An Exciting 2018 CSUN Conference

Tami Tidwell, DO-IT Staff

Nine DO-IT participants from across the US attended the 33rd annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN). The students attended sessions, helped at the exhibit booth, explored offered resources, and networked with both professionals and one another. Many of them knew each other from email but had never met in person. Their highlights were attending networking events hosted by Microsoft, Google, and Deque. They made a lot of valuable connections.

At the opening keynote, AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll PI Richard Ladner received the Strache Leadership Award. Each year the Center on Disabilities recognizes a leader in our field who has made a major impact in education and research. Ladner’s work has focused in creating and evaluating technologies to help make the lives of people with disabilities better. He is currently working on various projects for both AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll.

Also during the conference, Terrill Thompson presented the session “Media Player Accessibility: Insights from Interviews and Focus Groups,” where he described the lessons learned from interviews and focus groups conducted at CSUN in 2017 to better understand how persons with disabilities use video players.

The numerous sessions and wide array of resources offered left the students with a packed schedule and many assets to bring back with them. The students left excited about future technologies and inclusion.

To learn more about this year’s event or subscribe to the Center on Disabilities’ mailing list, visit their website.