Chieko Asakawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chieko Asakawa
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| 浅川 智恵子 | |
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Chieko Asakawa during a field experiment in Nihonbashi, Tokyo in 2017
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Osaka, Japan
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| Nationality | Japanese |
| Education | Ph.D. engineering |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science, Accessibility |
Chieko Asakawa (pronounced Chee-eh-ko Ah-sah-kah-wah) is a brilliant Japanese computer scientist. She is blind and is famous for her work at IBM Research – Tokyo. Her main goal is to make technology easier for everyone to use. This is called accessibility. She created a special program called the IBM Home Page Reader. This program helped blind people listen to websites. It became very popular. Chieko Asakawa has won many awards for her amazing work.
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Chieko Asakawa's Early Life and Education
Chieko Asakawa was born with normal eyesight. When she was eleven years old, she had an accident while swimming. She hit her left eye on the side of the pool. This injured her optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. She slowly started losing her sight. By the time she was fourteen, she was completely blind.
Even though she lost her sight, Chieko continued her education. In 1982, she earned a bachelor's degree. She studied English literature at Otemon Gakuin University in Osaka, Japan. After that, she took a special two-year computer programming course. This course was designed for people who are visually impaired. Students in the program used a device called an Optacon. This device helped them feel printed words with their fingers.
Joining IBM Research
In 1984, Chieko Asakawa started working at IBM Research. She began with a temporary job. Just one year later, she became a permanent staff researcher. She continued to learn and grow in her field. In 2004, she earned her Ph.D. in engineering. She received this advanced degree from the University of Tokyo.
Amazing Inventions and Contributions
Chieko Asakawa has worked on many exciting projects. Her goal is always to make technology more accessible. She wants to help people with disabilities use computers and the internet easily.
Making the Web Accessible
One of her most important inventions was a special program for the internet. It was a plug-in for the Netscape browser. This program could turn text from websites into speech. It also made it easier for blind people to move around on websites. This invention became an IBM product in 1997. It was called the IBM Home Page Reader. Within five years, it was the most popular system for blind people to listen to websites.
Chieko also created a system that helped web designers. It allowed them to experience websites as a blind person would. This helped designers make better, more accessible websites.
New Technologies for Daily Life
Her work has also focused on other areas. She has explored how to make multimedia content easier to control. This includes videos and audio. She also studied how technology could help older people work longer. This would allow them to stay active in their careers.
More recently, Chieko Asakawa has worked on technology to help blind people in the real world. She developed a lightweight robot that looks like a suitcase. This robot helps blind people navigate through busy and complicated places. It guides them safely through their surroundings.
Awards and Special Honors
Chieko Asakawa has received many important awards. These honors recognize her amazing contributions to computer science and accessibility.
In 2003, she was added to the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. This is a special group that celebrates women who have made big impacts in technology.
IBM's Top Honor
In 2009, she became an IBM Fellow. This is the highest honor IBM gives to its employees. Chieko Asakawa was the fifth Japanese person to receive this award. She was also the very first Japanese woman to achieve this honor.
In 2011, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology gave her their Women of Vision Award. This award celebrates women who are leaders in technology. She was also a main speaker at a big conference in 2012. This conference focused on making software more accessible.
Government and Academic Recognition
In 2013, the Japanese government honored her. They gave her the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon. This award recognizes people who have contributed to academic or artistic development. Also in 2013, a paper she wrote in 1998 won a special award. The paper was about how blind people use web interfaces.
In 2017, Chieko Asakawa was chosen as an international member. She joined the US National Academy of Engineering. This is a very high honor for engineers. It recognized her work in creating technologies for visually impaired people to access digital information. In 2022, she was also elected as a new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This shows her wide recognition in the world of science and learning.
See also
In Spanish: Chieko Asakawa para niños
