Title: Three decades of research on accessibility and assistive technologies: are we there yet?

Abstract:
In this talk I will reflect on my three decades of research in the area of accessibility and assistive technologies. This will include how I navigated my way through the research, examples of two main strands of research (access to mainstream technologies and using new and emerging technologies to improve the quality of life of disabled and older people), and current challenges. I will end by considering how assistive technologies have influenced mainstream technologies and methods for involving older and disabled people in research in this area of research.

Biography

Prof. Petrie is Professor Emerita of HCI in the Department of Computer Science, University of York, having over 20 years of internationally-recognized research on technologies for people with disabilities and elderly people, aiming to improve their quality of life and well-being. She has been involved in over 30 British and international projects in these areas and has published widely.

She has received a Royal Television Society Technical Innovation Prize, a Social Impact Award from the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal National Institute for Blind People. She is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Her current interests lie in the areas of Inclusive and Usable Security in Computing, Sustainability through Interaction Design, Psychological aspects of the Introduction and Use of New Technologies and Supporting the elderly to live independently in their own homes for longer.