[Irl-dean] Introductions

[Bob Allen]

Thanks for starting the ball rolling Mark.

I am Director of Technology Research and Development here at the Central Remedial Clinic. I have an Electronic Engineering and Computer Applications background, and have worked in this area since 1982. I opened the CRC Assistive Technology service.

In addition to the above mainstream, service delivery work, I became involved in various collaborative actions and have worked with the EU on framework development and project evaluation. I am the Irish delegate member of the COST219 action and currently head up the actions of the Irish NCC.

As you may be aware, our previous contact from the Department of Justice - Mr Ronan Toomey - has moved onto pastures new and his position is now occupied by Mr Stephen Bonlander. We are due to meet Stephen soon and will be explaining the interest areas. I am sure you will all have your own contacts with Stephen over time.

Dr Bob Allen
Director of Technology, Research and Development
Central Remedial Clinic 
Vernon Ave, Clontarf 
Dublin 3, Ireland 
 Tel:     +353 1 8057522 (DDI)
            +353 1 8057400 (Switchboard) 
Fax:    +353 1 8335496 
  http://www.crc.ie <http://www.crc.ie/>  
 


-----Original Message-----
From: irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie
[mailto:irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie]On Behalf Of Mark Magennis
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 3:26 PM
To: irl-dean at list.eeng.dcu.ie
Subject: [Irl-dean] Introductions
Importance: Low


Dear all,

Now that Irl-DeAN seems to be gaining a bit more momentum, perhaps it's
time for us to introduce ourselves to each other, so that we can start
to form more of a community. Looking down the membership list, I
recognise less than half of the 50 or so names, so I have plenty of new
people to get to know. It would be great if we could each spend a couple
of minutes writing a brief outline of ourselves. Here's mine.

I am the Director of the NCBI Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT,
pronounced see fit). CFIT has been established by the National Council
for the Blind of Ireland to help ensure that ICT-based products and
services in Ireland are designed to be accessible to the widest
audience, including older people and people with disabilities. We
currently have 2 staff (including me), but everyone has to start
somewhere don't they. CFIT's work will consist of promotion, education
and assistance. For example, recent things we have done include:

* Running Web accessibility audits and user tests for various
organisations.
* Researching the accessibility of the digital cinema systems due to be
installed in Irish cinemas within the next year.
* Taking part in work on Web accessibility certification schemes and
document processing accessibility within CEN, the European
standardisation body.
* Writing a proposal for a big project based around getting ICT
developers to meet and work with users with disabilities (project
hopefully running for 2 years from January).
* Helping various people with making this and that accessible
(newsletters, museum tours, etc.).
* Building our own website as a source of info for ICT developers and
users (due soon).

Before starting CFIT, I spent 3 years managing NCBI's work on EU-funded
projects. These were to do with future assistive technologies and
computer skills training for people with vision impairments.

Before that, I worked for 2 or 3 years at Frontend Usability Engineering
Ltd. doing user testing and other usability work. That's where I got
into accessibility in the first place, by helping write the NDA IT
accessibility guidelines.

I have a degree in nothing and a PhD in hanging around for long enough
doing bad science. I live in Glencar, Co. Sligo, pretty much under Ben
Bulben, and work from an office in my house. And without broadband would
you believe! Sligo's due to get broadband in about 2112.

So that's me. Anyone else care to say a little about themselves?

Mark

Dr. Mark Magennis
Director of the Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT)
National Council for the Blind of Ireland
Whitworth Road, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland

mark.magennis at ncbi.ie   tel: +353 (0)71 914 7464



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Magennis [mailto:mark.magennis at ncbi.ie] 
> Sent: 09 August 2005 11:24
> To: 'irl-dean at list.eeng.dcu.ie'
> Subject: RE: [Irl-dean] Seminar Invite: Web Accessibility 
> Quality Marks in Europe (August 31st 2005)
> 
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I would highly recommend this seminar. Dominique Burger is a 
> real heavyweight in Web accessibility in Europe. BrailleNet 
> have done a lot of very interesting work and have recently 
> had great success in running developers' groups and workshops 
> to help developers build their accessibility skills and share 
> design solutions. This is an approach that CFIT hopes to 
> develop next year in Ireland, if we get the funding. Barry 
> McMullin is working on efforts towards a European standard 
> for Web accessibility and a certification scheme for 
> auditors. This is something that may in future affect many of 
> us on this list.
> 
> I think it is fair to say that Europe is driving public 
> policy and standards on ICT accessibility at the moment and 
> the work that will be described in this seminar is only part 
> of a much wider movement that will ultimately affect us in 
> Ireland. If you're at all interested in these developments, 
> Dominique and Barry are the people to talk to.
> 
> Unfortunately, I can't go. I'll be on holiday. Damn! (well, kind of).
> Mark
> 
> Dr. Mark Magennis
> Director of the Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT)
> National Council for the Blind of Ireland
> Whitworth Road, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland
> 
> mark.magennis at ncbi.ie   tel: +353 (0)71 914 7464
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie 
> > [mailto:irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie] On Behalf Of Elaine McGlynn
> > Sent: 28 July 2005 15:21
> > To: IRL-Dean 
> > Subject: [Irl-dean] Seminar Invite: Web Accessibility Quality 
> > Marks in Europe (August 31st 2005)
> > 
> > 
> > *Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this message. 
> > Please feel free to circulate.*
> > 
> > Seminar: Web Accessibility Quality Marks in Europe
> > 
> > Venue: Dublin City University (DCU).
> > Date: August 31st 2005
> > 
> > 
> > The eAccess Lab at RINCE, Dublin City University (DCU), in 
> > conjunction with
> > the Irish Design-for-all and eAccessibility Network 
> > (Irl-Dean), is pleased
> > to announce a seminar on Web Accessibility Quality Marks in 
> > Europe. This
> > is an initiative of the EU-funded Support-EAM (Supporting the 
> > creation of
> > an e-Accessibility Quality Mark) project.
> > 
> > Our guest speaker will be Dr. Dominique Burger, President of 
> > BrailleNet,
> > France. He will speak about the work of BrailleNet and the 
> > development of
> > an accessibility quality mark entitled AccessiWeb. AccessiWeb 
> > consists of
> > evaluation methods and criteria based on the W3C/WAI Web 
> > Content Accessibility
> > Guidelines (WCAG). BrailleNet certifies websites, trains web 
> > developers and
> > co-ordinates an eAccessibility working group in France.
> > 
> > Dr. Barry McMullin, Director of the eAccess Lab will present 
> > the Support-EAM
> > project. The basis of the project is to harmonise the 
> > methodologies used
> > for evaluating Web Accessibility and to create a European 
> > e-Accessibility
> > Quality Mark for web services, contributing to the Action 
> > Plan eEurope 2005:
> > An information society for all.
> > 
> > Full details about the seminar and registration information 
> > can be found
> > at this URL:
> > 
> http://eaccess.rince.ie/events/2005/eaccess-marks-aug-2005
> 
> 
> Regards - Elaine McGlynn
> 
> ................................................
> 
> Elaine McGlynn
> Support-EAM Project,
> Electronic Eng. Dept.,
> D.C.U.,
> Dublin 9,
> Ireland.
> 
> Email: elaine.mcglynn at dcu.ie
> Ph: +353 (0) 1 700 7696
>      +353 (0) 87 6344144
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Irl-dean mailing list
> Irl-dean at list.eeng.dcu.ie
> http://list.eeng.dcu.ie/mailman/listinfo/irl-dean
> 
> 



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