Today, I will be a panelist for the general session, Future Directions of Inclusive Technologies, at the United States Federal Interagency Accessibility Forum.

I will be speaking and answering questions about:

• How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) help people understand what they read? (This relates to my EasyText.AI research.)
• How can AI help people with disabilities live independently?
• How can AI help people with disabilities gain and retain employment?
• How we must not teach AI our biases.

Moderator

Betsy Sirk, Information Technology and Section 508 Program Manager, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Panelists

• Dean Halstead, Director of Cloud, Collaboration and Accessibility, U.S. Microsoft Public Sector;
• Seamus McAteer, General Manager, Otter.ai;
• Keith Nakasone, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Acquisition Management, IT Category, General Services Administration (GSA);
• John Rochford, Director, INDEX Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, and Faculty, University of Massachusetts Medical School;
• Debra Ruh, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Ruh Global Communications (RGC);
• Paul Schroeder, Public Policy and Strategic Alliances, Aira Tech Corporation;
• Corinne Weible, Co-Director, Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), DOL

For the American Expert Speaker Program of the U.S. Department of State, I will give 3 presentations and participate in roundtable discussions in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Beppu, Japan, from September 7 through September 23, 2019.

For two of them, I will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) empowerment and fairness for people with disabilities, especially how AI empowers companies to hire a more diverse workforce. This will include the work of my colleague, Frances West, author of Authentic Inclusion^TM: Drives Disruptive Innovation.

For one of them, I will focus on the functions and activities of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center and its INDEX Program, which I direct, as part of a larger discussion about independent living, the Internet of Things, and AI for people with disabilities. This will include my EasyText.AI research.

These activities are arranged and sponsored by the:

• U.S. Department of State
• U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan
• NPO Center for Independent Living Support Oita
• Fukuoka Mirai Hospital & SOUSEIKAI Medical Group

I am greatly honored that my presentations will be introduced by and/or the discussions will be moderated by the esteemed:

• Ms. Kelsey De Rinaldis, Program Development Officer, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy Tokyo
  • Audience: 5 to 10 NPO representatives, chief staff members of business entities, and researchers who work promoting using AI for accessibility.
• Dr. Ken’ichiro Takashiba, Director of the Joint Surgery Center, Fukuoka Mirai Hospital / Vice-Chairperson, Fukuoka Triathlon 2019
  • Audience: about 60 rehabilitation and medical staff and doctors.
• Mr. Hidekazu Goto, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, NPO Center for Independent Living Support Oita / International Visitor Leadership Program in 2018 on Accessibility and Inclusion
  • Audience: about 30 support staff, persons with disabilities, local government officials and the general public.

I am indebted to the following people for arranging all of this for me, and/or who will be assisting me.

• Aaron Steers-Smith, Foreign Affairs Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Kelsey De Rinaldis, Program Development Officer, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy Tokyo
• Yuki Kondo-Shah, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka
• Kenji Miyaishi, Public Affairs Program Assistant
• Kana (Miyamoto) Mori, Public Affairs Program Assistant
• Mayumi Abiko, Public Affairs Program Assistant
• Japanese interpreters

I am excited to learn from Japanese experts including people with disabilities living independently in Japan.