ACM Europe Summer School on Accessible and Inclusive Technologies

The ACM Europe Summer School on Accessible and Inclusive Technologies will be held at Birmingham City University (Birmingham, United Kingdom). The event will take place on 24-27th June 2024.

This summer school invites researchers, PhD students, and industry professionals interested in topics related to accessible computing, inclusive design, assistive technologies, and disability innovation.

Each day will feature outstanding speakers who will share their expertise on topics related to accessibility, inclusive design, responsible AI, and HCI research. Participants should expect 4 full days of talks, interactive sessions, and networking events.

All participants will receive a 1-year free membership from ACM

Poster and Demo sessions:

We will have a poster session on Monday 24th June and a hands-on demo session on Tuesday 25th June. If you want to present your research or technical prototypes related to accessible or assistive technologies, please contact Arthur.Theil@bcu.ac.uk for more information.

Confirmed speakers:

Please find the list of confirmed speakers on the ACM website.

More speakers will be announced soon!

Detailed schedule:

A detailed schedule of sessions and activities will be announced closer to the date. Participants are expected to engage during the 4 days of summer school.

Monday 24th June: Disability innovation and studies, inclusive design
Tuesday 25th June: Inclusive Immersive Technologies and Accessible Games
Wednesday 26th June: Inclusive Multisensory Experiences and Interfaces
Thursday 27th June: Inclusive Futures, Responsible AI and Ethics

Light food and refreshments will be served during the event.

Travel scholarships:

We have limited travel funding available for PhD students attending the summer school. As funding is limited, we will make a selection that benefits the diversity of the event. Apply for travel scholarships before 17th April here. Please contact Arthur.Theil@bcu.ac.uk if you have any questions about travel scholarships.

Venue:

The summer school will be hosted at STEAMhouse, home of Birmingham City University's College of Computing.

STEAMhouse provides access to a wide range of spaces including coworking and meeting spaces, prototyping facilities, and a digital hub. The space brings together the five STEAM disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics to create new ways of thinking and design innovative solutions, which are well aligned with the goals of the summer school.

Address: Belmont Row, Birmingham, B4 7RQ

The venue has step-free access. Please contact Arthur.Theil@bcu.ac.uk if you have any questions about accessibility.

About Birmingham:

The thriving second city of the United Kingdom is the social, cultural, and financial centre of the Midlands. Renowned for its rich industrial heritage, historical advances during the Industrial Revolution in science and technology saw tremendous growth, laying the foundations for the industrial society. Since the turn of the 21st century, Birmingham has gone through extensive redevelopment, with the largest public library in Europe, regenerated industrial areas such as the canalside Brindleyplace, world-class universities and research institutions, and major cultural institutions such as the Birmingham Symphony Hall gaining international reputations.

The close proximity of STEAMhouse to the city centre means a number of historical sites are within walking distance, including: Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum (0.3 miles), Birmingham Hippodrome (1.1 miles), Library of Birmingham (1.3 miles), Gas Street Basin (1.4 miles), Symphony Hall (1.4 miles), & Villa Park (2 miles).

Travel information:

Accommodation

Several affordable hotel options are available within walking distance from STEAMHouse. Including:

Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre (Exchange Square) [5-minute walk]
Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre (New Street Station) [10-minute walk]
Travelodge Birmingham Central Moor Street Hotel [6-minute walk]
Travelodge Birmingham Central Bull-Ring Hotel [10-minute walk]
Travelodge Birmingham Central Newhall Street Hotel [15-minute walk]
Travelodge Birmingham Central Hotel [20-minute walk]
Aloft Eastside Birmingham Hotel [1-minute walk]

Getting to Birmingham

From the Airport:

STEAMhouse, located at the heart of Birmingham, is approximately 9 miles from Birmingham International Airport (BHX) and 101 miles from London. There are numerous affordable options to transfer from and to Birmingham International Airport, including:

Train:

From Birmingham International Airport (via Birmingham International Railway Station) – (approx. 8.6m, 28 min journey), with 8-10 trains an hour to:

Moor Street Station (approx. 0.4 miles, 9 min walk)
New Street Station (approx. 0.7 miles, 13 min walk)
Snow Hill Station (approx. 0.7 miles, 14 min walk)

If you're coming from London, you can reach Birmingham New Street Station from London Euston Station in 1 hour and 30 minutes with multiple trains leaving each hour.

Car/taxi:

From Birmingham International Airport (approx. 9 miles, 36 min drive/taxi). STEAMhouse is located within Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone. Charges may apply if you are choosing to visit us using a private motorised vehicle. To discover more, please visit: https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/

Car parking is available in the nearby Millennium Point Car Park (approx. 2 min walk)

Bus:

X1 - NX Bus West Midlands (approx. every 15 mins) Birmingham Airport Bus Interchange - Birmingham Moor Street (approx. 1 hour journey)

X12 - NX Bus West Midlands (approx. every 30 mins) Birmingham Airport Bus Interchange - Chelmsley Interchange (approx. 1 hour 20 min journey)

National Express (approx. once an hour) - Birmingham Airport (BHX) - Birmingham Coach Station, Digbeth (approx. 55 min journey)

Organizing Committee:

Arthur Theil, Birmingham City University
Chris Creed, Birmingham City University
Sayan Sarcar, Birmingham City University
Raymond Holt, University of Leeds
Nasrine Olson, University of Borås
Stavroula Ntoa, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas
Katerina Valakou, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas

Student Volunteers:

Craig Anderton, Birmingham City University
George Fence, Birmingham City University
Christina Karpodini, Birmingham City University

Support:

Please contact Arthur.Theil@bcu.ac.uk if you have any questions. More information will be published soon.