Alan is Emeritus Professor at the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. He has been researching into computer systems to assist people with disabilities for over forty years. His current research is concerned with the technical challenges older people have with the use of technology, and the use of professional theatre to raise awareness and facilitate discussion on these issues. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire and awarded Fellowship of the (US) Association for Computing Machinery for contributions to computer-based systems for people with disabilities, and has published widely in this field. The School of Computing at Dundee University contains one of the largest academic groups in the world researching into computer and communication systems for older and disabled people. A former Deputy Principal of the University, Alan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the British Computer Society, and an Honorary Fellow Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
His current research is concerned with the technical challenges older people have with the use of technology, and the use of professional theatre to raise awareness and facilitate discussion on these issues.
“Protected Living”
Technology offers to assist in maintaining the health and safety of older people who want to stay in their own homes – as well as reducing local authority budgets. But what are the design and usability issues that need to be addressed to actually make this work?