IFIP Technical Committee 13 (Human-Computer Interaction) recently held its Business Meeting #59 in Italy at the Università degli Studi di Milano, co-hosted with the Università degli Studi di Brescia.  One of the main items on the agenda was to thanks and say goodbye to one of the greatest pioneers in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI), Professor Julio Abascal. 

Julio Abascal is a retired professor at the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea UPV / EHU (Spain). He co-founded and led the Egokituz Laboratory on Human-Computer Interaction for Special Needs (1985-2021) and played a leading role in the development of the field of HCI internationally, pioneering digital accessibility research and the application of HCI techniques to accessible user interface design. 

Julio was a TC13 member from 1990 until 2018, representing Spain. When Spain left IFIP, he was invited in 2018 to serve as Expert Member on TC13, a role in which he excelled until his formal ‘retirement’ from TC13 on 4 September 2024. 

He was the Founder and first Chair (1992 to 1998) of IFIP WG 13.3 on HCI and Disability (now known as WG 13.3 on HCI, Disability and Aging). The Aim of the WG at its establishment was to raise awareness among HCI designers about the needs and characteristics of people with disabilities, and to raise awareness among designers of accessible systems about the methods and tools used by HCI. The WGs early work manifested in developing inclusive design guidelines for developing interactive systems. 

Julio continued to play a leading role in WG 13.3, contributing to many of its activities over the years. He is often ‘accused of being the guilty party’ that introduced other current leaders in HCI to the field. Within TC13, he was, for example, Conference Co-chair for INTERACT 2007, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Conference Co-chair for INTERACT 2015 held in Bamberg, Germany; TC13 Vice-chair for Development and Equity (2018-2021); organised the IFIP TC13 Seminar: Trends in HCI, Salamanca 2007; and hosted the TC13 meeting in Donostia in 1998. 

In 2023 he was awarded the José García Santesmases Award for his pioneering work in the field of HCI, especially in accessibility, pursuing that computer science guarantees the integration into the digital field of all people, including those with physical disabilities, sensory and cognitive. 

He is also the recipient of several IFIP Awards, including that of IFIP Fellow (2019), IFIP TC13 Pioneer in HCI (2015) and IFIP Silver Core (1998). He lists his most important IFIP TC13 Award as the “many colleagues and friends from many different countries and cultures”.

Julio Abascal, we salute you and thank your for putting IFIP, TC13 and WG 13.3, as well as the less-abled amongst us, in the spotlight worldwide. We wish you all the best in your retirement!

Photo: IFIP TC13 Members attending the recent TC13 Business Meeting in Milan. Julio Abascal is centre front in the white shirt.