He will speak at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel, on Wednesday, March 17, and will address the progress made in assistive technology and the disabled and where the future of technology for the disabled is heading.

"Dr. Cerf is a person with a hearing disability who realized early on in the process that the Internet could be a tremendous tool for persons with disabilities, himself included," said Harry "Bud" Rizer, director of Northridge's Center on Disabilities. "He is a nationally known scientist who understands disability and can help us look into the future.

Cerf is senior vice president of architecture and technology for MCI. In 1997, he was recognized and awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology by then-President Clinton for co-founding and co-developing the Internet.

Cerf has also served as vice president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives and for MCI Digital Information Services where he directed the architecture of the first commercial e-mail service to be connected to the Internet.

He serves and is involved in more than a dozen boards and organizations including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is founding president of the Internet Society.

Cerf is a recipient of more than 20 awards including the Marconi Fellowship, the Charles Stark Draper award of the National Academy of Engineering, the Alexander Graham Bell Award and he has been recognized by People Magazine as one of 1994's "25 Most Intriguing People"

In addition to his bachelor of science from Stanford University, and a master's and Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA, Cerf holds honorary doctorate degrees from nine universities worldwide.

The conference, scheduled from Monday, March 15, through Saturday, March 20, is expected to attract thousands of people from around the world to explore how cutting-edge assistive technologies can help people with disabilities.

Early bird registration for the Cerf's keynote address costs $259 and $299 after Feb. 20. The General Sessions Conference Package costs $399 for early bird rates and $449 after Feb. 20.

The conference will consist of two days of workshops and 375 speakers addressing various topics on assistive technology including services to people who have learning disabilities or low vision or are blind, deaf or hard of hearing. Speakers will also discuss how assistive technology can make employment, the Internet, K-12 education and, postsecondary education more accessible to people with disabilities.

CSUN's Center on Disabilities, founded in 1993, provides assistive technology services and other forms of academic accommodations to Cal State Northridge students, offers seminars throughout the country and hosts the annual conference. More Information and registration details are available at www.csun.edu/cod or by calling (818) 677-2578 V/TTY.

California State University, Northridge has 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 61 bachelor's and 42 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.