Leaders in Assistive Technology to Demo Innovations at CSUN's 27th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego

Online, February 17, 2012 (Newswire.com) - California State University, Northridge (CSUN) announced today sponsored events and assistive technology to be demonstrated at the upcoming 27th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference. CSUN 2012, which will be held in San Diego February 27th-March 3rd, is the world's largest technology event dedicated to the community of people with disabilities. Sponsored events, demos and give-aways will be hosted by industry leaders including Adobe, Deque Systems, Freedom Scientific, Google, IBM and Microsoft.

"We have an exciting line-up of engaging sessions and exhibits hosted by leaders driving innovation in assistive technology to promote inclusiveness for people with disabilities," said Sandy Plotin, managing director of CSUN's Center on Disabilities.

This year, CSUN will hold two days of pre-conference events and 350 general sessions led by internationally-recognized experts. There will be 130+ exhibitors demonstrating the latest in assistive tech from software and social media apps to robotics. The exhibit hall and several forums will be open to the public and free of charge.

Sponsored Events, Demos & Give-Aways:

*See CSUN Center on Disabilities website for dates/times/locations

ABILITY Magazine Give-Away - CSUN's official Media Partner will be offering a free subscription to its digital magazine for all registered attendees.

ADOBE Town Hall & Mixer - Adobe will hold for conference registrants a Town Hall event, followed by a mixer.

CSUN Tweet-Up 2012 - The 4th Annual CSUN Tweet-Up will take place in the Microsoft Showcase Suite.

"Join the group and spread the word about your conference experience," said Plotin, "This year's Tweet-Up will include a Photo Booth, so stop by and see your pictures, which will be posted directly on Twitter!"

Deque Systems Accessibility Software Launch & Demos - Deque Systems, which provides software, training, and consulting for web accessibility and Section 508 compliance, will announce at CSUN 2012 the March 2012 release of Worldspace Sync, a major revision to the company's enterprise level accessibility software suite, which is used by Fortune 100 companies, universities and large government agencies.

Freedom Scientific Demos, Give-Aways - The largest worldwide manufacturer of assistive tech products for those who are blind or have low vision will demo its latest version of JAWS (and how it works with social media) as well as its recently unveiled High Definition desktop video magnifiers, TOPAZ XL HD, which provides a crisp, clear image and the widest field of view (up to 11 inches). The company will give away prizes daily including its popular MAGic screen magnification software with a MAGic Large Print Keyboard valued at $574! During CSUN 2012, register for a chance to win the grand prize - a 24" TOPAZ XL HD desktop video magnifier valued at $4,495.00.

Google Event - Google will hold an all-day event at CSUN 2012 where team members will be available for questions/answers and hands-on demos and Q&A about recent accessibility improvements in Google products: docs, Chrome and Android.

IBM Presentation - Attend this session with Frances West, worldwide director of the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center, to learn how advanced and fully inclusive social collaboration platforms like IBM Connections 3.0 can accelerate value creation and help extend the impact of your social business strategy to capitalize on the ideas and insight of every individual and drive unprecedented levels of business value.

KNOWBILITY's AccessU - This "conference within a conference" will be held onsite from February 27-28th. A leader in accessible information technology since 1998, KNOWBILITY provides ability awareness and support education and training to hundreds of businesses, educational institutes, nonprofit organizations and government agencies across the globe. AccessU will address issues including how to train staff, implement effective accessibility strategies, and monitor long-term goals to reach millions of new users. Each attendee will receive a copy of the new book from Jeff Kline, Strategic IT Accessibility: Enabling the Organization.

Microsoft "Road to CSUN" - In addition to the nine sessions that Microsoft will hold in a dedicated showcase suite at the conference this year, Microsoft Technical Evangelist for the Accessibility Business Unit, Daniel Hubbell, and Gary Moulton, Product Manager for the Accessibility Business Unit, who is responsible for coordinating Microsoft's efforts with assistive tech manufacturers, will embark on "Road to CSUN". The eight-day road trip from Seattle to San Diego will explore and share the world of accessibility they discover on their way to CSUN 2012. Follow their journey on Microsoft's Accessibility Blog and Twitter (@MSFTEnable or #Road2CSUN), where regular updates and video will be posted, Feb. 20 - 28th.

Free Exhibit Hall Hours (Open to the Public):

Wednesday, February 29, 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Thursday, March 1, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Friday, March 2, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

For more information about the conference including how to register for pre-conference workshops and other closed-session events, visit the Center on Disabilities' website or call (818) 677-2578.

About CSUN

California State University, Northridge has more than 35,000 full- and part-time students and offers 66 bachelor's and 53 master's degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond. http://www.csun.edu

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