Newsroom – California State University, Northridge

CSUN Conference to Explore Global Assistive Technology Divide as It Returns to San Diego for 26th Annual Event

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 8th, 2011) ―

Thousands of people from around the world—from entrepreneurs and tech industry executives to academics and persons with disabilities—are expected to gather in mid-March in San Diego to explore new ways technology can help the disabled.

California State University, Northridge’s 26th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference—the largest of its kind in the world—is scheduled to take place March 14-19 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, One Market Place, San Diego, Calif.

“People don’t realize the ‘magic’ that takes place when persons with disabilities sit down and talk with business and technology innovators. The results of those conversations can change lives,” said Sandy Plotin, managing director of Cal State Northridge’s Center on Disabilities, which organizes the internationally acclaimed conference every year. “Conversations like that take place throughout the conference.”

Plotin said the decision to move the conference two years ago from Los Angeles to San Diego to accommodate more people while eliminating the need to split attendees between two venues has received an overwhelming positive response.

“Now that we’ve passed our ‘inaugural’ orientation in the city, we are eager to continue the work we started last year and extend our outreach to even more communities and invite them to the conference,” she said.

The conference explores all aspects of technology and disabilities and features a faculty of internationally recognized speakers, more than 300 general session workshops and more than 150 exhibitors displaying the latest technologies for persons with disabilities.

This year at the keynote address, the conference will host a panel discussion examining the global assistive technology divide.

The panelists include Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Disabled People, Axel Leblois, founder and executive director of G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Technologies, an advocacy initiative of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, and Paul P. Schafer, information technology specialist and assistant Section 508 coordinator at the U. S. Department of State. The discussion is expected to take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15.

“As the world becomes smaller, we have to find a way to ensure that assistive technology is available to everyone who needs it,” Plotin said. “Our goal with this discussion is to take a serious look at how we can get information and technology to other people in other countries who may not have the resources we do.”

Conference participants will have the opportunity to choose from full- and half-day pre-conference in-depth workshops on March 14 and 15, including the Center on Disabilities’ renowned Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program, which is designed to offer a “certificate” in the area of assistive technology applications.

Pre-conference workshops and general session topics run the gamut of disability and technology issues, from workplace concerns and improving learning outcomes to promoting inclusion with technology, with a focus on emerging technologies.

For more information about the conference or how to register to attend, visit CSUN’s Center on Disabilities’ website at www.csunconference.org or call the center at (818) 677-2578 V/TTY.

California State University, Northridge has a long history of involvement in many aspects of disability. This involvement dates back to 1961, when the university was known as San Fernando Valley State College, and precedes Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In 1983, the university officials created the Center on Disabilities to directly assist Cal State Northridge students in realizing their academic and career goals. To that end, the technology and persons with disabilities conference was launched.

Over the years, the conference has grown to about 5,000 participants, with presenters and exhibitors sharing technology devices, services and programs. Participants have come from all 50 states, numerous territories and more than 35 foreign countries. It has an international reputation for expanding the knowledge base of professionals and introducing newcomers to the field.

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