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For Immediate Release
NEIL SCOTT NAMED LAUREATE BY CALIFORNIA'S TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION
New Zealand Native Honored for Work Equalizing Access to Information for People with Disabilities and Limitations Associated with Aging
STANFORD, CALIF., November 11, 2002 -Archimedes at Stanford, a research organization based at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language and Information that advances universal access to information, announced today that its director, Neil Scott, was named a Laureate as part of the annual awards program sponsored by The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. Presented in partnership with the American Council for the United Nations University and Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology, and Society, this program sponsored a gala dinner on November 7 to honor innovators and visionaries who are applying technology to improve the human condition in the areas of education, equality, environment, health, and economic development.
One of five Tech Laureates in the category of equality, Scott was among those honored at a gala dinner on November 7 for his efforts over the past three decades in developing technology that gives people with disabilities and other limitations access to information technology, including computers, that equals or exceeds the access and functionality available to people without disabilities. In addition to having created countless customized access solutions for individuals with a broad range of disabilities, Scott patented technology for an Intelligent Total Access System (ITAS) that simplifies complex access problems by breaking them into two parts: an accessor provides individuals with their preferred interface, while an Intelligent Total Access Port (ITAP) provides a universal connection to any type of information technology or appliance. The preferred interface for a blind person, for example, might involve voice output, whereas a person who is paraplegic or quadraplegic may prefer using speech recognition to enter text and a head-tracking system instead of a hand-manipulated mouse to interact with a GUI.
"Neil Scott is among 'the best of the best,'" says Peter Gilles,
president and CEO of The Tech Museum of Innovation, noting that in the awards
program's second year, 460 nominations were received from 59 nations.
Neil Scott Named Laureate Page Two of Two
"The ramifications of equipping individuals to use technology on their own terms are stunning," said Giles. "Applications range not only from enhancing productivity of people with such disabilities as limited vision and movement but enabling them to safely navigate their homes and public spaces to providing a means of capturing and storing accuracte medical records and giving autistic children a means to communicate."
"My truest reward is the smiles on peoples' faces when they can use
computers as well, or better than, people without disabilities," said
Scott, " but I am deeply honored by this recognition from The Tech Museum,
especially since it couldn't have come at a better time. After a decade of
being based at Stanford but currently receiving no university funding, Archimedes
is at a critical crossroads. Our team recently
completed seven accessors that hold the promise of significantly improving
access for people with different types of disability, and The Tech provides
a splendid platform for our achievements that I hope will lead to contributions
from individuals and organizations to the Archimedes Foundation that help
enable our innovative technology reach the people it is designed to benefit."
Born in New Zealand, Neil Scott received a B.E. with First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering from Canterbury University, Christchurch, NZ. After working in broadcasting, he joined the faculty of Wellington Polytechnic Institute, becoming its dean in 1977. In 1986, he came to the United States and for five years directed the Computer Lab at California State University/Northridge. Since 1992, he has directed Archimedes at Stanford, served on White House blue-ribbon committees, and shaped interface standards for disability access.
About Archimedes at Stanford
Established in 1992 at the Center for the Study of Language and Information
(CSLI), Stanford University, Archimedes is a multidisciplinary group of researchers
and product developers whose mission is to advance universal access to information
and optimize the user experience with computer-based technology. Through alliances
with leading academic research centers and affiliates worldwide, it develops
and brings to market innovative products designed to remove barriers to information
access. Visit Archimedes at http://archimedes.stanford.edu//.html
About The Tech Museum of Innovation
Located in the heart of downtown San Jose, Silicon Valley, Calif., The Tech,
a non-profit organization, engages people of all ages and backgrounds in exploring
and experiencing the technologies affecting their lives and aims to inspire
the innovator in everyone. For more information, visit www.thetech.org or
call (408) 294-TECH.
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For more information:
USA Contact:
Anne Knight knightwrite@pacbell.net
phone + 1 (650) 852-0810
NZ Contact:
Sandra Lukey, SmartNet, sandra@smartnet.co.nz
phone 03 366 7874 or 021 2262 858