AccessCSforAll (formerly AccessCS10K) works to increase the successful participation of students with disabilities in K-12 computing. K-12 students with disabilities in computing courses may encounter tools and curricula that are inaccessible to screen readers used by students who are blind or have reading-related disabilities such as dyslexia. Content embedded in images without text-based alternatives accessible by screen readers also creates barriers. Students who are deaf require captions or transcriptions of audio content and students with disabilities can benefit from curricular features that facilitate access to them.
AccessCSforAll is a Research-Practitioner Partnership. Our partners include CS curriculum providers, in-service and pre-service providers, and organizations that support K-12 CS teachers and schools nationwide, including those that serve students who are deaf, are blind, or have learning disabilities. Together they are decreasing barriers such as inaccessible tools and curriculum while improving access to quality computer science education for students with disabilities.
AccessCSforAll develops resources, such as the following:
- Searchable Knowledge Base of questions and answers, case studies, and promising practices
- Guidelines for making K-12 computing education accessible to students with disabilities
- Proceedings of capacity building institutes exploring issues related to disability and computing education
- Videos about universal design and accessibility guidelines
- Online Community of Practice in which educators and other professionals discuss strategies and share accessible tools and curricula and other resources for effectively teaching students with disabilities
- Individualized support via phone (509-328-9331) and email (accesscsforall@uw.edu) for assistance in fully including students with disabilities in computing courses
We also develop accessible tools and materials:
- Refining tools to increase accessibility for a wide range of people with disabilities
- Creating accessible curricula and other materials for K-12 computer science education
- Developing online and offline accessible programming technologies
This work is led by teams at the University of Washington and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in partnership with many of the current and future National Science Foundation computing education grantees, K-12 computing educators, and developers of accessible tools and curricula to maximize the impact of their work. All students in K-12 computing classes, regardless of disability, benefit from more inclusive teaching strategies practiced by their teachers.
To learn how you can get involved with AccessCSforAll, contact us at accesscsforall@uw.edu.