1. Implications of Cloud Computing for People with Cognitive Disabilities Clayton Lewis Scientist in Residence Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities University of Colorado

2. "The Web platform will be the inflection point in human knowledge creation and communication which will transform all aspects of life.” --Bill Coleman, October 20, 2010

3. "Cloud computing will become pervasive for developers and IT – a shift that’ll catalyze the transformation of infrastructure, systems & business processes across all major organizations worldwide.” --Ray Ozzie, Microsoft, October 28, 2010

4. Outline ● What is cloud computing? ● What is cognitive disability? ● Why is cloud computing important for people experiencing cognitive disability? ● How can we exploit this opportunity?

5. What is Cloud Computing? (thanks to Wikipedia) Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.

6. “Cloud Computing”: Etymology 1. The internet as cloud Server: in Taipei Client: in Boulder The Internet To reach a server in Taipei, you just send your message into the cloud, and it gets there by magic.

7. “Cloud Computing”: Etymology 2. The cloud is everything you reach via the internet Server: in Taipei Client: in Boulder Google Docs WebAnyWhere The Internet

8. Related concept: “Software as a Service”

9. Cognitive Disability ● A disability is a gap between a person's capabilities and the demands of their environment. ● Cognitive disability involves mental operations like comprehending text, remembering, or solving complex problems.

11. Cloud Computing Opportunities for People with Cognitive Disabilities ● WebAnywhere (Bigham, U Rochester): ● Text to speech conversion done on a server can provide a screen reader that can be used by anyone, from a public machine... includes interface for sighted users ● EasyOneCommunicator (Vanderheiden, U Wisconsin) ● Basic email, chat, and photo sharing can be provided to anyone, with a very simple user interface ● In both cases: ● Users need not install any software, or even own a computer ● Services can be provided at very low cost

12. For many users, less is more:

14. Simplified Presentation Simplification of navigation and interaction, as well as textual content, is important Typical sites offer hundreds of controls, many rarely used Mobile versions of the same sites are much simpler, while preserving the commonly needed features

16.  Today, very sophisticated users can access simplifications using user style sheets and browser plugins... We need to place access under profile control, so that all users can access them easily.

17. ● Users define how they want information to be presented to them – For example, they might say that they prefer a simpler presentation of content, when available ● This definition is stored in the cloud, and automatically used when they visit a compliant Web site ● Users can create a profile once, with any help they may need, and get the benefit whenever they use the Web, from any computer User Profiles in the Cloud

18. This technology has benefits for users with any disabilities. Broader Vision: Video Jim Tobias and others

19. GPII ● Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure

20. International Interest ● Canada ● European Commission ● Greece, Spain, Sweden,... ● Brasil ● Korea ●...

22. Enhancing the Ecosystem for Commercial Assistive Technology ● 'Software as a Service' Model ● Easier, cheaper marketing, deployment, billing ● Recombinable services (from José Ángel Martínez Usero, Technosite)

23. Policy Challenges ● Intellectual property law that allows transformation of content for accessibility ● Legal protections for information in the cloud ● Privacy, confidentiality for profiles ● Open access to services by user choice

24. Thanks to: Coleman Insititute Bill Coleman, David Braddock, Jim Sullivan, Jeff Hoehl, Enid Ablowitz Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Dale Hatfield, Preston Padden, Anna Noschese GPII Gregg Vanderheiden, Jutta Treviranus, Jim Tobias RERC on Advancing Cognitive Technologies Cathy Bodine

25. GPII Components ● Private Preference & Permission System. ● Matchmaker ● Safe Source ● Unified AnyWhere Delivery Systems ● Auto-personalization Services ● Caption & Description Finder ● Assistance On Demand ● Tool Kit & Parts Store

26. To participate: www.gpii.org Also... Lifted by the Cloud Vision Challenge challenge.gov