WORKSHOP: Doctoral Consortium at the 2024 Conference on Accessibility and Computing (ASSETS)

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

This is funding to support a Doctoral Consortium (workshop) of approximately nine (9) promising graduate students from U.S. educational institutions to take part in an event that will take place on October 27, 2024, in conjunction with the ACM ASSETS 2024 Conference sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Accessibility, which is the premier forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of both mainstream and specialized assistive technologies in support of the needs associated with speech, motor, hearing, and vision impairments, cognitive limitations, emotional and learning disabilities, aging and education in computing accessibility, as well as the professionals who work with these populations, and which will be held in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on October 27–30. The Doctoral Consortium will provide doctoral students working in the field of assistive technologies and accessibility with a friendly and open forum: to present their research ideas, listen to ongoing work from peer students, and receive constructive feedback; will enable participants to develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research; will provide students with relevant information about important issues for doctoral candidates and future academics; and will provide a new generation of researchers with information and advice on academic, research, The ASSETS 2024 Doctoral Consortium provides an opportunity for doctoral students to explore their research interests in an interdisciplinary and international workshop, under the guidance of a panel of distinguished experts in the field. The Doctoral Consortium will also offer discussion groups and the opportunity to learn from individuals who recently completed their PhD. Student participants will make both formal and informal presentations of their work during the Consortium and will receive feedback from the faculty panel. This feedback is designed to help students understand and articulate how their work is positioned relative to related research, whether their topics are adequately focused for thesis research projects, whether their methods are appropriately chosen and adequately applied, and whether their results are appropriately analyzed and presented. This Doctoral Consortium will also help shape ongoing and future research projects aimed at assistive technologies and universal access. A key component of building this community is engaging the next generation of researchers. The Consortium brings PhD students together from diverse backgrounds (e.g., engineering, computing, architecture, and psychology) so that they can see the broader spectrum of research and development approaches to assistive technologies and universal usability. The Consortium also provides exposure to the community in which they can pursue their endeavors. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.