Scope of Eugenics – Call for Submission – extended until March 1, 2015

The Scope of Eugenics
Call for Submissions

Eugenics Archives (eugenicsarchive.ca) is pleased to announce a four-day workshop at the Banff Centre, May 22nd-25th, 2015, in Banff, Alberta. To acknowledge the significant contributions made by students to the Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada project over the past four years, we invite submissions from early career scholars—students and those within three years of completing their doctorates—from any discipline on topics related to eugenics and its contemporary significance.

Submissions should consist of a single document that includes a (i) summary abstract (<150 words), (ii) longer description (<750 words) outlining the presentation and explaining the relevance of the topic to eugenics, (iii) short biographical statement (<100 words), and (iv) CV. Possible topics include, but are in no way restricted to, the following :

Apologies to eugenics survivors Child welfare
Collective memory Human diversity
Nationalism Quality of life
Queer sexuality Roma peoples
Schizophrenia World Health Organization
Whiteness Particular Countries / Geographic Regions

The project director is happy to provide feedback to potential participants on these and other suggestions (e.g., on particular countries or regions of the world). Participants are expected to attend the whole workshop and to contribute a short article to eugenicsarchive.ca, ideally based on their presentation, within one month of the workshop. Articles accessible via the Encyc or Around the World modules at the site indicate the type of article we have in mind.

Accommodation and meals for all workshop participants will be covered by Eugenics Archives. Participants will also be notified upon acceptance if we are able to cover in full, or contribute to in part, additional travel expenses. The workshop will allow for substantial opportunities to enjoy the Banff surrounds and will encourage networking, mentoring, and informal discussion between junior scholars interested in eugenics and Eugenics Archives team members.

Scope of Eugenics Poster with Mountains
Deadline for submissions : February 15th, 2015 EXTENDED to March 1, 2015 Acceptances : March 15th, 2015

Questions and submissions to the project director, Professor Rob Wilson : scopeofeugenics@gmail.com

Website: https://scopeofeugenics.wordpress.com/

Hosted by the Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada

Court orders Ottawa to make websites accessible to blind

A Federal Court judge has ordered the government to make its websites accessible to visually impaired users after a blind Toronto woman said she was unable to apply for a job online.

ATMac – A blog for accessible Apple technology

 

This blog/website covers all Apple products with a slant towards disability. They have an interest in users with a disability, adaptive and assistive technology, and making accessible programs and content.  The aim is to cover all Apple products including all Mac OS X computers – the iMac, MacBook, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, and older models; the iPod range; the iPhone and iPod Touch; and other products such as the Apple TV and Apple Remote Control.

Recent articles cover topics including overcoming “Locked-in Syndrome”, multi-lingual braille output for Snow Leopard users, and an introduction to OS X for Switch users (SwitchXS provides virtually complete access to Mac OS X and all standard Mac applications for people who can only use one or more switches.)

Visit the site by clicking on the image above or by clicking on the site URL: http://atmac.org/

Conference – The Inclusive Museum – Of Interest to What Sorts Folk

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE INCLUSIVE MUSEUM
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
8-11 July 2009
http://www.Museum-Conference.com

At this time of fundamental social change, what is the role of the museum, both as a creature of that change, and perhaps also as an agent of change? The International Conference on the Inclusive Museum is a place where museum practioners, researchers, thinkers and teachers can engage in discussion on the historic character and future shape of the museum. The key question of the Conference is ‘How can the institution of the museum become more inclusive?’

Plenary speakers include:
*Stephane Martin, President, Ensemble Intercontemporain; CEO, Musée du quai Branly
*Alissandra Cummins, President of ICOM; Director, Barbados Museums and Historical Society, Barbados
*Kevin Gover, Director, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., USA
*Adi Meretui Ratunabuabua, Principal Cultural Development Officer, Ministry of Fijian Affairs, Culture and Heritage and Regional Development, Fiji
*Dawn Casey, Director of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
*David Throsby, Professor of Economics, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
*Marcus Wood, Professor, University of Sussex, UK
*Craddock Morton, Director, National Museum of Australia; President, ICOM Australia
*Catherine Branson, President, Australian Human Rights Commission

In addition,

Olympics/Paralympics, Beijing, and a wheelchair-accessible subway system

(This news story originally appeared on the Wired blog, with credit to be given to BA Haller over at the Media and Disability blog.)

 Snapshot of Beijing subway station with a train in the station.  In the foreground, the viewer sees a wheelchair symbol on the platform indicating an accessible entrance and exit. ST

In what may be the most significant improvement in human rights brought about by the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, Beijing has become less of a Forbidden City for the disabled. Even though more than one million disabled people live within its city limits, Beijing’s crowded subway was practically inaccessible to anyone not able to rush to the front of the platform on their own two feet. Now, according to the official Chinese government information site china.org.cn, the improvements made in preparation for the Games will become permanent, allowing disabled riders to travel without barriers.

 “I can’t believe this is true. Three hours ago I was at home, and now I’m here with all these others watching Paralympic Games competitions,” randomly-selected wheelchair-bound Beijing citizen Wang Shufen said. “The volunteers and subway and bus workers were really helpful. Without them, I would never have made it.” Of course, China.org.cn made sure to note that the 70-year-old Wang was smiling all through her interview, and never mentioned whether she lived ten feet or ten miles from the stadium. Still, for a city that banned the country’s few guide dogs and disqualified the disabled from entrance to many schools, any effort to open the city’s transit infrastructure to the disabled is a welcome change.

Read the full story here: http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/09/barrier-free-be.html

To Caption or Not to Caption

that is, no doubt, not THE question, but a question, one asked by Seek Geo in the captioned video appearing below the fold that shows its author signing a message that is also captioned. I would be curious to know if anyone with a screen-reader can read this (and those with them who cannot, which I suspect is most if not all, let us know)–and what they think about either the medium or the message (or both). And to know what deaf readers think about the same. And what sighted hearers also think.

Access to the What Sorts blog for Users of Screenreaders

As Spirit of The Times and others know, I have for some time been concerned about access to the blog for users of screenreaders. While there has been some discussion of the lack of captioning of YOUTube and other videos posted to the blog, there hasn’t been any discussion thus far about the exclusionary implications of posting images, pictures, graphs and other visual representations.  (This is not permitted on any of the disability research lists I subscribe to.)  One contributor to the blog recently commented that “images speak louder than words”.  That may be true for some, but it is not true for all.  If one is blind or has low vision, pictures and images probably don’t “speak” to her at all unless they are raised, tactile pictures of the sort philosopher of art Dominic Lopes has written about.  At present, some pictures/images are textually identified in this way: “Cover of So-and-so’s [book title]”.  What is on the cover?  What does it look like?  If there were textual description accompanying these book covers, pictures and images, access to the blog for users of screenreaders would be improved.

Building a Universally Accessible Blog

Accessibility Symbols

A comment by AlisonBryan to a post I made last week that was full of YouTube videos (1930s Drama Exposes Horrors of Forced Sterilization) has given me further cause to think about the accessibility of both the What Sorts? website and this blog. After some reflecting and poking around the web I suggest that the WhatSorts community should maintain the following standards wherever possible: