User-Lab's John Knight to guest speak at WMita DDA meeting

29 June 2004, West Midlands, UK

User-Lab's John Knight to guest speak at WMita DDA meeting

Birmingham Institute of Art and Design User-Lab’s John Knight to guest speak at West Midlands IT Association (WMita) Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) meeting

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John Knight, Usability Engineer at User-Lab http://www.user-lab.com is to guest speak at West Midlands IT Association (WMita) http://www.wmita.co.uk/ DDA meeting focusing upon the issues of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The event is to be held at Orchard Room, The Pear Tree Inn and Country Hotel Wednesday 30th June 2004 5.30pm - 8.30pm, and has been organised as WMita addresses concerns over disability act.

Concerns, speculation and confusion amongst information technology companies regarding the timing and implications of the DDA, has prompted the WMita to take a lead in offering advice.

One effect of the DDA, which is scheduled to come into force in October 2004, will be to ensure that websites are accessible to blind and disabled users, but IT specialists have complained that little information is available to help them ensure its successful implementation.

WMita’s response is a presentation organised by the Hereford and Worcester Branch featuring a leading authority on DDA, John Knight, Usability Engineer of Birmingham Institute of Art and Design at the University of Central England.

Charles Huthwaite of WMita’s H&W Branch said: “Web accessibility is a hot topic at the moment and we feel we can learn a lot from John’s knowledge and experience in this area. Many hold the view that DDA could potentially destroy the effectiveness of their websites but our advice to them is not to panic. We intend to give practical, down to earth advice on what the new Act requires, what needs to be done and what indeed DDA is all about,” explains Huthwaite.

This presentation is the first in what WMita intends to become a series of road shows about DDA and accessibility in general which will result in WMita offering clear advice and guidance to its members and the West Midlands IT community.
This presentation is the first in what WMita intends to become a series of road shows about DDA and accessibility in general which will result in WMita offering clear advice and guidance to its members and the West Midlands IT community.

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This press release in available in PDF, plain text and Word formats. Photographs are available of the User-Lab team.

The media spokesperson for User-Lab is John Knight, Usability Engineer.

For more information and to register for The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) event visit: http://www.wmita.co.uk/events/DisabilityDiscriminationActHerefordandWorcesterMeeting or http:/ inyurl.com/ypheu.

The event:

Venue: Orchard Room, The Pear Tree Inn and Country Hotel, Smite, Worcester, WR5 3BN

Telephone: 01905 756565, Fax: 01905 756777

Wednesday 30th June 2004, 5.30pm - 8.30pm

About User-Lab:
http://www.user-lab.com

User-Lab is a non-profit making organisation based at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/. The lab is part of the Institute’s Research Department and is staffed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in digital media design, human-computer interaction, psychology and software engineering.

The lab comprises three purpose built testing and design labs that are equipped with the latest technology for conducting behavioural, physiological and psychological research.
The lab has two related functions: to carry out research into the digital experience and, based on the results of this work, to develop an innovative commercial service.

In the two years since its inception, the lab has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with RDAs, FEs, charities and the public and private sector. The outcomes of these projects range from assisting start up businesses to training, as well as the lab’s core business of user-centred design services.

User-Lab run Web Accessibility Training with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) http://www.rnib.org.uk/ and ECOTEC an international research and consultancy organisation http://www.ecotec.com/.

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Elemental PR:

Rachel Hawkes, Account Executive, Elemental PR
Email: user-lab@elementalpr.co.uk

Direct Telephone: +44 (0)870 745 9292, Mobile: +44 (0)7930 375663,
Fax: +44 (0)870 745 9293, Website: http://www.elementalpr.co.uk

Address: Second Floor, 145 -157 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PY, England, UK

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