CALL FOR PAPERS June 8 - 10, 1994 San Franciso Airport Marriott Hotel Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Keynote Speaker Science Fiction Writer, RAY BRADBURY Second Annual, International Conference Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Co-sponsored by: IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and California State University, Northridge (CSUN), CENTER ON DISABILITIES, Virtual Reality and Disability Call for Papers Response required by February 15, 1994 INTRODUCTION For the past eight years, CSUN's CENTER ON DISABILITIES has conducted the conference, "Technology and Persons with Disabilities," which draws more than 2,200 persons from 25 foreign countries, 300 speakers and 140 exhibitors to Los Angeles each March. Because of a growing interest in virtual reality, the CENTER ON DISABILITIES sponsored the first annual, international "Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities" conference in San Francisco of June, 1993. This drew more than 300 persons (11 foreign countries). This is a "Call for Participation" for the second annual, international conference, "Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities," to be held June 8-10 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel. For the second annual conference, the CENTER ON DISABILITIES is pleased to announce that IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has agreed to co-sponsor the meeting. We are grateful to dr. Russell C. Eberhart, President, Neural Networks Council of IEEE, for proposing this partnership with the CENTER ON DISABILITIES. The subject matter of this forum lies at the intersection of two communities: the community of persons with disabilities, and the virtual reality technology community. The primary objective, therefore, is to bring together these two communities in order to share results of research, development, and commercialization in this field. Another objective is to create a peer-reviewed archive by means of a Proceedings, and to disseminate this information widely. These objectives will be achieved through tutorials, technical sessions, panels, demonstrations, and exhibits. Topics of Interest Papers should address these major areas of interest * technical aspects of virtual reality * policy issues surrounding virtual reality and disability * current and future access issues * applications of Virtual Reality that will benefit persons with disabilities * employment opportunities for person with disabilities in the virtual reality field How to Submit Papers Conditions of Presentation Tutorial (three hour presentations) are solicited for Wednesday, June 8, 1994. General Session papers and panels (one hour in duration) are solicited for Thursday, June 9, and Friday, June 10. Speakers are offered a discounted registration fee to the General Sessions of June 9-10, 1994 of the $195 (usual fee ($295). This includes all meetings, demonstrations, and work groups, as well as two lunches and a conference reception on the evening of Thursday, June 9. Speakers may also register for the preconference, tutorial sessions of June 8 at the regular registration rate of $75 per session (one in AM, one in PM). A 200 work abstract is due not later than February 15, 1994. Please submit hard copy and electronic formats. Papers may be submitted by fax or e-mail with the understanding that a hard copy, containing signature(s) of the presenters, is also required. Papers are juried. If a proposal is accepted, the speaker agrees to submit a formal paper of not more than ten pages by May 1, 1994. Papers will then be assembled into a Proceedings, which will be widely distributed on an international basis. Speakers submit hard copy and electronic versions. Invitation to Exhibit There are more than 30 million Americans with disabilities. No VR manufacturer, developer, or distributor should overlook this market. This is an opportunity for the virtual reality community to interface with the disability marketplace. It is also a place for the assistive technology community to interface with the virtual reality community. Exhibit space is only $495 per 8' x 10' station. Please call for details on exhibiting. Venue The San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel, Burlingame, CA, just a few minutes from San Francisco's International airport, is the conference site. It is located on San Francisco Bay, just south of the airport, with beautiful walking and jogging trails outside its door, and near many fine restaurants. Special conference weekend rates are offered for those wishing to stay longer. Additional information will be sent with the acceptance of papers. Proposal Form Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities June 8-10, 1994 San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel Presenter # 1 Name: ___________________________________________________________ Title: __________________________________________________________ Company: ________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________________ FAX: ____________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: _________________________________________________ Presenter # 2 Name: ___________________________________________________________ Title: __________________________________________________________ Company: ________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________________ FAX: ____________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: _________________________________________________ Title of Paper: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Please write a 1-2 sentence summary, not to exceed 25 words: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Is this a commercial product/demonstration? __Yes __No Please send information on Exhibiting __ Equipment Needs Computer Equipment supplied by CSUN upon request: __ Macintosh Classic II, 2 megs RAM __ MS/DOS 386, VGA Monitor __ Monochrome LCD projection screen with overhead projector Audio Visual Equipment Supplied by CSUN upon Request: __ 1/2" VHS VCR with color monitor __ 35mm slide projector __ Overhead projector I/We agree to the conditions of presentation I/We have submitted paper and electronic formats of this proposal, and agree to submit paper and electronic versions if this paper is accepted for presentation in June, 1994. ________________________________________________________________ Signature All other equipment needs are the responsibility of the presenters. I will supply the following equipment on my own: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Screens and/or monitors will be provided as needed. It is expressly understood that any equipment not requested from CSUN- including phone or dataline-is the responsibility of the presenter. It is expressly understood that the conference organizers may schedule this paper on either June 9 or June 10. It is expressly understood that any equipment changes after May 1, 1994 are the sole responsibility of the presenter(s). Please return this proposal form along with a 200 word abstract to: Dr. Harry J. Murphy, Founder and Director CENTER ON DISABILITIES California State University, Northridge 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8340 Phone: (818)885-2578 V/TDD FAX/Voice Message: (818)885-4929 E-Mail: VR@VAX.CSUN.EDU Members of the Conference Planning Committee * Ben Delaney, CyberEdge Journal, Sausalito, Ca * Dr. Russell Eberhart, Research Triangle Institute, NC and IEEE (Neural Networks Council) * Michael Evans, Greenleaf Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA * Dr. Deborah Gilden, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA * Dr. Walter Greenleaf, Greenleaf Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA * Dr. Harry Murphy, CENTER ON DISABILITIES, California State University, Northridge * Dr. Joel Orr, Virtual Worlds Society, Virginia Beach, VA * Ed Rogers, California Department of Rehabilitation, Sacramento, CA -- Dr. Paul S. di Virgilio, University of Toronto virgilio@epas.utoronto.ca