Help City University create an online course on AI for accessibility

City, University of London, is calling all those with low or no vision to help create the ultimate course in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications for accessibility. If you have a vision impairment of any kind and think you’d like to help, read on… 

How AI helps make the world a more accessible place

Blind man wearing sunglasses and holding visual impairment stick

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is already helping people who are blind or low vision to make the world more accessible. Smartphone apps that use AI can help you enter text without typing, navigate your environment, and recognise currency, text and objects and tell you what they are. For example, apps like Seeing AI use AI to automatically recognise things in pictures you take with your phone camera.

But do you understand how AI works or how AI for accessibility can help you? There are lots of online courses for sighted people to learn about AI, but nothing that focuses on AI for accessibility for blind and low vision people. With AI being such a hot topic in public debate, City University thinks it is high time that there is something there to fill this gap. 

Researchers from City, University of London and Microsoft Research are developing an introductory series of online sessions on AI for accessibility aimed at blind and low vision people aged 16 and above. The series will focus on real world examples and apps from AI for accessibility. They will introduce the core concepts and processes involved in AI used in assistive technology and also discuss the ethical considerations when designing for AI for accessibility. 

What's included in the courses?

After completing the sessions, people who are blind or low vision will have a basic understanding of AI problems including object, face and speech recognition and their use for improving accessibility.

The series of online sessions are developed in such a way that, if you are only able to attend the first or second session, it will still prove useful and you will come away with key concepts and information. 

The course will mainly be self-directed online, with the possibility of teacher-supported in-person learning. The sessions will give you a basic understanding of AI for accessibility presenting example apps you might be familiar with but also some new ones, including some research projects you might not know. The sessions are also interactive and fun, with hands-on activities and quizzes!

Interested in joining this fun online course on AI and accessibility?

City University is looking for blind and low vision people aged 16 and above to give them feedback on the initial sessions - looking especially for ways to make them more engaging and interesting while being accessible to a wide range of people.  

Find out more about the project, called ORBIT. If you are interested in participating, please email Lida Theodorou: lida.theodorou.2@city.ac.uk.


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