ICCHP Award Background

Roland WagnerThe Austrian Computer Society decided in September 2001 to endow the ICCHP Roland Wagner Award in honour of Prof. Dr. Roland Wagner

Prof. Dr. Roland Wagner was the founder of ICCHP. He was Head of Institute Integriert Studieren at the Johannes Kepler University Linz offering services for students with disabilities becoming a role model for many activities at Austrian and international universities (Institute Integriert Studieren). He was the founder of the working group "ICT for/with People with Disabilities" at the Austrian Computer Society, the group which established the ICCHP conference as an outstanding international event.

Prof. Wagner was one of the pioneers in ICT for people with disabilities in Austria and pushed the field forward over many years. His early visionary understanding of the role of ICT to change perspectives of people with special needs and his dedication for fighting for equal rights for the target group had important impacts on the awareness and the beginning changes in society. This award should give incentives and should support the important work which has been the passion of Prof. Wagner over decades.

Prof. Wagner passed away much too early on January 3. 2020. With the ICCHP Roland Wagner award we will bear in remembrance one of the pioneering personalities establishing our field of Assistive Technologies and Accessibility.

The ICCHP Roland Wagner Award is a biannual award and will be in the range of 3000 €. It will be handed over at the occasion of ICCHP conferences. ICCHP awards outstanding individuals, organisations, projects, services, products, ideas, ... showing an impressive impact on the lives of people with disabilities.