Teaching About Accessibility in Computing and IT Courses (2018)

The Alliance for Access to Computing Careers (AccessComputing) leads activities to increase the participation of people with disabilities, including veterans, in computing and information technology (IT) postsecondary education and career fields. AccessComputing is led by the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science and Engineering, the Information School, and the DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center at the University of Washington (UW). The project is funded by the Computer and Information Science and Education (CISE) program of the National Science Foundation (grant # CNS-1539179). 

This publication shares the proceedings of Teaching About Accessibility in Computing and IT Courses, an AccessComputing-sponsored capacity building institute (CBI) that was held November 13, 2018 in Westminster, CO as part of Accessing Higher Ground (AHG) conference. The content may be useful for people who

  • participated in the CBI,
  • are computing and IT educators,
  • are people with disabilities interested in computing fields,
  • are motivated to engage in an electronic community to discuss these issues, and/or
  • have promising practices to share with others.

About AccessComputing​

AccessComputing works to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing and IT fields. Institutional and organizational partners apply evidence-based practices to

  • increase the number of students with disabilities successfully pursuing degrees and careers in computing fields;
  • increase the capacity of postsecondary computing departments to fully include students with disabilities in computing courses and programs;
  • increase the capacity of employers to recruit and retain employees with disabilities in computing-related employment;
  • encourage computing educators to teach about accessibility and universal design in the computing curriculum;
  • create a nationwide resource to help students with disabilities pursue computing fields; and
  • help computing educators and employers, professional organizations, and other stakeholders develop more inclusive programs and share effective practices nationwide.

AccessComputing partners with many institutions, organizations, and companies to make education and careers more welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities. AccessComputing engages with project partners by

  • conducting CBIs focused on increasing the participation of students with disabilities in computing and IT academic programs and careers,
  • sharing the results of the CBIs with other institutions and individuals who serve students with disabilities,
  • providing an electronic forum to continue discussion of issues for students, including veterans, with disabilities and increase services and supports for these students, and
  • extending resources to other programs and promising practices via an online searchable Knowledge Base.