Published on
Dec. 20, 2023
JooYoung Seo, an assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences, has joined the Beckman Institute.
Within the iSchool, Seo directs the Accessible Computing Lab. His research topics include accessible computing, universal design, inclusive data science, and equitable healthcare technologies. As an information and learning scientist, his research focuses particularly on how to make computational literacy more accessible to people with dis/abilities by using multimodal data representation. His research projects have involved not just web accessibility, but also human-centered design and development studies, including inclusive makerspaces, tangible block-based programming, accessible data science (e.g., data actualization, sonification, and verbalization), and accessible/reproducible scientific writing tools for people with and without dis/abilities.
At the Beckman Institute, Seo’s research addresses accessibility barriers at the intersection of information and learning. Specifically, he designs, develops, and evaluates accessible technologies that can offer better usability and learnability to blind and low-vision individuals. His two primary focus areas are accessible computing and accessible healthcare, given the increasing importance of computing and healthcare in our daily lives. He is particularly interested in multimodal data representation methods, such as physical data visualization, spatial audio sonification, and generative AI-assisted visual descriptions, to make data and information more accessible to people with visual impairments.
“I am excited to join the Beckman community to collaborate with researchers from diverse disciplines to address accessibility challenges in computing and healthcare. I am particularly interested in working with researchers from (dis)Ability Design Studio and the Cognition, Lifespan Engagement, Aging, and Resilience [Working Group] to co-design and co-develop accessible technologies with and by people with dis/abilities and older adults. I am also looking forward to working with researchers, staff, and students at Beckman to advance the next generation of science and technology that can benefit people with and without dis/abilities,” he said.
