Centre for Universal Access & Assistive Technologies

The HCI Lab hosts and operates the Center for Universal Access and Assistive Technologies (CUA & AT).

The main objective of the Centre is to support the equal participation and socio-economic integration of people with various types of disability in the emerging Information Society, by developing accessible applications and services. These are based on the principles of Universal Access, and aim to facilitate independent living, interpersonal communication, education, vocational training and employment.

The activities of the Centre include:

• Studies on inclusion and industrial design practices, user assessment, accessibility guidelines and policy interventions at national as well as at European level.
• Technology development and applications in a variety of domains, including access to the World Wide Web, text processing, electronic books, interpersonal communications, special education and vocational training, etc.
• Technical development and consulting services to user organizations, industrial organizations government agencies and non-market institutions.

Furthermore, the Centre is:

• Actively involved in the eEurope / eAccessibility Initiative of the EC and in the establishment of national measures to implement the recommendations of these initiatives by member states.
• The co-ordinator of GR-DeAN, the Greek Design for All eAccessibility Network operating as the National Contact Centre in the context of EDeAN, the European Design for All eAccessibility Network. The GR-DeAN Network aims to promote in Greece the application of the “Universal Access and Usability” and “Design for All” principles, and to support activities towards the equal participation of individuals with disability to the Information Society. In 2005, the Centre for Universal Access and Assistive Technologies has undertaken the annually rotating Secretariat of EDeAN. For more information, see the leaflet about GR-DeAN and the leaflet about EDeAN.

The main achievements of the Centre include:

• The design and conduct of the first-ever econometric study investigating technology adoption and diffusion in the assistive technology market through quantitative models.
• Contribution to W3C-WAI web accessibility activities.
• Studies of the potential impact of emerging technologies for e-inclusion in Europe and development of recommendations to advance the adoption of inclusive design practices by industry.
• Contribution in international standards committees to promote accessibility.

Dr. Margherita Antona
Coordinator