AccessComputing

Website

www.uw.edu/accesscomputing/

Connect to AccessComputing project information, resources, and materials.

Knowledge Base

www.uw.edu/accesscomputing/knowledge-base

With sponsorship from AccessComputing, Georgia Computes, GVU Center, and the Institute for People and Technology, Georgia Tech sponsored A Capacity-Building Workshop for Georgia Tech in September 2011. The workshop aimed to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing fields and, in particular, to help Georgia Tech to improve how they facilitate success of students with disabilities.

A new AccessComputing video titled "Returning from Service: College and IT Careers for Veterans" has been distributed nationally through university computing faculty.

Now that the war in Iraq is ending, more and more veterans are returning to school and many are interested in IT careers. The video can help faculty and staff be more welcoming to this group of students, particularly those with disabilities.

We are proud to announce that this year, AccessComputing Co-PI Sheryl Burgstahler won two impressive awards!

The following projects have recently been completed with funding through AccessComputing minigrants. Congratulations to all of these recipients for conducting successful projects!

My name's Matt Starn and I'm a new full-time employee at Microsoft as an SDE (Software Design Engineer). I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and I've been a member of the AccessComputing Team for several years. In the summer of 2007, I participated in the Summer Academy program at the University of Washington. At the time, I was a student at University of California, Los Angeles but I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go in life after college until I joined the program.

Hi, my name's Katie and in Fall 2011 I started working full-time at Microsoft as a Program Manager on the Office User Experience team. I graduated from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in May 2011 with a BS in Engineering: Computing.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the first Saturday Computing Experience (SCE) for deaf and hard-of-hearing students took place in Spring 2011. Kyle Rector, a graduate student in Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington, led the class. Six young women and three young men from ACE High School in Highline, Edmonds-Woodway High School in Mountlake Terrace, and Roosevelt High School in Seattle participated.

AccessComputing student interns have completed over 120 internships. They have worked on computing projects and research in industry settings, workshops, and labs. They have learned how to request reasonable accommodations, communicate with supervisors and co-workers, collaborate with others, and manage priorities. Their internship experiences have improved their resumes, helped them meet graduation requirements, improved their confidence, and further developed their network of professional contacts.