A World Without Barriers: Disability and Virtual Technology
Tuesday, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Room 302A, Hawai‘i Convention Center
This 90 minute workshop will demonstrate and explore areas of emerging technology such as Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE) that hold promise for education and employment options for people with disabilities and those in the field of disability.
Megan A. Conway, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor with the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She has been in the disability studies field for 18 years. Dr. Conway is co-Principal Investigator of “EmployAble: A World Without Barriers”, a virtual employment center for people with disabilities funded by the Kessler Foundation. She teaches graduate level disability studies courses via distance education, and also conducts in-person and web-based professional development seminars on disability and diversity topics for faculty in higher education. She is the managing editor of the Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal. Dr. Conway has presented on numerous topics related to disability, including postsecondary access, disability rights, culture, assistive technology, and universal design. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Conway moved to Hawai‘i ten years ago seeking adventure, and currently lives in the Manoa Valley with her husband Thomas and their 6-year-old daughter, Susanna.
Thomas H. Conway, M.B.A., is the Media Coordinator at the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. He is the Project Director of “EmployAble: A World Without Barriers”, a virtual employment center for people with disabilities funded by the Kessler Foundation. With a background in photography and media production, Mr. Conway has recently become interested in accessible educational technology. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Educational Technology at the University of Hawaii. Mr. Conway recently developed a set of virtual tools in Second Life aimed at increasing postsecondary faculty and student awareness about access to technology for persons with disabilities. The tools are featured in the UH Manoa College of Education’s new Second Life Island. Mr. Conway grew up in Hawai‘i, and returned here after a stint on the Mainland including a degree from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. He still enjoys photographing the beautiful Hawaiian landscape.
Steven E. Brown, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, Center on Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa, Affiliate Graduate Faculty in the Political Science Department, and Co-Founder, Institute on Disability Culture. He earned a 1981 doctorate in history at the University of Oklahoma.
Brown’s research focuses on disability studies and disability culture; disability rights; and healing and wellness. His publications include Surprised to be Standing: A Spiritual Journey; Movie Stars and Sensuous Scars: Essays on the Journey from Disability Shame to Disability Pride; Ed Roberts: Wheelchair Genius; Independent Living: Theory and Practice; Investigating a Culture Of Disability: Final Report, the result of a prestigious Switzer Fellowship from the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research of the Department of Education, the first funding of its type for research into the field of Disability Culture; and Freedom of Movement: Independent Living History and Philosophy; and more than 100 peer reviewed and other articles and monographs addressing disability studies, disability culture, and disability rights, many of which have been translated into other languages. He also speaks both nationally and internationally on disability related topics and has presented over 150 keynote, peer reviewed and other presentations, workshops, and poster sessions.
Brown’s contributions have been recognized by selection as the Grand Marshal for the 2nd Annual Disability Pride Parade in Chicago, Illinois in July 2005; and as a recipient of the University of Hawaii College of Education Faculty Senate Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Leadership in Advocacy Award, both in 2006.
