AccessComputing

The AccessComputing website (www.washington.edu/accesscomputing) contains:

Youth Slam is a popular summer event hosted by the National Federation of the Blind. At Youth Slam, high school students with visual impairments are engaged in challenging activities designed to build confidence and increase science literacy. At the 2007 and 2009 Youth Slam events, teams from the University of Washington offered instant messaging (IM) chatbots as a computer science track topic, funded by an AccessComputing minigrant. An IM chatbot is a program that can send and receive instant messages from a human.

Among the strategies for meeting AccessComputing objectives for serving veterans is a Community of Practice (CoP) for veteran stakeholder groups.

Stakeholder groups represented in the CBI included:

• student services leaders and administrators
• computing faculty
• technology specialists
• individuals working for veteran-serving organizations
• veterans

The following individuals participated in the CBI:

CBI participants represented a wide range of stakeholder groups, including postsecondary faculty and staff, employees of veterans-serving organizations, and veterans. They came together to brainstorm ideas for serving veterans in postsecondary education in general, and, specifically, to encourage veterans with disabilities to pursue computing and IT careers. Their discussions are summarized below.

Panel—Working Together: Disabled Student Services, Veterans Support, and Computing Departments

Staff from Florida State University, Georgia State University, Green River Community College, and University of Alaska-Anchorage shared information about their programs and activities that support veterans, particularly those with disabilities.

Below are summaries from the CBI small group discussions.

The New G.I. Bill: How Will It Affect Your Campus?

Presenter: Pat Outing, Des Moines Area Community College

The Alliance for Access to Computing Careers (AccessComputing) has funds available to support training, experiential learning, and information technology (IT)-related activities nationwide. The goal is to increase the number of people with disabilities, including post-9/11 veterans, successfully pursuing computing careers.

Tuesday

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Evening Social and Time to Get Acquainted

Wednesday

8:00 a.m.
Buffet Breakfast and Networking

9:00 a.m.
Welcome