Public Lecture by Scott Hollier

The Seeing without Light: how people with disability are embracing emerging technologies

A public lecture by Dr Scott Hollier, Digital access specialist, lecturer and author

The rapid evolution of computers and mobile devices has had a significant impact on how we engage online and with each other. Yet for people with disabilities, including visual impairment, such technologies represent far more than just the sum of their parts - it is ultimately a gateway for independence. Yet with emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and the Internet of Things, how can we ensure that people with disability continue to be a part of our digital culture?

Dr Hollier will demonstrate how people with disability are currently able to engage with consumer devices along with the benefits and issues associated with our new and emerging consumer digital needs.

Dr Scott Hollier specialises in the field of digital accessibility and is the author of the book Outrunning the Night: a life journey of disability, determination and joy. With a PhD in Internet Studies and project management experience across the not-for-profit, corporate and government sectors, Scott is an internationally-recognised researcher and speaker.  

Consultancy areas include consumer-based support for service organisations, developer-based support for ICT professionals for web and app-related work and support across different organisational roles to achieve compliance with digital accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.0.  

Scott currently lectures at Edith Cowan University and the University of South Australia in the areas of information management and web accessibility. He is also an active participant in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Research Questions Task Force (RQTF). In addition, Scott is legally blind and as such has both a professional and personal understanding of the importance of accessibility. 

Light Talks

This talk is part of  the  2018 Light Talks series, "Living with and without Light". Our aim is to raise awareness about the experience of visually impaired people in a globalized and technological world. 

This series is presented by UWA Optical Society (OSA) student chapter and the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.