ASSETS 2002

The Fifth International ACM SIGCAPH Conference on
Assistive Technologies

July 8 - 10, 2002, Edinburgh, Scotland

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Page Index
Quick links to the sections on this page:

Keynote Speaker

The Conference Schedule

The Schedule of Technical Program Events

Panel

Demonstrations

Social Events

Keynote Speaker

Assets 2002 is delighted to have as its Keynote speaker Professor Alan Newell of the University of Dundee.

Professor Newell's interest in research into computer systems to assist people with disabilities began in 1968 at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories. Since that time his work has attracted numerous awards, including the highly prestigious Lloyd of Kilgerran Prize from The Foundation for Science and Technology. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to IT and communication for people with disabilities in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours list.

As head of the Department of Applied Computing at the University of Dundee, Professor Newell directs one of the largest and most influential groups in the world researching into communication systems for disabled people. His other major research interests are in computer systems in areas of high social impact, and Human Computer Interaction, with a particular focus on the parallels between "ordinary" people operating in "extra-ordinary" environments, (e.g. high work and stress) and "Extra-ordinary" people (e.g. those with disabilities) operating in "ordinary" environments.

He has published over 200 papers, including 80 journal papers, and 16 book chapters, and holds 12 patents.

Professor Newell is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the British Computer Society, Institution of Electrical Engineers, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

See Professor Newell's web page for more information.

The Conference Schedule

July 7th, 2002:
6 - 8 p.m.: Early registration.
7 p.m. onwards: Social get together.
8 p.m.: Tour of conference facilities.

July 8th, 2002:
8:30 - 10:00 a.m. Opening Plenary (Professor Newell).
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Paper Sessions.
6 - 8 p.m.: Conference Reception.

July 9th, 2002:
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Paper sessions followed by SIGCAPH business meeting.
6 p.m. Visit to the National Museum of Scotland.
7 p.m. Dinner at local restaurants.

July 10th, 2002:
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Paper sessions.
8 - 10 p.m.: Whisky Tasting and Tour.

The Schedule of Technical Program Events

The list of conference presentations for Assets 2002 includes a strong set of papers covering a variety of topics. Among the topics are web access, speech recognition, issues of aging, and technologies addressing cognition, mobility, vision, hearing, and language. Below are the papers, panels, and demonstrations.

8:30 - 10:00 AM Monday, 8 July 2002

Plenary Address

Assets: Where do we go from here?

A. F. Newell

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 - 12:00 PM

Web Accessibility

From assistive technology to a web accessibility service

P. G. Fairweather, V. L. Hanson, S. R. Detweiler, & R. S. Schwerdtfeger

Improving the accessibility of aurally rendered HTML tables

R. Filepp, J. Challenger & D. Rosu

Web accessibility for low bandwidth input

J. Mankoff, M. Moore, U. Batra, & A. Dey

Navigation of HTML tables, frames, and XML fragments

E. Pontelli, A. I. Karshmer, G. Gupta, D. Gillan, W. Xiong, & E. Saad

12:00 - 1:30 PM

Lunch and Demonstrations

Visual Friendly: Web accessibility for the visually impaired

F. Bogdelin,D. Garcia

Pilot Web Service: Itry/Lycos transcoding system for the web personalization

K. Fukuda, J. Maeda, H. Takagi, C. Asakawa

1:30 - 3:00 PM

Multimodal Technologies

Sketching images eyes-free: A grid-based dynamic drawing tool for the blind

H. M. Kamel & J. A. Landay

Design and implementation of virtual environments for the training of visually impaired

D. Tzovaras, G. Nikolakis, G. Fergadis, S. Malassiotis, & M. Stavrakis

Multimodal Feedback: Establishing a performance baseline for improved access by individuals with visual impairments

H. S. Vitense, J. A. Jacko, & V. K. Emery

Multimodal virtual reality versus printed medium in visualization for blind people

W. Yu & S. Brewster

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Break

3:30 - 5:00 PM

Poster Sessions

C. E. Steriadis & P. Constantinou Using the scanning technique to make an ordinary operating system accessible to motor-impaired users. The "Autonomia" system. The content of this poster can be viewed as a pdf file from this link.

8:30 - 10:00 AM Tuesday, 9 July 2002

Accessible Interfaces

Auditory and tactile interfaces for representing the visual effects on the web

C. Asakawa, T. Ifukube, & S. Ino

Planning, reasoning, and agents for non-visual navigation of tables and frames

E. Pontelli & T.C. Son

Site-wide annotation: reconstructing existing pages to be accessible

H. Takagi, C. Asakawa, K. Fukuda, & J. Maeda

Using hand-helds to help people with motor impairments

B. A. Myers, J. O. Wobbrock, S. Yang, B. Yeung, J. Nichols, & R. Miller

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 - 12:00 PM

Learning Technologies

Ongoing investigation of the ways in which some of the problems encountered by dyslexics can be alleviated using computer techniques

A. Dickinson, P. Gregor, & A. F. Newell

Virtual environments for social skills training: the importance of scaffolding in practice

S. J. Kerr, H. R. Neale, & S. V. G. Cobb

Modeling educational software for people with disabilities: Theory and practice

N. Baloian, W. Luther, & J. Sanchez

12:00 - 1:30 PM

Lunch and Demonsrations

Compass: Software for computer skills assessment

E. F. LoPresti, H. H. Koester, W. W. McMillan, P. Moore, G. Ashlock, R. C. Simpson

The design of a computer game to assist communication of children with learning difficulties

N. Coull, P. File, L. Elder, J. Archibald

1:30 - 3:00 PM

Motor Adaptations

Zooming interfaces! Enhancing the performance of eye controlled pointing devices

R. Bates & H. Istance

HaWCoS: the "hands-free" wheelchair control system

T. Felzer, & B. Freisleben

Cursor measures for motion-impaired computer users

S. Keates, F. Hwang, P. Langdon, P. J. Clarkson, & P. Robinson

An invisible keyguard

S. Trewin

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Break

3:30 - 5:00 PM

Solutions for Aging

Designing for dynamic diversity- interfaces for older people

P. Gregor, A. F. Newell, & M. Zajicek

A novel multi-stage approach to the detection of visuo-spatial neglect based on the analysis of figure-copying tasks

R. M. Guest, & M. C. Fairhurst

Assistive social interaction for non-speaking people living in the community

N. Hine, & J. L. Arnott

Older adults' evaluations of speech output

L. Lines, & K. S. Hone

8:30 - 10:00 AM Wednesday, 10 July 2002

Speech, Voice and Translation

Speech-based cursor control

A. S. Karimullah & A. Sears

A predictive blissymbolic to English translation system

A. Waller & K. Jack

Speech recognition in university classrooms: Liberated learning project

K. Bain, S. H. Basson, & M. Wald

Voice over workplace (VoWP): voice navigation in a complex business GUI

F. James & J. Roelands

10:00 - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 - 12:00 PM

Communication Technologies

TESSA, a system to aid communication with deaf people

S. Cox, M. Lincoln, J. Tryggvason, M. Nakisa, M. Wells, M. Tutt, & S. Abbott

ICU-Talk, A Communication Aid for intubated intensive care patients

F. MacAuley, A. Judson, M. Etchels, S. Ashraf, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, J. K. Brodie, N. Alm, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer, & B. Gordon

A new generation of communication aids under the ULYSSES component-based framework

G. Kouroupetroglou, & A. Pino

Capturing Phrases for ICU-Talk, A Communication aid for intubated intensive care patients

M. Etchels, S. Ashraf, F. MacAuley, A. Judson, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, J. K. Brodie, N. Alm, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer, & B. Gordon

12:00 - 2:00 PM

Lunch and Panel

Prospective Memory Aids: Current Systems and Future Directions

E. F. LoPresti, P. Gregor, Arne Svensk, E. Cole, A. Mihailidis

2:30 - 3:30 PM

Wrap-up and Awards

Panel:

The panel will discuss research and design issues related to technology for people with cognitive disabilities. Topics include an overview of memory aids (E. F. LoPresti); diversity of the user population (P. Gregor); the cycle of identifying user desires and designing appropriate technology (E. Cole, A. Svensk), and providing assistance that is appropriate to the user's environment and social context (A. Mihailidis).

Demonstrations:

1. "Pilot Web Service: ITry/Lycos transcoding system for the web personalization". C. Asakawa, H. Takagi, K. Fukuda, J. Maeda
2. "Visual Friendly: Web accessibility for the visually impaired". F. Bogdelin, D. Garcia
3. "The design of a computer game to assist communication of children with learning difficulties". N. Coull, P. File, L. Elder, J. Archibald
4. "Compass: Software for computer skills assessment". E. F. LoPresti, H. H. Koester, W. W. McMillan, P. Moore, G. Ashlock, & R. C. Simpson

Social Events:

We have a packed social program lined up to give participants a taste of Scotland and an opportunity to get to know each other. These events are offered on a 'pay your own way' basis, except for the Monday evening reception, which is included in the conference fee.

• Sunday evening, 7 p.m. onwards: Join us for drinks at a nearby cafe bar and sample some Scottish brews. Details will be provided at the Assets registration desk.
• Monday evening, 6 - 8 p.m.: Conference reception at the Crowne Plaza hotel. Food will be provided. One reception ticket is included in the conference registration fee, and additional tickets at $35 each can be purchased with your registration. The reception will be a non smoking event.
• Tuesday evening: We invite you to explore the National Museums of Scotland, just a short distance from the Crowne Plaza. The Museum of Scotland is a striking modern building which presents the history of Scotland in a series of galleries running through time from Scotland's geological beginnings to the twentieth century. It is connected to the older Royal Museum with its elegant 'bird-cage' design main hall, which houses extensive international collections. While you are there, step out onto the rooftop garden of the Museum of Scotland for fresh air and a magnificent view of the city and surrounding hills. Entrance to the museums is free and they are open until 8pm. Museum accessibility information is provided on their web site.
• Tuesday evening dinner options: If you book in advance, you can stay on the roof and dine at the award-winning Tower Restaurant, which offers the very best seasonal Scottish produce and an outstanding selection of 150 wines. To whet your appetite, here's a sample menu. Space at the Tower Restaurant is limited, and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. To book, contact the local arrangements chair, Shari Trewin (trewin@us.ibm.com). As a less expensive alternative, join other conference attendees at Pizza Express at 8 p.m. Pizza Express is located at 23 North Bridge, very near to the Crowne Plaza. Telephone +44 (0)131 557 6411 for menu information. Sign up at the Assets registration desk to ensure your place.
• Wednesday evening, 8 - 10 p.m.: Round off your stay with a visit to the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre which promises an interactive experience of sights, sounds and smells where we will tour through the colourful history of Scotch whisky, learn how it is made, and treat ourselves to a tasting session. The visit will cost £19.95 per person and includes a private tour, a hosted tasting session of 4 single malts, a sensory perception test and a miniature to take away. The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre holds a Scottish Tourist Board 'Tourism for All' award, and provides whisky tour accessibility information on its web site. This is a non smoking event. Sign up for this event on the first day of ASSETS (space permitting), or reserve your place in advance by emailing the local arrangements chair, Shari Trewin (trewin@us.ibm.com).