Overview of Symposium
As technologies and cultures change, the contexts in which individuals access and use information continually shift in new and often unexpected ways. Accordingly, what constitutes both usable designs and usability is also in a matter of access and accessibility. Such factors also shape usability practices in the interconnected files of technical communication and localization. We therefore need to continually review, reflect on, and – if needed – revise our approaches to understanding usability, technical communication, and localization to effectively address access and accessibility. Such processes should include regular examinations of how each field influences and is influenced by the others in relation to addressing access and accessibility in local, regional, and global contexts.
Objectives of Symposium
The focus of the Symposium is “Addressing Access and Accessibility Through Usability and Design: Ideas and Approaches for Web Communication, Technical Communication and Localization,” and the objective is to bring together individuals working in these fields in order to
— Discuss the current state of research in these areas as it relates to facilitating access to information and addressing accessibility issues related to different groups of users
— Present the results of recent research in these areas and how such results connect to or can address factors of access and accessibility
— Collect comments and suggestions on ongoing or future projects related to addressing aspects of access and accessibility in different contexts
— Explore prospective trends in these areas as related to aspects of access an accessibility
— Plan future projects and collaborations based upon how to combine usability, technical communication, and localization practices to address aspects of access and accessibility
By examining such ideas, attendees can devise new frameworks for and approaches to re-thinking and addressing current and prospective challenges related to access and accessibility in different contexts.