Web4All 2020

Web4All 2020 Keynote Speakers

The Web4All keynote speakers challenge the limitations and expectations for accessible technology and user experiences. Explore the impact of artificial intelligence, personalization, bias, and the growing data brought in by sensors, cameras, user tracking, and social media.

Ricardo Baeza-Yates

Bias on the Web and Beyond: An Accessibility Point of View

We are extremely proud to announce Ricardo Baeza-Yates will be a keynote speaker for the Web4All. He’s been a long time supporter of this conference as a mentor and teacher of multiple researchers, technologists, and conference leaders.

Ricardo’s recent research explores the impact of bias in artificial intelligence. He will discuss how disability-based bias could impact artificial intelligence results.

Ricardo is currently CTO of NTENT, a search technology company based in Carlsbad, California; as well as Director of Graduate Data Science Programs of Northeastern University, Silicon Valley campus. Previously, he was VP of Research at Yahoo Labs.

Bias has been intrinsically embedded in culture and history since the beginning of time. However, due to the rise of digital data, it can now spread faster than ever and reach many more people. This has caused bias in big data to become a trending and controversial topic in recent years. Minorities, especially, have felt the harmful effects of data bias when pursuing life goals, with outcomes governed primarily by algorithms, from mortgage loans to advertising personalization. While the obstacles they face remain an important roadblock, bias affects us all, though much of the time we are unaware it exists or how it might (negatively) influence our judgment and behavior.

Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Bias on the Web

Vivienne Conway

A Return to Community: Flintstones or Jetsons?

We are very pleased to announce Vivienne Conway will be a keynote speaker for the Web4All.

Dr Vivienne Conway is the Director of Web Key IT Pty Ltd., which she founded in 2011. She is an internationally-recognized digital accessibility professional, researcher and public speaker, always advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities and seniors in our increasingly digital world.
Web Key IT has the vision to enable full digital access for persons with disabilities and senior citizens. Web Key IT assists organizations with web-based programs and information to meet the needs of people with disabilities as well as to understand their legal requirements for website accessibility and develop the tools needed to meet the internationally recognized website standards. Vivienne is also interested in the nexus between accessibility and security – the need to protect the privacy of individuals while making digital content as accessible as possible.
As well as being involved in research and conference presentations, Vivienne leads her team of accessibility professionals to provide consulting, audit and accreditation, policy development and training in all aspects of digital accessibility. She is an ardent advocate for the effective recognition of the needs of people with disabilities and their inclusion in our digital society.
Vivienne completed her Ph.D. in IT (website accessibility) at Edith Cowan University. She is a Fellow and a Certified Professional (Snr) member of the Australian Computer Society. She is active in W3C and the working groups, where Web Key IT is a member and is one of the two Australian W3C Evangelists, tasked with promoting W3C involvement in Australia.

I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but neither of these cartoon shows ever had a person with a disability in the show. I know that is changing, and there is much debate about how that is done. It does show that our social conscience is becoming more attuned to the need for inclusion and diversity in all areas of life – work, homelife, sports and entertainment.
While we certainly are not living as the Jetsons yet (still waiting for my jet-pack), we are not Flintstones either. We are developing yet more means of automating our lives, improving the lives of people with disabilities, and streamlining some of our work processes. However, I don’t think anyone here would say we have arrived, and they probably won’t ever say that – there is always more to be done. Perhaps we are ready for a new cartoon, showing an exciting view of what the future could hold, but including characters with a broad range of abilities.

Vivienne Conway