On June 5, the Lab welcomed Jonathan Lazar, PhD, LLM, a professor of informatics at the University of Maryland, to a special Tech Policy Discussion.

In an event co-sponsored with Society + Technology at UW and CREATE, the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences, Lazar discussed his passion for accessibility and previewed his new book, “Human-Computer Interaction and US Law.”

During the conversation with students, Lazar shared how he “accidentally” went down the path of working in accessibility and tech policy, making it relatable to students so they could also see potential for themselves in the arena. Lazar has been called to provide expert testimony before Congress and realized to do the work he wanted to do, he needed legal training, so he pursued an LLM at Penn.

Lazar is the executive director of the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA), and is a faculty member in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL). Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland, Dr. Lazar was a professor of computer and information sciences at Towson University, where he served as director of the Information Systems undergraduate program for 14 years. Dr. Lazar has over 25 years of experience in research and teaching in human-computer interaction, with a focus on technology accessibility for people with disabilities, user-centered design methods, assistive technologies, and law and public policy related to HCI.

The Discussion session was extremely popular, with 30 in-person participants and more attending remotely. Students lined up to speak with him beyond the end of the session, signaling a desire for more conversation on this topic.