This CBI was held in Seattle on December 5-7, 2016 and focused on making classes, departments, and organizations more welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities and encouraging educators to include accessibility in the computing curriculum.
It is important for students, including those with disabilities, to communicate with their advisors about their disability-related needs and accommodations. Several tools can help facilitate these conversations. They include mentoring contracts, annual evaluations, and individual development plans.
This report is based on data collected within the AccessSTEM//DO-IT Longitudinal Transition Study (ALTS). It tracks the college and career pathways of students with disabilities who have participated in activities sponsored by projects of the DO-IT Center at the r (UW) in Sea
Proceedings from the AccessComputing-sponsored CBI held June 15-17, 2016. This event focused on recruiting and retaining employees with disabilities in computing careers.
The initiative pulls together leading technology companies, academic institutions and advocacy organizations—including and AccessEngineering—who are interested in increasing information about accessibility in computing education.
The provides best practices for making accessible mobile and web apps. Via hands-on exercises and reference guides, tutorial users can learn about aspects of writing accessible code like headings, image tags, keyboard navigation and ARIA standards as well as design principles for accessibility related to color contrast, text size, and conveying meaning through color.
When employees across a company – in engineering, design, and development roles – have an understanding of accessibility, rather than just a handful of employees in an accessibility department, it can lead to improved accessibility of products developed and services offered by the company. To achieve this goal, is encouraging employers to include in job descriptions required or preferred skill, knowledge and/or experience about accessibility. This strategy raises awareness of job seekers of the importance of these skills.
Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can benefit from personal devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. But these tools don’t totally resolve hearing issues. In addition, individuals who lip read may only understand 30% of what is spoken. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may use sign language interpreters or real time captioners in class, but instructors can apply the following simple teaching techniques to make their teaching more accessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
A “specific learning disability” refers to a variety of diagnoses such as difficulties with oral or written expression; decoding, fluency, and comprehension; auditory processing; working memory; arithmetic; and executive functioning. There are a variety of strategies that instructors can use to make computing courses more accessible for students with specific learning disabilities. Consider adopting a growth mindset approach that focuses on students’ abilities to learn and grow rather than talent or intelligence.