Just a reminder: ASSETS 98 is coming (April 15-17, 1998)

Please visit the following websites:

    for the conference program:

        http://www.acm.org/sigcaph/assets98/assets98schedule.html

    for complete registration details:

         http://www.acm.org/sigcaph/assets98/assets98regforms.html

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ASSETS 98: Conference on Assistive Technologies
April 15-17, 1998, Marina del Rey, California, USA

Sponsored by the ACM's Special Interest Group on Computers and the Physically
Handicapped, ASSETS'98 is the third in a continuing series of conferences
whose goal is to provide a forum in which researchers and developers, from
academia and industry, can meet to exchange ideas and report on new
developments relating to computer-based systems to help people. Without the
pressure of parallel sessions and vendor displays, the ASSETS meetings are
intended to create an atmosphere of intellectual exchange in both formal and
informal sessions. 

Some of the computer-assisted areas to be explored at ASSETS are:

Enhanced communication for those with disabilities:
    Web technology, automated sign languages, speech-based interfaces, and
    tactile interfaces 

Multimodal interfaces:
    Redundant means of communication providing more flexibility for those
    with special needs, integration into the workplace and life-space in
    general, and devices that make the workplace more accessible 

Special Educational Needs:
    Educational techniques and tools for those with learning disabilities, 

Assisting the Elderly:
    Interfaces for the increasing numbers of elderly computer users 

In addition to the traditional technical sessions, we plan to hold several
evening sessions. These meetings will be of a very informal nature and will
not require the referring process. Some ideas that we are considering are: 

    Birds-of-a-feather meetings than can be easily organized during the
    conference 

    Short student presentations on works-in-progress with no refereeing
    process 

    Briefings by representatives of funding agencies, public and private 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
    We are pleased to have obtained two excellent keynote speakers for the
    conference. They are Dr. Abraham Nemeth (developer of the Nemeth Braille
    code for Mathematics) and Dr. Sandy Pentland, Director of the MIT Media
    Lab and one of the leading exponents of "wearable" computers (a new and
    promising family of potential assistive technologies) 

General Chair: Arthur I. Karshmer, New Mexico State University
	Email: arthur@cs.nmsu.edu
    http://gonzo.cs.nmsu.edu

Program Chair: Meera Blattner, University of California, Davis, and
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
	Email: blattner@llnl.gov
    http://www.llnl.gov/das/das_admin/staff/blattner.html

Treasurer: Harriet Fell,  Northeastern University
	Email: fell@ccs.neu.edu

Awards will be made to presenters in several different categories, for
example: 

Best technical session paper;
Best student paper (a special award from the Phillips Petroleum Company)
Best presentation

TRAVEL INFORMATION

BONUS:  Plan now to attend two key conferences for the price of a single air
        ticket! ASSETS'98 will immediately precede CHI'98, which will take
        place in Los Angeles on April 18-25, 1998. 

THE HOTEL is the Marina del Rey Hotel which is located right on the marina
and has beautiful views in all directions. We have a special room rate for
conference participants of US$105 per night, single or double. To make
reservations please call the hotel directly at 310/301-1000 or 800/882-4000
and ask for the special ASSETS 98 rates.  

TRAVEL HELP: Arrangements have been made with BreakAway Travel in Denver to
help you arrange the air/land portions of your travel. Simply call
800/635-8369 or 303/290-8900 and ask for the Assets 98 desk. The FAX
number is 303/290-8971. Email: breaktrv@aol.com

Program Committee:

Julio Gonzalez Abascal (Basque Country, Spain), Anton Civit Balcells (Spain),
Stephen Brewster (UK), Alireza Darvishi (Switzerland), Patrick Demasco (USA),
Alistair D.N. Edwards (UK), Harriet Fell (USA), David L. Jaffe (USA), Robert
Jacob (USA), Leonard Kasday (USA), Shiro Kawai (USA), Rick Kazman, (USA), R.
Benjamin Knapp (USA), Marilyn Mantei (Canada), Michael Muller (USA),
Elisabeth Mynatt (USA), David Patmore (USA), Helen Petrie (UK), Ian J. Pitt
(Germany), T.V. Raman (USA), Ina Satoshi (Japan), Gary Strong (USA), Maseo
Sakauchi (Japan), Constantine Stephanidis (Greece), Nicole Yankelovich (USA),
Michiaki Yasumura (Japan) 

   ==========================================
   |        Arthur I. Karshmer              |
   |        Professor & Department Head     |
   |        Editor, ACM SIGCAPH Newsletter  |
   |        Computer Science Department     |
   |        PO Box 30001, Dept CS           |
   |        New Mexico State University     |
   |        Las Cruces,  NM 88003 USA       |
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