DOHA QATAR Assistive Technology Center (Mada) recently held the second edition of its Assistive Technology Seminar Series which discussed ‘Future Trends in Access Technology for People with Disabilities’.

A panel discussion brought together experts from around the world to discuss some of the directions in which assistive technology (AT) is heading, and how these developments will have a positive impact on the quality of lives of disabled people.

Jutta Treviranus, director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor at OCAD University in Toronto, discussed the importance of placing assistive technology into the cloud, or on the internet, so it can be used by people with disability wherever they need it and at any time.

Prof Treviranus is involved in researching ways to make ICT more inclusive for people with disabilities.

Jose Angel Martinez Usero, scientific director of INREDIS, an initiative of the Spanish government, spoke about the future of assistive technology being available as part of a common interface with several technologies.

As an example, Usero spoke of automated teller machines (ATM) that would recognise a person’s disability and change its setting to meet specific needs such as colour contrast or size of text.

The final speaker was Felip Miralles, project coordinator of Brainable, a consortium working actively to research and implement brain computer interfaces where a person can control a computer and several technologies using their brainwaves.

This is a groundbreaking form of technology that helps people who are unable to physically navigate the world around them to use their brain patterns to interact with the world around them.

“This event is part of our efforts to raise awareness about assistive technology in Qatar, and to encourage greater use of it in the workplace and in schools,” said Faleh al Naemi, CEO of Mada.

“It is important for us to create partnerships with international organisations that are shaping the way in which assistive technology is heading and to ensure that we are playing a role in the creation of Arabic language solutions,” added al Naemi.

The event, which was held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, was attended by a cross section of professionals from the education, health, and IT sectors.

Members of the disabled community were also present on the occasion.

The next Assistive Technology Seminar will discuss how assistive technology can allow for the greater employment of people with disabilities and will be held after the Holy Month of Ramadan.

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