This post is sponsored by Infoaxia, Inc., a WP Accessibility Day Gold sponsor.
In celebration of their 16th Anniversary, Infoaxia, Inc. of Japan invites you to their free online webinar on Thursday, October 8th, on the potential of “Virtual Reality (VR) Technology in the Accessible World!” This event will be in English, accessible and inclusive with automated real-time captions and Japanese subtitles using the conversation visualization app “UD Talk.” This app allows the translation of Japanese captions into different languages.
Evolving Technology
As many technologies evolve day by day, one that is attracting major attention is “Virtual Reality.”
- What kind of technology is virtual reality in the first place?
- What kind of impact will it have on the aging society and the daily lives of people with disabilities?
- Unfortunately, many of the experiences with virtual reality technology are not considered accessible at this time.
The Future of Virtual Reality
Guest speaker and Accessibility expert Mr. Thomas Logan of Equal Entry, USA, will empower us to think about the future of “virtual reality” and “accessibility” and how to combine them for everyone’s enjoyment.
Examples of design solutions will be introduced using virtual reality, as well as sharing the prospects of what is currently possible in 2020, what is likely to be possible in the future, and accessibility issues.
Mr. Logan is one of the experts to focus on the accessibility of virtual reality as his company’s primary focus is on how people with disabilities actually use technology.
Time Schedule (JST, UTC+09:00)
Thursday, October 8th, 2020
- 15:00 – 15: 10 Opening
- 15:10 – 15: 40 “What is virtual reality?” (Thomas Logan)
- What is VR and what changes will it bring to our daily lives?
- Introducing case studies using VR for tourists visiting Japan
- 15:40 – 15: 50 Q & A
- 15:50 – 16: 00 Break
- 16:00 – 16: 30 “Virtual Reality and Accessibility” (Thomas Logan)
- An example showing accessibility challenges in a VR experience
- WebXR Accessibility Improvement Requirements
- 16:30 – 16: 55 Q & A
- 16:55 – 17: 00 Ending
Please note that this schedule is subject to change without notice. Thank you for your understanding in advance.
Question & Answer Session
Normally arrangements would be made for an interpreter, but this time they are going to test the capabilities of technology. “UD Talk” has an automatic translation function in addition to real-time subtitles. This technology makes it possible to have a question-and-answer session with an English-speaking speaker without an interpreter. Please bear with them as they attempt to use this new technology. Questions will also be accepted in Japanese to accommodate the host country!
Preparation before the Webinar
As the registration link is in Japanese, here are instructions in English.
- Please reserve your seat.
- If you have never used “Zoom”, please download “Zoom Client for Meetings” in advance.
- If you want to use real-time subtitles, please download the “UD Talk” app which will translate the Japanese subtitles into any language.
- The Zoom URL will be provided by a Doorkeeper email message on the day of the event.
About the Guest Speaker – Thomas Logan
Thomas Logan is the owner of the US-based Equal Entry, whose mission is to “contribute to a more accessible world.” For the past 18 years, Thomas has provided technical support to make corporate and corporate websites, services and apps available to people with disabilities. Throughout his career, he has participated in numerous US federal, state, local and private sector projects, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. He is also the organizer of A11yVR – Accessibility Virtual Reality Group based in Tokyo and the co-organizer of Accessibility New York. Thomas currently lives in Tokyo.
About the Webinar Host
Infoaxia is a consulting services provider in Japan for making websites and mobile apps more accessible and inclusive. Their consulting services include web accessibility testing and evaluation, WCAG/JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) compliance audits, in-house training, user testing, design reviews and strategic planning.
Infoaxia is a member company of the international alliance of digital accessibility services providers. The member companies include Equal Entry (United States), TetraLogical (UK) and Intopia (Australia).
Makoto Ueki, is the founder of Infoaxis and an experienced consultant. He has been participating in W3C WCAG working group since 2005 and has been contributing to the committee and working group for the Japanese national standard since 2003. He is currently working on WCAG 3 as an active participant in the W3C Silver Task Force. He is also engaged in the formulation of accessibility guidelines in Japan and overseas, and has participated in the drafting of the Japanese Industrial Standards “JIS X 8341-3” and W3C “WCAG” since 2003. In 2019, he received the CSS Nite “Best Speaker Award” . In addition, Makoto is the first Japanese person to be certified as Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) by IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) .
Makoto looks forward to welcoming you to their 16th Anniversary Webinar on Thursday, October 8th. Don’t forget to reserve your free seat as there are only 32 remaining seats. Reservation deadline is October 8th at 13:00.
Makoto said “We trust you will enjoy the 24 sessions of World Accessibility Day and Infoaxia wants to thank the organizers saying “domo arigato so much for making this happen!” We are proud to be doing our part to make our world more accessible and inclusive on this side of the world! Are you Ready?”