Touch This Page! A Symposium on Ability, Access, and the Archive

In conjunction with the exhibition "Touch This Page! Making Sense of the Ways We Read," this symposium will explore the issues of ability, access, and the archive at the intersection of the Humanities and Engineering. From 12-6 on Thursday, 4 April 2019, at Northeastern, the symposium will feature conversation about the possibilities and applications of technologies to redefine access to archival materials. From 9-5 on Friday, 5 April, at Harvard, the symposium will look from these conversations to the help us reimagine both how we can create the collaborations necessary to improve access to archival objects and also what access can mean in the future.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Rachel Adams, Columbia University
• Kim Charlson, Perkins School for the Blind
• Catherine Kudlick, San Francisco State University
• Robert McRuer, George Washington University
• Mara Mills, New York University
• Benjamin Reiss, Emory University
• Matthew Rubery, Queen Mary University of London

TOUCH THIS PAGE! A SYMPOSIUM ON ABILITY, ACCESS, AND THE ARCHIVE

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 4:

Location: Fenway Center (77 Saint Stephen Street, Boston), Northeastern University

11:45 am – 1 pm: Alex Truesdell Public Lecture

1:05 pm, sharp: Guided Travel to Symposium

Student guide will leave promptly to bring symposium attendees from Fenway Center to Renaissance Park 909

Location: Renaissance Park, Room 909 (1135 Tremont Street, Boston), Northeastern University

1:30 – 2:30 pm: Hands On Technology

Waleed Meleis (Northeastern University)

Nicolas Fong (Northeastern University – Enabling Engineering student project leader)

2:30 – 3 pm: coffee

3 – 4:30 pm: Imagining Technologies

Micah Altman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Emilie Hardman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Brian MacDonald (National Braille Press)

4:30 – 6 pm: Reception

with brief welcome remarks by Dan Cohen (Northeastern University), Sari Altschuler (Northeastern University), and David Weimer (Harvard University)

FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH:

Location: Lamont Forum Room, Harvard University

9 – 9:15 am: Opening Remarks

Laura Wood (Harvard University)

9:15 – 10:30 am: Histories of Access

Mara Mills (New York University)

Ben Reiss (Emory University)

Matthew Rubery (Queen Mary University of London)

10:30 – 11 am: Coffee

11 am – 12:15 pm: Theories and Technologies of Access

Rachel Adams (Columbia University)

Robert McRuer (George Washington University)

Cathy Kudlick (San Francisco State University)

12:15-1:45: Lunch and brief guided visit to the “Touch This Page!” exhibit at Harvard

1:45-3 pm: Community Collaborations and Break Out Session

Sari Altschuler (Northeastern University)

Kim Charlson (Perkins School for the Blind)

Jennifer Hale (Perkins School for the Blind)

David Weimer (Harvard University)

3-3:30: Coffee

3:30-5 pm: Roundtable on Ability, Access, and the Archive

Rachel Adams (Columbia University)

Kim Charlson (Perkins School for the Blind)

Catherine Kudlick (San Francisco State University)

Robert McRuer (George Washington University)

Mara Mills (New York University)

Benjamin Reiss (Emory University)

Matthew Rubery (Queen Mary University of London)