1. And if you act now… Katherine Deibel Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington Seattle, Washington, USA

2. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education Curricula Overload

3. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education It’s about steak knives… Incorporating accessibility provides many opportunities for good pedagogy, including: Ethical decision making Critical thinking User awareness and perspectives etc.

4. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education ACM Code of Ethics, Section 1.4: The values of equality, tolerance, respect for others, and the principles of equal justice govern this imperative. Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin, or other such factors is an explicit violation of ACM policy and will not be tolerated. Ethics & Accessibility Legalities: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (1998) Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) Britain’s Disability Discrimination Act (1995) Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act (1992)

5. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education And ethics are muddy… Discussion time: You are putting together a web page for your working group (6 people altogether). None of you have a disability, and only you six will be using the site. Should you make the page accessible?

6. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education Critical Thinking Critical thinking is pedagogical gold: Analysis of information Evaluation of ideas Forming judgments Justifying decisions

7. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education Critical Thinking & Accessibility Disability is about diversity Different disabilities have different needs Which do you address? Which do you not address?

8. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education Example: A very (or overly) accessible site Example: Web site accessibility WAI Guidelines focus mostly on non-visual users (e.g., screen readers) Some learning disabilities, seizure conditions, etc. require visual modifications to the page http://students.washington.edu/dasa

9. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education User Perspectives & Accessibility We (students, instructors, etc.) often design for ourselves: We’re not representative of all users Many of us do not have disabilities

10. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education User Perspectives & Accessibility Designing for a user with disabilities: Requires a shift in focus Must attend to a user’s need and wants Diversity in disability results in priorities and tradeoffs

11. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education And if you act now… Other benefits and opportunities: Service learning Capstone projects Engineering Projects in Community Service (Purdue University) Stimulating motivation and engagement (Wolfe, Computer Science Education, 2004)

12. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education In summary This isn’t an infomercial at 3 AM There aren’t any steak knives Accessibility is a serious and important issue Computer technologists should know about it The curriculum is crowded but… Accessibility provides natural opportunities for good pedagogy

13. 6/12/2015SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education About mimicking disabilities Wearing blindfolds and sitting in wheelchairs: Emphasizes the negative side of disability Focuses on disability as a handicap / limitation Better to involve users with disabilities: From your student population Through community outreach