Have a look at this year’s award winners at the ABILITY Magazine
Find the programme here.
Join W4A in San Francisco May 13 &14, 2019
Personalisation – Personalising the Web
W4A continues to be a premiere venue for accessibility research, and we welcome submissions on all aspects of web accessibility. We invite your best work that advances our understanding of access for people across the accessibility continuum.
We have always embraced the potential of new technologies to provide an accessible user experience for everyone. No longer do we look at technology and only look to overcome the potential challenges it could present to users, but we look for how technology can be used to provide an accessible user experience for all. In recognition of the emergence of this new age, the theme for the 16th International Web for All Conference is “Personalisation – Personalising the Web”.
Personalisation pervades all aspects of technology from home appliances to mobile phones, from shopping experiences to education. AI affords the potential for improved personalisation to each individual’s contextualized abilities. The Web of Things (https://www.w3.org/WoT) means that we now have the web on all kinds of devices (including wearables) – that will require better and seamless personalisation for all.
The benefits of personalised technology can bring new or increased independence to people with disabilities and may offer opportunities to explore activities, experiences or new freedoms that were previously not within reach. Personalised technology can enable people to make important life choices; it can empower people to live more independently and safely. We embrace opportunities for personalisation to place the user in control of the kind of access they want and welcome the challenge of using personalisation as a vehicle for a more accessible and satisfying user experience for all technology users.
Personalisation may, though, encourage designers and developers to assume that accessibility is taken care of by the individual. There may be a temptation to neglect their responsibility to make web technologies accessible. But many open questions remain – how will users specify their preferences? How will personalisations move across devices without sacrificing privacy, and how will we collaborate in a world in which everyone is using a slightly or greatly different interface?
In recognition of these opportunities and threats, this year we especially encourage submissions addressing important topics in Personalisation:
- Security, Ethics and Personalization
- Personalization and Internet of Things/ Web of Things
- Developments in Web Personalization
- Mobile Personalization and Wearable Technology
- Adaptive Assistive Technology
- Customizable Learning and Learning Technology
- Personalization and Inclusive technology
- Personalization Transforming User Experience
- Adjustments for Older Adults
- Personalization for People with Learning Difficulties
- AI and Machine Learning for User Needs
- Standards for Personalization
- Expectations and Evaluation of Personalization by People with Disabilities
- Adapting to User Need Using Limited or Small Data
- Infrastructure for Broad Personalization
As is true every year, don’t be deterred by the theme; other related papers dealing with topics related to digital accessibility and universal access are also welcome. These might include, but are not limited to: ageing, cognition, culture, dexterity, disability, diversity, health, income, infrastructure, language and mobility, inclusivity, universal design, governance and policy, evaluation and measurement of accessibility, assistive technology engineering, content transformation, user modelling, personalised, adaptable or adaptive interfaces, mobile web and more.
