Ross Smith, FRSA

In a session with Timnit Gebru about AI and its super refreshing to hear someone talk with specificity on creating sample datasets for systems and how to do #responsible AI. As systems evolve, thinking through the implications of using real person details versus representative generated test datasets is important. At Arizona Department of Child Safety we will not be using real citizens PII - big tech companies went down that path and learned the hard way and now we don't have to. As Amy Edmondson talks about, #fail #smarter. We can, and will, use the body of knowledge that exists so that we can have intelligent designs and innovate. #AI #GovTech #Privacy #Technology

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I am great fan of the W3C Accessibility Model and similar models. The strength of the W3C model is it can be used for more than ‘accessibility.’ It can used to measure and grow disability inclusive workplaces and Disability Inclusion Action Plans. The W3C model is built upon the recognition that different parts of an organisation impact on the culture and capacity to deliver disability inclusive and accessible experiences. It provides a clear consistent way to measure, and document organisational, cultural as well as technical capabilities. Not only does it provide the data to make informed decisions, it also provides actionable guides for establishing and/or improving policies, employee-communication, training, and tools. Go ahead, read it, use it and make a difference! #disability #DIAP #accessibility NSW Department of Customer Service Service NSW

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Everyone has a different role in #ImpSci 💪 This visual does a great job in unpacking the Interactive Systems Framework, which describes the interconnectedness and functions between systems in #ImpPrac. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gUqFFPSa #Implementation #SystemsThinking

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The amount of BS getting exposed from years of psychology pseudo-scientific theories is growing bigger by the hour. Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning. "Using a preregistered analysis, Marshmallow Test performance was not strongly predictive of adult achievement, health, or behavior. Although modest bivariate associations were detected with educational attainment (r = .17) and body mass index (r = −.17), almost all regression-adjusted coefficients were nonsignificant. No clear pattern of moderation was detected between delay of gratification and either socioeconomic status or sex. Results indicate that Marshmallow Test performance does not reliably predict adult outcomes."

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This article provides a helpful summary of the changes to Section 504 and the ADA and when these new updates will come into effect. The biggest change is that these laws are adopting the WCAG 2.1 AA standard. This will require entities funded with government money and recipients of Health and Human Services funding to meet these standards. The article also highlights the exceptions and how these laws might lead to more accessible digital experiences. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/gQjdbqcy

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The Ecosystem Services in Practice short course is a hands-on opportunity to practice and understand the way Ecosystem Services models work. Past student, Amy explains, "The course is well balanced, initially providing the theory of each ecosystem service and its associated model, followed by worked examples within the PC session." You will gain skills in carrying out ecosystem services assessments in a spatial domain, underpinned by the theory and data considerations for state-of-the-art ecosystem services models. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3UwOA9q

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💥 ICYMI: The new Learning for Action Fund helps current GitLab Foundation grantees build capacity for impact measurement, learning, experimentation, and feedback activities. We believe that greater investment in evidence-building and feedback lead to more effective programs. Read more about the new fund. ⤵️ #socialimpact #impactmeasurement #philanthropy #economicopportunity

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🎉 Now accepting proposals for Poster Presentations at the 2024 ADSA Annual Meeting! tinyurl.com/adsa-24 This year's meeting, hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society, explores the theme "Data Science + AI: Keeping Humans in the Loop." 🤖 We seek poster presentation proposals on three tracks: ⭐ RESEARCH: using data / AI in novel ways that can inform researchers across disciplines; rigorous, ethical and reproducible research practices; and research that can benefit particularly well from multi-institution collaboration. ⭐ TRAINING & EDUCATION: data science pedagogy; how to upskill researchers with new data science and AI methodology; how to define essential data science and AI skills for future researchers and non-researchers. ⭐ SOCIETAL IMPACT: the societal impact of data and AI-driven research; cross-sector collaboration in developing and implementing new technologies and using them to support decision-making; equitable access to data, AI, and insight. Learn more about the meeting at tinyurl.com/adsa-24 or submit a poster proposal at https://lnkd.in/eHGHaTUH

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The latest PLOS Open Science Indicators dataset is available, with help from DataSeerAI. Open Research Manager Lauren Cadwallader discusses some ways the indicators are being used to explore trends in Open Science practices in this blog post: https://plos.io/4eMoKG0. #OpenAccess #OpenScience #OpenScienceIndicators

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Now available from the Cultural Assessment Working Group 🎉 The Inclusive Metadata Toolkit: https://hubs.li/Q02VMcYr0. "This toolkit serves as a centralized guide to the range of inclusive metadata tools and resources currently out there, in order to equip practitioners to implement inclusive metadata practices in their day-to-day work."

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This article is a good place to start learning about wicked problems, why we need systems innovation, and what this approach looks like. "Realizing Wicked Opportunities with System Thinking" https://lnkd.in/edAdumkP

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This article explores the experiences of people using Gen AI with different disabilities. It highlights the strengths and weakness of GenAI and provides a host of different accessibility strategies for using GenAI. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/gVFMeJ5M

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🚀ACCESSIBILITY IS ACCESSIBLE IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE🚀 ✅ Harness your #teams & #students #potential. ✅ Reduce #presenteeism & #absenteeism ✅ Increase #wellbeing job satisfaction and employee #retention #reasonableadjustments #g8gener8te #accessibility #dyslexia #mentalhealth

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Pro and Con of System Mapping🗺️ as a Non-Linear Visual Communication Method 👁️ Reflection inspired by Association of Professional Futurists - APF Emerging Fellow Fireside Chat with Wendy Schultz on "Explorations in Systems Thinking and Practice"🧵 Broadly speaking, our communication can be categorized into two types: word-based sequential (in speaking and listening, and most of writing and speaking, with exceptions like Wiki-style hyper-linked webpages) and visual-based (traditionally drawing and painting, but now also system/conceptual mapping). Constraint of Text-Based Writing: We read sentence by sentence, page by page; therefore, almost all writing— not just narrative stories, but non-fiction books and even instruction manuals— follows a logical chronological-temporal order: readers read this first, then that. This enables powerful shared storytelling, as Joseph Campbell popularized in the Hero's Journey framework. In addition, an incidental benefit is that the cognitive load is automatically managed. Aside from the overuse of specialized jargon, when reading, talking, and listening, we receive only one piece of information at a time. So, War and Peace might be over thousands of pages, but we read it the same way as a ten-page pamphlet: one page at a time. Not so with visual communication. When we try to create a visual map, it, in a sense, shows "everything everywhere all at once." At least in theory, there is no upper bound to the information density; in reality, when we try to pack too much information into a graph, readers get overwhelmed. Of course, there are many benefits to visual communication. From systems theory and complexity theory, we know our real world is interconnected and non-linear; therefore, any narrative structure is only an approximation, or a limited highlight of one aspect of the story out of many possible ways of describing the world. The tension a good system mapper constantly tries to balance is between mapping out the non-obvious parts and hidden connections without falling into the trap of trying to "model everything," making the map so convoluted that it loses meaning. I'll be exceeding the post word limit before finishing these thoughts, so I will break it into part 2, where I'll explore the future of mapping in "In Search of Zoomable Conceptual Maps." I believe it might be the key to the next evolution of mapping. If this train of thought interests you, please stay tuned. 🚀📊 Finally, Huge Thanks to Wendy for the informative and thought-provoking session, to EF Programee Director Patricia Lustig for organizing the talk, and to my fellows EF attendees: Heba Alhadyian, Samista Jugwanth,Ashish Manwar, amalia D., Suneet Pansare, Grace Okubo, Elena Krafft, Rachel Magaji #foresight #systemthinking #mapping #visualcommunication #APFEmergingFellow

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Check out this awesome resource to help you and your team get new understanding in "How People with Disabilities Use the Web" from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). This is a good step in moving into the best practice of designing and developing with People with Disabilities ("Nothing about us without us"). You will be amazed how this will help you reach your widest customer base. Making your site(s) work better for EVERYONE!

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Archetype builds AI models that act as a translation layer between humans and complex sensors, using plain language to help people understand what’s happening in a building, car, or human body Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/ASM0m #TranslationLayer #ComplexSensors #PlainLanguage #HumanBody #Plaintext #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #Tags #RecognizeHumanIntention #SeniorPrincipalScientist

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This is a great article by Eric Eggert on why accessibility audits are inefficient, time consuming, and expend more resources. This is because accessibility audits are part of a reactive approach that focuses on fixing issues after the webpage, app, or course is created. It is much easier and efficient to be proactive and make accessibility a priority from the start. This will lead to higher quality content that can be accessed by a wide range of users. #accessibility https://lnkd.in/gyVj2gdx

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Amplifying this new report from Center for Democracy & Technology. A must-read for those interested in #disabilityInclusion and #dataJustice in technology.

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