***************** Call for Participation Session on “Free and Open Source Approaches to Assistive Technologies in ICT4D” Held as part of ICTD2010 (http://www.ictd2010.org), London, December 16th Organisers: Ugo Vallauri, Royal Holloway University of London Joyojeet Pal, ATLAS Institute, CU Boulder and Polytechnic Institute of New York University Endorsed by Computer Aid International The context The potential of ICT4D for increased social inclusion is a recurrent theme among researchers and practitioners alike. However, little attention is dedicated to an essential aspect of inclusion: the role of assistive technologies in increasing access to information. The number of people with disabilities is dramatic: 45 million people worldwide suffer from blindness alone and 87% of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries (WHO, 2009). The cost of both hardware and software assistive technology is out of reach for the vast majority of potential users, thus generating further exclusion. Over the years, a number of approaches to this problem have been attempted, from subsidising existing commercial applications, to developing ad-hoc low-cost versions of proprietary software. This session focuses however on research and developments of free and open source solutions. We are particularly interested in contributions in the following areas of free and open source developments for people with disabilities: Presentations of Pilot projects and/or practical solutions Case Studies Funding Models Agenda for urgent research Research and Development Perspectives from the Global South Challenge and opportunities in mobile and touch-enabled devices Emerging policy trends Session Format The session will last 90 minutes, and will be divided in two parts. In the first half selected presenters will be introducing key themes and projects. In the second half, the session will break in smaller thematic groups discussing possible collaborations and joint research projects in the sector. Details for submission Interested participants are encouraged to submit an abstract of 300 words illustrating the topic chosen and the key aspects of their contribution. Submissions should be sent as a PDF attachment to u.vallauri@rhul.ac.uk Deadline for submission: November 5th Notification of acceptance: November 20th The workshop is free, however registration for ICTD 2010 is required in order to attend. Please note that the second round for scholarship applications to attend ICTD2010 closes on October 15th. Application available at: http://www.ictd2010.org