matt Huenerfauth
4. The Development and Evaluation of Performance-Based Functional Assessment: A Methodology for the Measurement of Physical Capabilities
   Kathleen J. Price and Andrew Sears
5. Exploring Visual and Motor Accessibility in Navigating a Virtual World
   Shari Trewin, Mark Laff, Vicki Hanson and Anna Cavender

Labels: ASSETS, Special Issue, TACCESS

Eleventh International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, October 26-28, 2009, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Call for Posters and Demonstrations

The ASSETS conference explores the potential of Computer and Information Technologies to support and include individuals with disabilities, and those around them. ASSETS is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies. This includes the use of technology by and in support of:

• Individuals with hearing, sight and other sensory impairments,
• Individuals with motor impairments,
• Individuals with memory, learning and cognitive impairments,
• Individuals with multiple impairments,
• Older adults

Poster and Demonstration Submission Procedures

The Poster and Demonstrations submission system is now open: https://www.softconf.com/s08/assets09-pd.

Submitting a poster or a demo is an ideal platform for researchers and practitioners to present their work and receive valuable feedback. Participants are invited to submit high-quality posters and demonstrations presenting novel ideas, designs, techniques, systems, tools, evaluations, scientific investigations, methodologies, social issues or policy issues relating to any topics that may be of interest to the accessibility community.

A poster is a great way to test new ideas, generate interest in a research area, or describe useful or interesting work that is not substantial enough for a full paper presentation. A demonstration is a great way to communicate inventive accessible computing and IT technologies in action.

Posters and demonstration proposals should be submitted using the ACM conference format (http://www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html), and they are limited in length to 2 pages. Proposals will be reviewed, and accepted proposals will be included in the conference proceedings. Submissions (in PDF format) should be submitted electronically via the conference web site no later than July 6, 2009.

Note: These are NOT double blind submissions; the authors’ names should be on the paper.

Labels: ASSETS, Conferences, Posters and Demonstrations

Xu Liu, from the University of Maryland, is a winner of this year’s ACM / Microsoft Student Research Competition (SRC) for his paper on “Mobile Currency Reader for People with Visual Impairments”.

This student competition takes place at many ACM conferences, including ASSETS. As one of the three winners at ASSETS, he was able to enter his work into the Grand Finals. The Grand Finals have entries from all participating ACM conferences in both graduate and undergraduate categories. In each category, there are three winners. We are extremely pleased that Xu’s work was honoured with a win in the graduate category. As a Grand Finalist, he is invited to attend the ACM Awards Banquet in San Diego next month — a ceremony that will honour many people in computing, including this year’s Turing Award recipient.

For more information about the SRC, see http://www.acm.org/src/.

ASSETS ’09 will again feature an SRC event. This is a great way to get visibility for student work! For information about how students can enter the SRC at the upcoming ASSETS conference, see http://www.sigaccess.org/assets09/information/student-research-competition.php.

Labels: ASSETS, Awards, Student Research Competition, Winner, Xu Liu

Eleventh International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, October 26-28, 2009, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Call For Papers

People with disabilities can use Computer and Information Technologies to overcome barriers encountered in day-to-day life, and to participate more fully in society. The ASSETS series of conferences explores the potential of Computer and Information Technologies to support and include individuals with disabilities, and those around them. ASSETS is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies by people with disabilities. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and its SIGACCESS Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing, ASSETS includes formal paper sessions, demonstrations, posters, a doctoral consortium, and a student research competition. The single track and friendly atmosphere make ASSETS the ideal venue to meet researchers, practitioners, developers and policymakers to exchange ideas, share information, and make new contacts.

Topics

High quality, original submissions on topics relevant to computers and accessibility are invited. Appropriate topics include (but are not limited to) the use of technology by and in support of:

• Individuals with hearing, sight and other sensory impairments,
• Individuals with motor impairments,
• Individuals with memory, learning and cognitive impairments,
• Individuals with multiple impairments,
• Older adults

Successful submissions typically present (though submissions from other related areas are encouraged) novel ideas, designs, techniques, systems, evaluations, scientific investigations, methodologies, social issues or policy issues relating to:

• Assistive technologies that improve day-to-day life.
• Assistive technologies that improve access to mainstream Computer and Information Technologies.
• Innovative use of mainstream technologies to overcome access barriers.
• Accessibility and usability of mainstream technologies.
• Identification of barriers to technology access that are not addressed by existing research.

Where relevant, work that includes empirical data from the target user groups is strongly preferred.

Submission Procedures

ASSETS accepts submissions in the following categories:

• Technical papers.
• Posters.
• Demonstrations.
• Student research competition.
• Doctoral consortium.

All submissions will be peer-reviewed by an international panel. Submissions MUST contain substantial original, unpublished material. Overlapping material should not be submitted to multiple categories.

Important Dates

• Paper submission: May 10, 2009.
• Notification of acceptance (papers): June 29, 2009.
• Poster and demo submission: July 6, 2009.
• Student research competition submission: July 6, 2009.
• Doctoral consortium submission: July 17, 2009.
• Notification of acceptance (posters and demos): July 27, 2009.
• Notification of acceptance (student research competition): July 27, 2009.
• Camera-ready materials due: August 11, 2009.
• Notification of acceptance (doctoral consortium): August 21, 2009.

Labels: ASSETS, Call For Papers, Conferences