National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)
The Speech & Accessibility Laboratory of the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications (http://speech.di.uoa.gr) constitutes a University research group, which possesses the required technology knowledge and experience, through its long-time activity on Informatics and Telecommunications issues in the areas of Speech Technology and Accessible Computing. The Lab has fourteen research staff members and a large number of graduate and post-graduate students, supported fully by the technical and management stuff of the Department. It has strong relations with the activities of the Accessibility Unit for Students with Disabilities, University of Athens. It has developed a well-known innovative online free Assistive Technology software inventory that aims to inform persons with disabilities on the available solutions provided by the AT free of charge (http://access.uoa.gr/ATHENA). The Lab has a long-lasting experience in a total of 49 national and international research and development projects in the fields: Accessible Computing, Universal Design / Design for All, Spoken Dialogue Human Computer Interaction, Usability, VoiceWeb, Voice Agents, Voice Processing, Analysis and Synthesis of Speech and Singing, Information Technologies for Inclusive Learning, Computer Mediated Interpersonal Communication, Information Systems/ Services and Assistive Technologies for Disabled and Elderly People, Music Computing, Singing Voice Analysis and Synthesis and Gesture-based User Interfaces. The Lab has a great experience on design and developing accessible educational resources following a Design for All approach. The main facilities of the Lab include three research areas, thirteen workstations (all connected to the LAN of the Speech Group and to the Internet through the ATHENAnet) with appropriate software and hardware for digital processing of acoustic signals. Additionally, the Lab possesses a research anechoic studio for high fidelity recordings, including all the necessary equipment for managing acoustic signals. There is also a fifteen-seat laboratory equipped with specialized software and hardware, to cover the needs of the postgraduate students.