AAATE 2013 - 12th European AAATE Conference

"12th European AAATE Conference" that will take place September 19 to 22 in Vilamoura, Portugal, in the Algarve region, one of the most beautiful areas of our country. Those that have been associated to the area of “Assistive Technology” in Europe for the last two decades might remember that the last of the ECART Conferences ? the precursor of the AAATE Conferences - took place in Lisbon, Portugal in 1995. And it was during this ECART Conference in 1995 that AAATE was officially created. Thus, in 2013 AAATE will commemorate its 18th anniversary, reaching the adult age. As so, we hope to be able to meet the expectations of all of those in Europe and abroad that know the importance of a solid scientific basis in the area of "Assistive Technology" as a crucial support to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and older persons in Europe.
One of the main objectives of the AAATE2013 Conference is to bring together researchers, professionals, manufacturers, end users and their families, and combine their knowledge, expertise, needs and expectations, contributing in a multidisciplinary way to the success of this meeting. This will be achieved not only by the presentation of papers during the two and a half days of the conference, but also through the participation in Instructional Courses and in a "Research Symposium" held immediately after the main Conference, a novel approach to contribute to the advancement of the field in Europe. We are looking forward to meet you all in Vilamoura, Portugal, for the 2013 AAATE Conference!
CONFERENCE CHAIR
Luis Azevedo, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal
PROGRAM BOARD
Pedro Encarnação, Catholic University of Portugal, Portugal (Chair)
Gert Jan Gelderblom, Zuyd University, The Netherlands
Alan Newell, University of Dundee, U.K.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Al Cook, University of Alberta, Canada
Alan Newell, University of Dundee, U.K.
EASPD - European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
Sarah Blackstone, Augmentative Communication Inc., U.S.A.