Vicki L. Hanson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vicki Hanson
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Vicki Lynne Hanson
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
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| Alma mater | University of Colorado University of Oregon |
| Known for | Human-Computer Interaction Accessibility |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Science |
| Institutions | University of Dundee Rochester Institute of Technology |
| Doctoral advisor | Michael Posner |
Vicki Hanson is a super smart American computer scientist. She is famous for her work on how people use computers. She also helps make computers easier for everyone to use. This is called "accessibility." Vicki helps more people get involved in computer science too.
She was the leader (CEO) of a big computer group. This group is called the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). She was CEO starting in 2018. Before that, she was their President from 2016 to 2018. In 2020, she joined the National Academy of Engineering. This was for her great ideas in making computer systems easy to use. It was also for being a leader in the computer world.
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Vicki Hanson's Education
Vicki Hanson went to college at the University of Colorado. She earned a degree in psychology in 1974. Then, she went to the University of Oregon. There, she studied cognitive psychology. She earned her Master's degree in 1976. She finished her Ph.D. in 1978.
Her Amazing Career in Computing
Dr. Hanson has worked at many important places. She was a special professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. There, she studied how people use computers. She also worked on making technology accessible. She was also a professor at the University of Dundee in Scotland. At Dundee, she helped make technology easier for older adults and people with disabilities.
From 1986 to 2009, she worked at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center. This is a famous research lab in New York. In 2000, she started the Accessibility Research Group there. This group focused on making technology usable for everyone.
Helping People with Disabilities
Vicki Hanson has always wanted to help people. Her interest in helping people with disabilities started early. At the University of Colorado, she studied communication problems. She learned about speech pathology and audiology. Later, she studied how people learn language and how their minds work.
She did research on American Sign Language (ASL). She also studied how deaf children and adults learn to read. She found that deaf people use sounds in their minds to read. They do this even if they have never heard spoken language.
Making Computers Easier to Use
In 1986, Vicki joined IBM. She started making computer programs to help deaf people. One of her first programs was called HandsOn. It helped deaf children learn both ASL and English. It used special computer technology for its time. It had videos and a touch screen. Many schools for deaf children used it. In 1992, it won a national award for helping people with disabilities. Today, a new version of HandsOn uses internet video. This lets even more people use it.
In 2000, IBM created a special center for accessibility. Vicki led the Accessibility Research Group. Her team made tools to help people use the internet. These tools were called Web Accessibility Technology and accessibilityWorks. They were browser tools. They let people with vision, movement, or thinking challenges change websites. This made websites easier for them to use. These tools were used in 26 countries. They won many awards for helping people.
Later, Vicki's team helped create the world's first fully accessible 3D virtual world. This was a big step forward!
Leading New Projects
In 2009, Vicki moved to Scotland. She joined the University of Dundee. She started a project called Social Inclusion Through the Digital Economy (SiDE). This project made sure that everyone could use digital technology. It helped people of all ages and abilities. This project was so successful that it led to another one. The BESiDE project looked at technology and building design. It aimed to make care homes better for older adults.
In 2011, Vicki became a special professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She built a team there. They continued to research ways to help disabled people and older adults. In 2018, she became the Executive Director and CEO of ACM.
Awards and Recognitions
Vicki Hanson has received many important awards for her work:
- She became an ACM Fellow in 2004.
- She was recognized by the British Computer Society in 2008.
- She received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2009.
- She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2013.
- She won the ACM SIGCHI Social Impact Award in 2008.
- She received the Women of Vision ABIE Award for Social Impact in 2013.
- She won the ACM SIGACCESS Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computing and Accessibility in 2014.
- In 2017, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Newcastle University.
- She was elected to the ACM SIGCHI Academy in 2017.
- She joined the National Academy of Engineering in 2020.
