Advisory Committee Call Out, Centennial College
Greetings DS Community,
In summer 2023, the Social Innovation Research Centre at Centennial College was awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant called ‘Using Artificial Intelligence to Develop Accessible Software for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’. The grant was awarded through the College and Community Innovation program and includes two community partners, Surrey Place and Community Living Toronto. The aim of the project is to run a series of co-development workshops that include individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), their caregivers, software developers, and faculty and students from the Developmental Services Worker program to develop a learning platform that mimics a common software interface. We will use artificial intelligence through the workshops to identify when users are running into barriers in the software and to identify how to improve software accessibility for people with IDD. In addition to the platform, we will develop a best practices manual on running co-development workshops for software developers.
We are seeking Advisory Committee members to provide feedback and expertise on the project throughout its life cycle. The project began in July 2023 and will run until June 2026. In particular, we are seeking individuals with IDD, members of community organizations, social workers, and parents/caregivers of people with IDD, to provide input and advice on the application of universal design in this project.
Members of the advisory committee will be expected to:
Attend meetings (online) to review project progress and comment on project plans
Provide guidance and feedback on the planning and organization of the co-development workshops
Help the project team reach out to prospective users/testers
Review project progress reports
Members of the committee will meet for an hour or two (online) quarterly throughout the life of the 3-year project. While participation throughout the whole project would be ideal, we understand that this may not be possible for all members. A $25 gift card to a place of your choice will be provided for each meeting attended.
If you are interested in joining the advisory committee, or if you have any questions, please email Daniel Huizenga from the Social Innovation Research Centre at Centennial College at dhuizenga@centennialcollege.ca.