Delivering Access Through Personalization

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Speaker
Shari Trewin
Accesssibility Researcher, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

When
-

Where
Newell-Simon Hall 1305 (Michael Mauldin Auditorium)

Description

Having access to information technology means having the ability to receive, use and manipulate data being presented, and to operate all available controls. An accessible design must be personalizable—able to be adapted to suit users with very different interaction needs. However, simply providing flexibility is not sufficient if the default user interface is inaccessible. Approaches that can help users with personalization will be illustrated by three current projects being pursued by the IBM Accessibility Research group: Web Adaptation Technology, the Keyboard Optimizer, and standards for abstract user interface description. From these experiences, we are identifying the crucial factors that determine when and what personalization support is needed to provide true access for all users. To date, the most important factors appear to be the level of access prior to personalization, and the user’s awareness of their own requirements.

Speaker's Bio

Shari Trewin is an accessibility researcher at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, New York, with interests in adaptive user interfaces, user modelling for input devices, and modality independent description of user interfaces. She joined the Accessibility Research Group in 2000 from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where she focused on intelligent tutoring systems for music education. Her PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Edinburgh consisted of a dynamic diagnostic model of the keyboard configuration requirements of users.

Speaker's Website
http://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=us-trewin