The meetings, some formal and others informal, will be part of Cal State Northridge's 21st Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, scheduled to take place March 20-25 at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and Marriott hotels.

The conference draws thousands of people from around the world who are interested in learning or sharing knowledge about the latest technologies designed to eliminate barriers to personal, academic and career success for persons with disabilities.

The conference addresses all aspects of technology and disabilities and features a faculty of internationally recognized speakers, more than 250 general session workshops and more than 170 exhibitors displaying the latest technology for persons with disabilities. The conference is the largest of its kind--a record-breaking 4,500 people attended last year--with materials available in alternative formats, including Braille, large print and Disk (ASCII). Sign language interpreting services and assistive listening devices are also available.

"Each year we hear that one of the most exciting things about the conference is the opportunity to meet with experts, practitioners and users and have informal conversations in which you can dialogue about finding solutions to vexing problems or just share information and insights," said Mary Ann Cummins-Prager, director of CSUN's Center on Disabilities, which coordinates the conference. "This year's conference promises to be just as exciting in that regard, with thousands of people who are passionate about the nexus between technology and opportunity for people with disabilities, meeting in one location to share their expertise."

Scheduled as this year's keynote speaker is artist Lisa Fittipaldi, founder of The Mind's Eye Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps blind, visually-impaired or hearing-impaired children with adaptive computer technology.

Fittipaldi was working as a certified public accountant at a Texas hospital when she completely lost her vision and was declared legally blind in 1993. The hospital, unwilling to accommodate her needs, forced her to take a buyout. Fittipaldi, at the urging of her husband, turned to art. Her paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, and continue to astound viewers when they learn that she is legally blind.

Conference attendees typically cover a broad spectrum of people including persons with disabilities and their family members, special education teachers, university professors and researchers, occupational and physical therapists, clinicians, government policy makers and many others interested in the latest developments in assistive technologies.

Workshop and general session topics run the gamut of disability and technology issues from workplace concerns and meeting a variety of needs in the classroom to living with technology and increasing access to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

New to this year's conference are sessions called "Chat Rooms," which will give attendees--whether assistive technology innovators, persons with disabilities and their caregivers or teachers and researchers--an opportunity to join with other participants and speakers to continue discussions started in workshops, gather resources, network on a topic or session of interest or just brainstorm about new avenues to explore in the world of assistive technology.

For more information about the conference or on how to register, visit the Center on Disabilities' Web site at www.csun.edu/cod or call the center at (818) 677-2578 V/TTY.

Through a wide array of services, CSUN's Center on Disabilities helps Cal State Northridge students to realize their academic and career goals. A team of disability and educational specialists are available to students on a year-round basis. In addition, students may receive training on assistive technology, access the help of peer mentors, and to participate in the wide range of cultural and social activities offered at the university. The center also sponsors national and international assistive technology training programs to expand the knowledge base of professionals and introduce newcomers to the disability field.