M-CARE developed a Mobile Training for Home and Health Caregiver For People with Disabilities and Older People. They just released their 5th M-CARE newsletter. You can view it below. You can find them on http://mcare-project.eu / http://twitter.com/MCareproject / http://www.facebook.com/MCareproj.
This project (M-Care – 539913-LLP-1-2013-1-TR-LEONARDO-LMP) has been funded with support from the European Commission.
The iTag Hackathon is a computer programming and game design competition which teams participate internationally or locally here at the host Nottingham Trent University.
This hackathon is part of an IEEE academic conference called the Interactive Technologies and Games Conference (iTag). See more at http://itag.gamecity.org/.
Goal
The idea is to create a game (in the most general meaning of the idea) around the Hackathon theme* (secret: which will be revealed before the 72 hour period).
*The aim of the hackathon is to develop an application that can benefit an educational environment or provide enhanced accessibility to a specified user base. For those that wish to take part, all they need to do is register as either an individual or team on our website. All participants can either take part at a designated venue or remotely.
Voting
Voting by the iTag IEEE conference delegates will take place, winning and runner-up teams will be acknowledged officially by NTU and iTag. Winning team is also awarded a total cash prize of £250.
When?
The Hackathon is taking place from Thursday 20th of October 9am until Thursday the 22nd of October 5pm (GMT).
We would like to invite you to join us at the Interactive Games and Technologies (ITAG) Conference, to be held at the Nottingham Council House on Thursday 22 – Friday 23 October 2015.
Join our community of like-minded professionals
The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers and practitioners to collaboratively share and develop interactive projects and resources in the areas of health, education and disability.
The conference features talks, presentations and workshops from a diverse range of innovative speakers and practitioners who will provide you with inspiration, ideas and practical resources to take back into the workplace.
Visit our website to download the full conference schedule.
Highlights include…
Keynote lectures
“Interactive technologies and developmental disorders: Differences, needs and rewards”
Professor Kevin Durkin, University of Strathclyde
This presentation looks at how individuals with developmental disorders relate to new interactive technologies and considers their needs to make recommendations to achieve accessible solutions to promote well-being.
“Developing Natural user Interface Games for Health without coding”
Stephen Howell, Academic Engagement Manager, Microsoft
This presentation will show how the Xbox Kinect body tracking sensor can be programmed in a simple block based programming language (scratch) to create compelling interactive user experiences.
Workshops
Community practitioner presentations
Book your ITAG Conference place
The conference includes refreshments, light lunch and an evening reception at the National Video Game Arcade.
We encourage you to share details of the conference with any colleagues who may share an interest in the area of interactive games and technologies.
View costs and book your place >>
Got a question
If you would like to find out more about the ITAG Conference, please contact us at itag@ntu.ac.uk. For conference updates, please see the ITAG website or follow us on twitter @ITAGConf. Share the conversation using #ITAG15
We look forward to welcoming you to the ITAG community.
Kind regards
The ITAG Steering Group
The Entelis project released a survey on the certification methods in existence training pathways in ICT-AT (MSWord doc). After completion you can send it to Sonia.Staskowiak@easpd.eu.
European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society
Why a new network?
Rapid advances in information and communication technologies are changing lifestyles across the globe, creating new opportunities for many people. However, people with disabilities and the elderly experience difficulties fully engaging with technology, and therefore are prevented from enjoying its benefits – this knowledge gap has to be reduced for political, social and economic reasons. Educating people about the benefits of Assistive Technology (AT) is central to addressing this problem, and creating the inclusive society demanded by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this context AT refers to any electronic device that enhances independence for people with disabilities. These assistive solutions are gateways to further learning, skills development, employment and the fulfilment of rights. Equally important is addressing the lack of wider digital competence amongst all citizens; investment in learning opportunities and training programmes will combat this, and increase participation in the information and communication society. A network is needed to share these ideas, and will be used to overcome fragmentation in policies and practices, gearing the efforts of many towards common goals; this network will be embedded in existing umbrella organisations in order to reach the largest audience.
What are the activities?
• Research, including living labs and the active participation of end users
• Seminars and other knowledge sharing events
• Project development workshops
• Policy development – foresight studies – roadmaps
What are the aims of ENTELIS?
We aim to help bridge the digital divide in Europe and worldwide by promoting the acquisition of digital skills (effective ICT and ICT-AT use) for the empowerment and independence of people with disabilities of all ages. Our strategy is to create a sustainable network for knowledge exchange, and to support policy development regarding:
• ICT and ICT-AT learning of people with disabilities;
• The role of ICT and ICT-AT in educational processes that involve people with disabilities
Relevant information will be collected and made available to the network members. The network aims to have an impact at several levels, and will have the capacity to gear existing resources on an ‘as needs’ basis to impact future policy development.
Who are the stakeholders?
• People with disabilities of all ages and their carers
• Formal, informal and non formal education providers
• Assistive technology providers
• Service providers
Who is driving ENTELIS?
ENTELIS brings together 9 partners from across the EU and one organisation from the USA. The project members include several large European umbrella organisations as well as a number of national organisations, all providing a range of expertise on opportunities for people with disabilities and assistive technology. The network development is further supported by a large number of associate partners. For a full list, please consult the website. In the initial phase the project is supported by a grant from the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme.
If you feel like you can contribute to this network, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or visit www.entelis.net,
15th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs ICCHP 2016
July 13 – 15 2016 (Preconference July 11-12)
University of Linz,
Altenbergerstr. 69,
4040 Linz, Austria
http://www.icchp.org
Dear colleague,
The Call for Contribution for ICCHP 2016 is open!
Download the call as .pdf or .txt following
http://www.icchp.org/call-16
ICCHP 2016 will be held at University of Linz, Austria.
The call for papers is open until February 1, 2016.
We are proud to announce that Christian Bühler, Technical University of Dortmund and FTB Vollmarstein, accepted to act as General Chair of ICCHP 2016.
http://www.icchp.org/welcome-chair-16
ICCHP is a unique platform for scientific and application oriented discussions on ICT / AT / eAccessibility and its improvements for participation and quality of life of people with disabilities and the aging population in a global information society.
A broad range of topics including eAccessiblity, Assistive Technology (AT), educational / vocational inclusion, mobility support, service provision, ageing and disability rights are openly discussed at ICCHP in an inclusive and agreeable framework:
http://www.icchp.org/topics-16
ICCHP hosts high-quality, well reviewed submissions (acceptance rate about 50%) from scientists, users, practitioners, educators and policy makers from around the world.
http://www.icchp.org/submission-16
Feel invited to organise targeted Special Thematic Sessions (STS) leading to well structured chapters in the proceedings as a recognised key reference for your specific domain of research and application.
http://www.icchp.org/sts-16
Publishing with Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science guarantees availability at widest range and in particular in almost all IT and CS libraries around the globe.
http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html
ICCHP co-operates with leading journals (e.g. Journal on Assistive Technology, JAT, http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journal/jat and Technology & Disability http://www.aaate.net/Journal).
In addition to traditional paper sessions, ICCHP invites industry representatives showing their latest products and looking for new ideas.
ICCHP expressly welcomes students and young researchers, the next generation of experts in our field, to contribute to the Young Researchers Consortium (http://www.icchp.org/yrc-16) as well as to the Code for a Cause (C4C) competition: http://www.icchp.org/c4c-16.
For all registered participants, ICCHP provides complimentary facilities to organise meetings (http://www.icchp.org/meetings-16), exhibitions & poster sessions (http://www.icchp.org/exhibition-and-posters-16) as well as workshops & trainings (http://www.icchp.org/workshops-16).
We would be very honoured in having you as a contributor to reach the aims of the conference.
Christian Bühler (General Chair) and Klaus Miesenberger (Organising/Publishing Chair)
Come and get involved!
SAVE THE DATES!
Call for Papers: September 18, 2015 – February 1, 2016
Conference: July 13 – 15, 2016 (preconference July 11 & 12, 2016)
G3ict is proud to present its latest White Paper researched in cooperation and with the support of AT&T. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders, the White Paper explores how the Internet of Things will be a game changer for persons with disabilities and seniors in the coming years.
ATLANTA, GA (August 11, 2015) — G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies, is pleased to announce the release of a timely and critical report that explores the impact of the Internet of Things on persons with disabilities.
Recent developments in both networks and devices are enabling a much greater range of connected devices and Internet of Things (IoT) functionalities. Researched in collaboration with AT&T, the 22-page document, ‘The Internet of Things: New Promises for Persons with Disabilities,’ explores the impact of IoT on persons with disabilities. IoT opens new opportunities for persons with disabilities and seniors, giving them an unprecedented control on their environment.
Over the last 20 years, the Internet has brought a revolution in connecting people through the world, regardless of where they live. Today, the Internet connects objects to objects, and people to objects. The Internet of Things – with home automation, customized health care, better management of everyday tasks, transportation and energy consumption – provides an extraordinary opportunity for persons with disabilities and seniors to live independent and fulfilling lives longer and in better comfort.
The 2015 M-Enabling Summit, held on June 1-2, 2015 in Washington D.C., focused on those promises, and presentations by experts from industry, users and apps developers showed that they are quickly becoming a reality.
You can download this report for free from our Publications & Reports page. A hard copy of the report is available for purchase at MagCloud.
The G3ict White Paper Business-Case Series documents innovative accessibility solutions and good practices with real-world case studies for users and organizations seeking to improve the accessibility of their information technology, applications and services.
For more information, please contact: Francesca Cesa Bianchi, Vice President, Institutional Relations, G3ict fcesabianchi@g3ict.org
About G3ict
G3ict – the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies – is an advocacy initiative launched in December 2006 to promote the ICT accessibility provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in cooperation with the Secretariat for the CRPD at UNDESA. Its mission is to facilitate and support the implementation of the dispositions of the CRPD promoting digital accessibility and Assistive Technologies. Participating organizations include industry, academia, the public sector and organizations representing persons with disabilities. G3ict produces jointly with ITU the e-Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities, as well as specialized reports which are widely used around the world by policy makers involved in the implementation of the CRPD. For additional information, visit http://www.g3ict.org.