Keynotes
Explore a diverse range of keynote addresses and panel discussions that dive into Assistive Technology (AT), Accessibility, Inclusion, and beyond. These sessions promise to deliver “Brainfood for R&D and application in our domain.”
ICCHP 2026 Opening Keynote
Kimball Marriott
“Beyond Conversational Agents:
Multimodal AI and its applications for people who are blind or have low vision”
AI is transforming assistive technology. For people who are blind or have low vision (BLV), AI provides new ways to access graphical and environmental information through applications like BeMyAI and smart glasses such as Ally Solos and Envision. Most research in this area has focused on speech and conversational agent-based interfaces. In this talk, I will investigate how combining conversational agents with other modalities can provide an even more engaging and liberating experience, as well as support independent verification of the information provided by the agent. I’ll discuss three examples. The first is the combination of conversational agents with refreshable tactile displays to support data analysis and mathematics education. The second is the combination of conversational agents with 3D-printed models to create engaging educational artefacts, and the third is the combination of a conversational agent and image enhancement in smart glasses to support environmental understanding by people with cerebral vision impairment (CVI).
Short CV
Kim obtained his PhD in 1989 and worked at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center before joining Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in 1993. He now leads the Monash Assistive Tech and Society (MATS) Centre, an interdisciplinary collective focusing on the relationships between people with disabilities and technology. His particular research focus is on the use of new technologies, such as AI, mixed reality, refreshable tactile displays, and 3D printing, to present graphical content and environmental information to people who are blind or have low vision. He was recently recognised as an ACM Distinguished Member for this research.
Katta Spiel
Short CV
Katta Spiel is Assistant Professor for “Critical Access in Embodied Computing” at the Human Computer Interaction Group of TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology). Katta’s research focus is access to technology from marginalized perspectives in order to inform design and engineering in critical ways. Collaborations with neurodivergent, deaf, and/or nonbinary peers have led to explorations of novel potentials for designs, methodological developments in human-machine interaction and innovative technological artefacts. Katta is currently involved in the project ACCESSTECH together with the Crip Collective as part of an ERC Starting Grant. Since January 2025, Katta has been serving as a member of the national monitoring committee in Austria for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.