Mobile Multimodal Human-Computer Interaction,
From haptic game interfaces to tangible wheelchair input devices:
New Perspectives for people with special needs

Standard Interfaces have limited accessibility; multimodal user interfaces combine various input and output modalities (including seeing/vision, hearing/audition, haptic/tactile, taste/gustation, smell/olfaction etc.) which are a classical research area in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). One of the advantages of multiple modalities can be increased usability: the weaknesses of one modality are offset by the strengths of another. For example, on a mobile device with a small visual interface and keypad, a word may be quite difficult to read/type, however very easy to say/listen. Such interfaces in combination with mobile technologies can have tremendous implications for accessibility and can be a benefit for people with a wide variety of impairments.

This Special Thematic Session (STS) brings together Researchers and Practitioners from Psychology and Computer Science, bridging classic Human-Computer Interaction research (HCI) with Usability Engineering (UE), aiming at bringing benefits for handicapped people!

Topics include (but are not limited):

• Multimodal Input/Output Technologies (TUI – tangible user interfaces, AUI – audio user interfaces etc.);
• Multimodal user feedback methods;
• New accessible game input devices;
• Innovative control interfaces for handicapped users;
• Multimodal trainings and e-Education applications for people with special needs (eLearning, e-Learning, Technology Enhanced Learning)
• Usability and Accessibility aspects of advanced interfaces

Submission Deadline: January, 25th 2006

All papers undergo careful peer review and will appear in Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS).

Manuscripts must be submitted directly to the conference management system:
http://www.icchp.org/content/view/59/92

Inquiries directly to the STS chairs:
Andreas Holzinger: andreas.holzinger@medunigraz.at
Alexander K. Nischelwitzer: alexander.nischelwitzer@fh-joanneum.at

Thank you for your kind interest and patience.