Kestrell

And posted online at
https://sighttechglobal.com/agenda/?mc_cid=d44666e45e&mc_eid=503bb1e1d9
This virtual conference is free, and you can register here
https://sighttechglobal.com/conference-registration/

Here are some panel highlights:, with just brief descriptions, but I encourage readers to check out the entire agenda because, as usual, the speakers for this conference represent developers and researchers who are investigating the technology concerns which will be impacting blind and visually impaired people--and all disabled people--in the immediate future.

Day 1 (Wed., Dec. 7)

1. Virtual reality and Inclusion: What does non-visual access to the metaverse mean?
People with disabilities and accessibility advocates are working to make sure the metaverse is accessible to everyone. This panel will delve into research on the challenges current virtual and augmented reality tools create for people who are blind or have low vision.The panelists will share their experiences using immersive technologies and explore how these tools can be used to enhance employment opportunities in hybrid and remote workplaces – but only if they are built with inclusion in mind.

2. Inventing the "screenreader" for VR: Owlchemy Lab's Cosmonious High
For developers of virtual reality games, there's every reason to experiment with accessibility from the start, which is what the Owlchemy Labs team did with Cosmonious High, the 2022 release of a fun, first-person game situated in a inter-galactic high school that one reviewer said "has all the charm and cheek of a good Nickelodeon kids show." And it reveals some of the earliest approaches to acessibility in VR.

3. Audio Description the Pixar Way
AI-based, synthetic voice-based audio description may have a place in some forms of accessible video content, but the artistry of the entirely human-produced audio descriptions Pixar produces for its productions, set a creative standard no AI will never attain, and that's all for the good. Meet members of the Pixar team behind excellence in audio descriptions.

4. Accessibility is AI’s Biggest Challenge: How Alexa Aims to Make it Fairer for Everyone
Smart home technology, like Alexa, has been one of the biggest boons in recent years for people who are blind, and for people with disabilities altogether. Voice technology and AI help empower people in many ways, but one obstacle stands in its way: making it equitable. In this session, learn from Amazon about how they’re approaching the challenge ahead.

Day 2 (Thurs. Dec. 8)

1. The Problems with AI
Despite the stunning advances in AI over the past decade, the so-called "deep learning" AI technology prevalent today has under-appreciated limitations and even poses societal dangers. Our speakers are world-renowned AI experts and AI "dissenters" who believe we need an AI that's both more accountable and better able to produce common sense results.

2. Did Computer Vision AI Just Get Worse or Better?
The ability an assistive tech devices to recognize objects, faces, scenes is a type of AI called Computer Vision, which calls for building vast databases on images labeled by humans to train AI algorithms. A new technique called
"one-shot learning"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-shot_learning
learns dramatically faster because the AI trains itself on images across the Internet. No human supervision needed. Is that a good idea?