What is evoHaX?
evoHaX will bring together students from various universities around Philadelphia to develop web accessibility solutions in a 24-hour-long Hackathon. The event will focus on creating awareness about web accessibility among student developers, and tackling the challenges people with disabilities face accessing information on the web. Subject matter experts will be present at the event to share their knowledge and experiences. The event will help build a collaborative environment where student developers can showcase their skills by creating apps, plugins and products that will improve lives and make a real difference.
What is Web Accessibility?
In a world where a search of the web is often the first resource people use to find and access information, many people take for granted how easy it is to do so. For people with visual impairments, accessing all that the web has to offer can be frustrating and challenging. Web accessibility is the idea that the World Wide Web should be a tool and resource for all, despite any limitations.
What is a Hackathon?
Hackathons are events which bring together people to create real, working solutions to technology related problems. The most important characteristic of a hackathon is the collaborative environment and network built between a group of passionate and talented individuals working and learning together to solve problems by creating new and innovative solutions that can change lives.
Registration
Registration for evoHaX is invite-only and limited to Colleges and Universities in the Philadelphia area. Registrations will be handled directly through the university departments. Each university will be allowed one team of up to five members. There will be space for seven teams, and the slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Teams that register after the slots are filled will be placed on a wait list. Elementary, secondary, high school, and PhD students are not eligible to participate. If you would like to be considered for participation or have any questions regarding the registration process, please Contact Us.
Registration is NOW CLOSED.
By registering, you agree to abide by our Terms and Conditions. Non-participants must RSVP at our Event Registration for Non-participants Page.
Schedule
Kickoff Event
17th April
6:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Refreshments, Beverages, Talks, Introductions, Networking and Socialization.
The Hack
18th April
10:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Check-In, Rules, Hackathon 101, Hacking, Movie Hour and Gaming Contests.
Finale
19th April
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Final Touches, 'Stop Coding’ Call, Presentations, Judging, Awards Ceremony, Pictures, Wrap-up.
Speakers
Deborah Dahl
Principal, Conversational Technologies
Dr. Dahl will discuss recent activities at the W3C aimed at improving web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities such as Down Syndrome, dementia, aphasia and dyslexia.
LeeAnn Kinney
Front-end Web Developer, Web Accessibility Advocate
LeeAnn will give a brief overview on the principles of accessible front-end design and show how easy it is to start building a better web experience for everyone.
Marco Maertens
VP/Director Technology, Digitas Health LifeBrands
Marco will highlight web accessibility concerns that are raised when dealing with mobile devices and its affects on decisions about responsive web design when using single codebase for different kinds of devices - in the light of the recently released draft guidelines on WCAG 2.0 and the mobile web.
Anat Caspi
Director, Taskar Center of Assistive Technologies
Dr. Caspi will be talking about Technology Innovation in the realm of accessibility and challenge the guiding economic models which have made it between difficult and impossible to innovate in this space even though there has never been a better time to introduce accessible technologies to end users.
Richard Burns
Assistant Professor, West Chester University
Dr. Burns will introduce how information graphics in popular media are often specifically designed with a communicative purpose along with his prototype system that can automatically hypothesize the intended message of a graphic, and briefly discuss the probabilistic reasoning that it performs.
The entire event will be hosted at Benjamin’s Desk, 1701 Walnut Street, 8th Floor, Philadelphia, 19103.
Days Till evoHaX
Volunteers
Kilo Lines of Code
Cups of Coffee
Sponsors
Partners
Venue Hosts
Organizers
Become a Sponsor
Your organization can play a part in creating a collaborative environment for student developers to learn about the web accessibility challenges and to develop real solutions to these problems. Contact us to request more information about becoming an official sponsor of evoHaX.
Frequently Asked Questions
Transportation
How do I get to the venue? Is it practical to take public transport to get to the venue?
The venue, Benjamin’s Desk is located at 1701 Walnut Street. We suggest using public transportation, as the venue will not provide parking. The closest stop on the regional rail is Suburban Station, and the nearest subway stops are at 13th Street Station (MFL) and Walnut-Locust Station (BSL). A number of SEPTA buses also stop nearby. We recommend using SEPTA's Trip Planner.
What to Bring
What should I bring? What should I NOT bring? What can I expect to find at the Venue?
Each team will need to bring all hardware and software items they expect to need for development. This includes but is not limited to laptops and chargers. We suggest wearing comfortable clothing for the first day of the hack, and bringing any personal items needed to be comfortable for 12 hours of coding! Wi-fi will be provided. Weapons of any kind are prohibited.
Judging
What will we be evaluated on? Who are the judges? What is the most important component for the judges?
The judges comprise of subject matter and industry experts with tremendous experience and expertise in judging such contests. The judges will look at the universality, scalability, creativity and practicality of the projects, among other things.
Prizes
What are the prizes? Is there a runners up too? Are prizes for every individual in the team?
The prize for the winning team will be Google Chromebook. And yes, it will be for each member of the team! We'll also give a honorary mention to the second and third place teams.
Connect with us
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