The 2019 Vista Technology Education Conference (Vista TEC), organized by the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, will be held on Saturday, September 28, at the UCSC Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara.
Roberto Manduchi, professor of computer science and engineering at UC Santa Cruz, will moderate a panel at the conference, which focuses on assistive technology for people who are blind or visually impaired. Manduchi's Computer Vision Lab at the Baskin School of Engineering has been working in this area for many years, and he has worked closely with the Vista Center in his research.
Manduchi noted that many of the top technology companies will be represented at this year's Vista TEC conference, including Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft.
"This is a timely event, because a lot of big companies have begun to create innovative products and apps for people with disabilities," he said.
The conference provides a platform for assistive technology users, tech researchers, and software developers, along with friends and family of the blind and visually impaired community, to collaborate, exchange ideas, and discuss best practices in the field of technology accessibility.
Manduchi's panel will discuss the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to drive new developments in assistive technology. "Advances in AI and machine learning have led to a lot of interest in using AI to help people with disabilities," he said.
Other panels at the conference will address issues related to autonomous vehicles, inclusive workplaces, and other topics. To register for the conference, visit the Vista TEC web site at vistatec.org.
