1. Equal Access to Computing Terrill Thompson Tami Tidwell Tean Tarihugh University of Washington These slides: http://staff.washington.edu/tfthttp://staff.washington.edu/tft

2. UW Collaboration UW CSE (Computer Science & Engineering) DO-IT Center (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking & Technology)

3. Funded by National Science Foundation To broaden participation of people with disabilities in computing careers

4. Our partners and collaborators agree People with disabilities can bring a fresh perspective to the field Diversity is good for innovation

5. The Problem Students with disabilities are more likely to go to 2 year institutions instead of 4 year institutions. Students with disabilities tend to drop out of computing majors more than other students. Very few students with disabilities go on for advanced degrees in computing.

6. Why? There are Barriers Diminished support systems after high school Little access to successful role models Lack of access to technology that can increase independence, productivity, & participation Inadequate self-advocacy skills Inadequate accommodations Low expectations & other negative attitudes on the part of people with whom they interact - National Organization on Disabilities

7. One Solution: Universal Design “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” The Center for Universal Design http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_ud/udprinciples.htm

8. Design computing departments so each student: Feels welcome Can get to facilities and maneuver within them Is able to fully benefit from resources and courses Can make use of equipment and software

9. Applying UD to Computing Departments Planning, Policies, and Evaluation Facility and Physical environment Support services Information resources Computing courses and faculty Computers, software, and assistive technology

10. Evidence-Based Practices Technology access Hands-on activities Self-determination skill-building College/career prep. activities Bridges between academic levels & careers Work-based experiences, including research Peer, near-peer, mentor support Tutoring Preparing educators, employers Combinations are most effective!

11. A Few Examples

12. Example #1: Universal Design & Video

13. Captions => Video search Example from MIT OpenCourseware: http://interactive.3playmedia.com/mitocw/

14. Captions => Automatic Translation Example is from youtube.com

15. Captions => Interactive transcripts

16. Captions => Research Opportunities Example is from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/

17. Universal Design => Bigger Audience

18. Universal Design => Success Crowdsourced captions using Amara.org Crowdsourced subtitles in 20 languages 11.5 million views on YouTube (#1 in March '13) http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc Recently described for blind students http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc Three described versions, 3-4,000 views each on YouTube

19. Universal Media Player (UMP)

20. Example 2: Integrating Universal Design into Curriculum http://uw.edu/accesscomputing/webd2

21. WebD2 Features Teaches standards-based & accessible web design Is platform and vendor-neutral (teaches concepts, not specific tools) Standards-based, accessible design is taught early as a core design principle, and reinforced throughout the course For assignments students must use valid code & conform to accessibility standards Is FREE! Includes extensive support for teachers, many of whom are themselves learning

22. Not Just a Curriculum, A Community Nearly 4000 registered teachers worldwide Discussion list with 372 subscribers Teachers provide peer support: –Help with coding problems –Sharing resources –Discussing teaching strategies

23. Countries with 10 or more teachers

24. Teaching the World (Countries with one or more teachers)

25. Our Stuff Is Online These slides http://staff.washington.edu/tft http://staff.washington.edu/tft Equal Access: Universal Design of Computing Departments (handout) http://tinyurl.com/accesscomputing http://tinyurl.com/accesscomputing AccessComputing website http://uw.edu/accesscomputing http://uw.edu/accesscomputing Accessible Technology @ The UW http://uw.edu/accessibility http://uw.edu/accessibility