Universal Design
In the classroom or the workplace, most groups are diverse. We vary in background, cultural and gender identity, first language, and age. We have different learning styles, including visual and auditory. Some of us have disabilities, including blindness, low vision, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities, and health impairments.
How can educators design instruction to maximize the learning of all students? How can employers create environments to maximize productivity of all employees? By using universal design.
Accommodations
The best accommodations are unique to the individual and develop from a cooperative relationship between instructor and student, sometimes with the assistance of special education teachers or postsecondary campus disabled student services offices. AccessComputing provides tools and resources for assessing the accessibility of your lab or department and developing accommodation strategies.
Rights & Responsibilities
Accommodating students with disabilities in computing is a shared responsibility. Faculty, students, and disability services staff must work together to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities who request support. Coordinated efforts and support from departmental, administrative, facilities, and other student service personnel can also enhance the overall accessibility of the postsecondary learning environment for students with disabilities.
Replication Packages
Videos
Promising Practices
AccessComputing and its partners apply evidence-based practices, using lessons learned from earlier projects to ensure continual improvement. We encourage further exploration and replication of these and other practices that show promise for increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in computing fields.
Resources
There’s lots of information out there that you can use to learn more about careers in computing and plan your own career path. Check out the resources below.
Projects
Computing students and professionals are involved in a diverse variety of interesting projects. Check out the sorts of activities you could be involved with if you have a career in computing.
You could:
AccessComputing Profiles
There are many great examples of people with disabilities who choose computing. A few of these individuals are listed below. Check out their profiles to see what they have accomplished by pursuing academic and career paths in the computing field.