International Conference on Enabling Access for Persons with Visual Impairment February 12-14, 2015, Athens, Greece

Invited Keynote Speaker

Klaus Miesenberger

University of Linz, Austria

Professor Klaus Miesenberger is vize Head of the Institute Integriert Studieren at the University of Linz, Austria. He has a background compute science and economics. He is responsible for R&D and teaching at the institute which also runs a service center for students with disabilities. In 2000 he was guest professor at the Université Claude Bernard, Lyon II. He teaches at different Austrian universities and teacher training academies. In 2001 he got his professorship (venia docendi) in Human-Computer Interaction with a focus on HCI for People with Disabilities. His research and teaching work is related to ICT based Assistive Technologies, eAccessibility and Design for All. He has been involved in more than 80 national and international R&D projects in these fields. His work is documented in more than 140 peer-reviewed publications.

He chairs the working group Computer Science with/for People with Special Needs“ of the Austrian Computer Society. He acts as the organising and publishing chair of the International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP) and is involved in many other scientific committees of conferences and journals such as like ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing, Universal Access in the Information Society (Springer), Technology and Disability (IOS Press), Journal of Assistive Technologies (Emerald). He is member of the scientific and professional societies ACM (SIGAccess), IFIP, (working group 13.3, HCI and People with Special Needs), OCG and AAATE. He is founder and chair of the association BookAccess responsible for accessibility of school books in Austria. He is the founder and the chair of the international association “International Computer Camps”, organising annual computer training events for young blind and visually handicapped students. More than 2000 blind and visually handicapped students from more than 30 countries took part in these events since 1993. He is co-founder of the association UNIABILITY, the organisation of professional counsellors for students with disabilities or chronic diseases at universities in Austria. He acts as the managing director of National Contact Point for EDeAN (European Design for All e-Accessibility Network). He is one of the founders of the Austrian association Accessible Media working on the take-up of eAccessibility in Austria. He is the scientific co-ordinator for two University distance learning courses, both four semesters: “bfwd: Barrier Free Web Design” and “assistec: Assistive Technologies”. He set up and chairs the Regional Competence Centre IT for People with disabilities (KI-I) for the Regional Government Upper Austria. He is Past-President of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE).

Invited Speaker

Nurit Neustadt-Noy

Consultation and Rehabilitation for Visually Impaired Persons, Israel

Dr Nurit Neustadt-Noy has a BASW in Social Work (Hebrew University), a BA in Art History (Hebrew University), a diploma in Managers of Rehabilitation Centers (Haifa University), a M.Ed. in Peripatology - Orientation & Mobility (Boston College, USA) and a PhD in Public Health Administration (Pacific Western University, CA, USA).

She has served as Lecturer in the Levinsky Teachers' College, Tel Aviv (1992-2011), Haifa and Tel Aviv Universities (1977-1992) and Hebrew University School of Social Work (1978-1986). She was adjunct faculty lecturer, M.Ed. program Department of Special Education, Hebrew University, Jerusalem (2007-2010). From 2000-present she is adjunct faculty member, Department of Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment, Salus University as well as annual guest lecturer at the Technion School of Architecture.

Her editorial involvement includes: International Journal of Orientation and Mobility- member of the editorial advisory board (2008 - present), Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness - reviewer (1987-present), 1988 - 1998 Newsletter & Annual students' papers, International Training Program, Carroll Center for the Blind MA - Co-Editor (1988-1998).

Dr Neustadt-Noy has a long experience in the assessment of organizations/services for blind persons in various countries including: Cyprus (2008), Russia (2007), Singapore (2006), Egypt (2005, 2003, 2002), Moldova (2004), Tajikistan (2002), Yugoslavia (1999), Belarus (1999), Hungary (1998), Bosnia Herzegovina (1996), Estonia (1994) and Latvia (1994). Her current International Rehabilitation and Education Consultation includes: Scientifique consultant City 24/7 NYC (2008-present), Scientifique consultant VISientific, Cyrus (2008-present), Advisor Geemarc Telecome of France (2008-present), Member of CBM-I AWG-EVI. Advisory Group on Education of Visually Impaired Children and Rehabilitation (2000-present), Consultant and Technical Adviser on Blindness Rehabilitation and Education Issues appointed by Prince Raad bin Zeid, Jordan's Royal Family (1995-present) and Advisor to CBM East Europe, West Asia and Middle East regions (1980-present). From 2001-present Dr Neustadt-Noy is the Chair/Liaison of Israel sub-region, International Council of Education of Visually Impaired Children -ICEVI).