Universal Design: Implications for Computing Education

What might be the first response of a professor when a student who is deaf enrolls in her computing class? Would she look forward to the unique perspective this student brings to the class, or only be concerned about what accommodations might be necessary? An important step to creating a classroom environment that is welcoming to all students is to value diversity in all of its many forms—to see, in this case, differences in hearing abilities as a normal, interesting part of the human experience.

AccessComputing Student Internships

AccessComputing has funded over 140 internships for students with disabilities to work on research as well as lab, technical support, and other computing projects. Through these experiences, students have learned how to request reasonable accommodations, communicate with supervisors and co-workers, collaborate with others, and manage priorities. As one student shared, "despite being visually impaired, I can continue to work toward a degree in software engineering. My confidence level has increased along with my determination."

Research projects include:

Chris's Journey from Student to Mentor

I believe that early work- and career-related experiences play crucial roles in people's abilities to have successful full-time careers, especially when they have a disability. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to do a number of different internships and attend conferences and professional workshops, which have given me the experience necessary to be successful in my career.

Person with disability using a laptop.

Cassie's Educational and Internship Experiences

Growing up is an ongoing process; no matter how much one knows there are always more lessons to learn and more avenues to explore. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin where I lived until I was seventeen when I moved to Tacoma, Washington to attend college. I am an only child. A few months after I was born my parents discovered I was blind. My exact condition is called Leber's Amaurosis, which affects the vision-related nerves more than the eye itself. In short, the doctor who diagnosed me compared my eye to a camera where the picture is taken, but the image never appears on the film.

Photo of a row of computer monitors

Jessie's Climb to Higher Education Success

Young people with learning disabilities enjoy a wide spectrum of talents and capabilities, because. in most situations, the "invisible" disability is not obvious to other people. It is difficult for some people to understand why these bright children struggle with tasks or thought processes that come easily to their peers. They get labels like lazy, non-compliant, defiant, impertinent, and stubborn.

Photo of Jessie

Shaun Uses Mentors to Define His Career Path

Hi, my name is Shaun, and I am a Ph.D. student at the Information School at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Information School is an interdisciplinary program that studies the relationships between people, information, and technology. My own research focuses on how everyday computing technologies such as laptops, keyboards, mice, and mobile phones can be made more accessible and help people be more independent in their daily lives.

Photo of Shaun

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