Bradford is to host a unique conference aimed at boosting the number of mobile phone users among vulnerable groups.

The Can You Hear Us? research forum will examine mobile communication and look at ways to reach excluded people.

The three-day event at Victoria Hall, Saltaire, will examine how mobile phones could mean independence for older people and people with disabilities.

Steve Hoffman, director of the Design Support Centre at Leeds Metropolitan University which is co-hosting the seminar, said: "It is a unique event in that we are looking at mobile communication from the point of view of disadvantaged users rather than from the point of view of the phone companies.

"Many potential users are excluded from mobile communication, for example isolated and older people, and some people with disabilities, such as difficulties with eye-hand co-ordination or restricted hand-finger movement.

"There are still many people in society with only limited history, or no history at all, of using micro interface."

More than 100 people from different fields are expected to attend, including designers working with mobile technology, social anthropologists and representatives from disability groups.

"Participants will break off into teams and each team will look at a different theme, such as communication for people who are hard of hearing, to try and come up with a solution," added Mr Hoffman.

Leading speakers will also give an overview of the impact of mobile communication and the surrounding issues of access in today's society.

"We are confident that the opportunity to work together with leading players from widely differing backgrounds on this common task will result in powerful new ideas for design in this area," added Mr Hoffman.

The results of the workshop, organised in partnership with the British Human-Computer Interaction group, will be presented in a display at the event, with a travelling exhibition planned for the future.

Can You Hear Us? will run from June 14 to 16. Visit the website at www.lmu.ac.uk/hen/dsc for a full programme.

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