AccessComputing: The Alliance for Access to Computing Careers

AccessComputing partners with more than eighty postsecondary institutions and other organizations to support the following activities and resources.

Activities for Students with Disabilities

AccessComputing helps students with disabilities pursue degrees and careers in computing fields through inclusive academic and mentoring programs.

College and graduate students with disabilities nationwide can join the AccessComputing Team to engage with each other and with mentors. Team members are eligible to apply for conference funding and Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

Students Can Get Involved Here

Activities for Faculty, Staff, and Employers

AccessComputing builds the capacity of faculty, staff, departments, employers, and professional organizations to fully include students with disabilities.

  • Partners work together to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing
  • Online Communities of Practice where faculty and other professionals discuss strategies and share resources for promoting the participation of people with disabilities in computing
  • Minigrants funds for activities that support the project goal
  • Capacity-Building Institutes and Training offered on campuses and at conferences
  • Accessibility Topics in the Computing Curriculum created and shared to better prepare the next generation of computing professionals

Educators and Employers Can Get Involved Here

Resources

AccessComputing shares resources.

  • Searchable Knowledge Base of questions and answers, case studies, and promising practices
  • Guidelines for making computing instruction and departmental services welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities
  • Proceedings of capacity-building institutes exploring issues related to individuals with disabilities and computing fields
  • Replication Packages that share everything that educators and professionals need to replicate successful practices
  • Videos about accessibility and individuals with disabilities, including veterans, pursuing computing careers

Find More Resources Here

Impact of Our Work

AccessComputing outcomes benefit society by

  • making computing opportunities available to more citizens and
  • enhancing computing fields with the perspectives of people with disabilities.

uw.edu/accesscomputing

“[In AccessComputing,] I met so many students like me who were navigating computer science majors as a person with a disability. This experience also fueled my interest to pursue research in making computer science education more accessible." - AccessComputing Team Member Meenakshi Das

Leaders

University of Washington
Dr. Richard Ladner
Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler
Dr. Amy J. Ko
Dr. Brianna Blaser

Gallaudet University
Dr. Raja Kushalnagar

Tufts University
Dr. Elaine Schaertl Short

University of California, Irvine
Dr. Stacy Branham

Partners

AccessComputing engages with more than 80 postsecondary institutions, companies, and other organizations.

Funding

AccessComputing is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance program of the Directorate for Computer & Information Sciences and Engineering (Grant #CNS-0540615, #CNS-0837508, #CNS-1042260, ND #CNS-1539179).

uw.edu/accesscomputing
accesscomp@uw.edu