Digital Backpack for Disaster Preparedness

You may already have a backpack stashed with disaster preparedness supplies at home or in your car. It probably contains water, snacks, a first aid kit, and flashlight. Good for you! But what about your important electronic documents, such as medical records, insurance, and property deeds? You will want to have back-ups of these physical documents in case you need to replace them. For them, you might need FEMA’s new digital backpack.  You can download the FEMA app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.  Take steps today to ensure you have access to your important documents during an emergency.

Dr. Carol Miller will give a presentation at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15. Dr. Miller is a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Penn State (US). She is associated with the NSF-funded AI Institute for Exceptional Education.  The Institute is developing artificial intelligence ways to help speech-language pathologists provide services for school-age children. This includes screening and intervention through automatic speech recognition, synthesis of video and audio information, interactive robots, and more. You can attend this presentation in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube. 

Surprise Guest interviewed by Cynthia Calongne at 11:30 a.m. Pacific, Nov. 15

Dr. Cynthia Calongne will interview a surprise guest at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15.  Dr. Calongne is Professor Emerita at Colorado Technical University where she teaches doctoral AI and computer science. A long-time Second Life user, she conducts game simulation research at Virtual Harmony using OpenSimulator. The surprise guest is an expert on artificial intelligence. You’ll have to attend to find out who the guest will be! You can attend this interview in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube.

Mamdani and Verma at 10:30 a.m. Pacific, Nov. 15

   

Dr. Muhammad Mamdani and Dr. Amol Verma will present a joint session at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15. Both teach at the University of Toronto and are affiliated with Unity Health Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Dr. Mamdani is the director of the University of Toronto Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM) and a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute.  Dr. Verma is associated with St. Michael’s Hospital. He worked on the design and implementation of the CHARTwatch tool, which reduces the risk of unexpected deaths of hospital patients.  The title of their presentation is “The Promise and Pitfalls of AI in Medicine.” They will provide a basic overview of artificial intelligence in medicine and its applications using real-world examples. You can attend their presentation in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube.

Rose Hill at 9:30 a.m. Pacific, Nov. 15

Rose Hill will be interviewed at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15. Ms. Hill is a Certified Peer Counselor with Crisis Connections in Seattle, WA (US). She will share her observations about AI and its impact on the mental health of youth. You can attend the interview in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube.

Panel Discussion at 8:30 a.m. Pacific, Nov. 15

 

A panel of three researchers will speak at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15. The panel includes Nicholas Lesica, Aldo Faisal, and Sahrish Panjwani-Charania.  First, Nicholas Lesica is Professor of Neuroengineering at the Ear Institute, University College London (UK). His research group develops tools to aid individuals with hearing loss. Second, Aldo Faisal is Professor of AI & Neuroscience at the Department of Computing and the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London (UK). He uses principles from engineering to research the brain. One application uses wearable AI to track the progression of muscular dystrophy.  Third, Sahrish Panjwani-Charania is an educator and graduate student in science education. She has reviewed the use of AI for students with learning disabilities.  The panel members’ diverse research interests will allow them to discuss the utility and impact of AI on three different types of disabilities: motor, mental, and sensory. You can attend the panel discussion in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube. 

Accessible Voting for Everyone

It’s important that all eligible voters vote in every election. Not only do voters need to know about voting accessibility features, but so do pollworkers and other polling place staff. Here are some resources to ensure that everyone, whether or not they have a disability, can vote in local, state, and national elections.

For US voters:

• Find the accessible voting options in your state - https://accessiblevoting.net/
• Find out how to vote in your state (also available in plain language and in Spanish) - https://www.aapd.com/voter-info/

For US election officials:

• ADA Checklist for Polling Places - https://www.ada.gov/resources/polling-places-checklist/
• Introduction to Resources for Poll Workers and Voters with Disabilities - https://gpadacenter.org/accessible-elections/ (includes good hints about what to say or not say)
• National Coalition on Accessible Voting’s Voter Access Guide - https://accessiblevoting.net/voter-access-guide-for-election-officials

Voting Outside the US:

• Elections Canada Accessibility - https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=spe&document=index&lang=e
• Voting / Elections information from Communication Disabilities Access Canada - https://www.cdacanada.com/resources/accessible-businesses-and-services/barriers/voting-elections-2/
• Assistance with voting for disabled voters (UK) - https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/full-guidance/guidance-returning-officers-assistance-voting-disabled-voters
• Blind People Can’t Vote in Secret Without This… (UK video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms4Vi-p_CAQ
• Accessibility information from Australian Electoral Commission - https://www.aec.gov.au/footer/accessibility.htm
• Information for people with disability or mobility restrictions (Australia) - https://www.aec.gov.au/assistance/
• Political participation of people with disabilities - new developments (EU) -  https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2024/political-participation?page=3

 

Denis Newman-Griffis at 7 a.m. Pacific, Nov. 15

Denis R. Newman-Griffis will be the opening speaker at Virtual Ability’s International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference at 7 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 15.  Dr. Denis Newman-Griffis is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor of Data Science at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Their research focuses on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in practice, especially on health and disability.  The title of their talk is “Artificial intelligence and disability data justice: Representing human function and disability in AI systems.” You can attend their presentation in Second Life at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island or watch the session Live Streamed on YouTube.

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for November 2024

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits using the SLURLs in this posting. In Second Life, click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images. If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24 

**AI and Climate Change: Opportunities 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

**AI and Climate Change: Challenges
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

**Climate Change, What Climate Change?
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22




What defines community?

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Why is community important to people with disabilities? 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs (CRPD)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

The role of organizations for people with disabilities
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

10 Facts About People with Disabilities in Canada
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32

**These 3 displays are about AI and climate change. Some of their content relates to the upcoming IDRAC conference on Nov. 15. The webpage about the conference is listed here:  https://virtualability.org/idrac-2024/

IDRAC Is on Friday, Nov 15, 2024

Virtual Ability, Inc.® presents our 13th Annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC) on Friday, Nov 15, 2024. This annual professional conference is free and open to the public. The conference will take place in Second Life® at The Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island.  The conference will also be Live Streamed on YouTube.  The theme of the 2024 conference is “Disability & Health: Where will AI take us?” Artificial Intelligence holds both promise and peril for people with disabilities and healthcare in general. The conference presenters offer a quick look at this broad topic. We expect lively discussions and information sharing among presenters and audience members. Please visit the conference webpage to read about the presenters and their topics. Note that all times in the schedule are in Pacific Time Zone.