To broaden participation in computing and engineering fields, it is important to consider all underrepresented groups, including individuals with disabilities. Listed below are some considerations for making the project you are proposing or implementing fully inclusive of individuals with disabilities along with useful resources to learn more.Ìý
- Include students with disabilities in existing outreach activities.
Broadening Participation in Science and Engineering by Welcoming Participants with DisabilitiesÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýEqual Access: Universal Design of Your Project provide tips and advice for ensuring activities are accessible. To recruit participants with disabilities, in K-12 settings, contact special education professionals or schools that cater to students with disabilities. At a postsecondary institution, a good place to start is to develop a short email message describing your offering and sending it to the disability resources office, veterans center, and student organizations that support individuals with disabilities. Be sure to include a statement on how students can request a disability-related accommodation. Here are examples of other NSF-funded projects that consider disability.
- Develop an outreach activity focused on students with disabilities.
Many of the same outreach activities used in computing education more generally can be adapted for students with disabilities.Ìý You might have a camp, workshop, or hackathon focused on disability. For ideas, consult our Promising PracticesÌý²¹²Ô»å replication packages.
- Host a student with a disability in a summer research internship.
Consider recruiting a postsecondary student through the campus disability services office or partnering with the Ìý(Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates)Ìýprogram. SeeÌýOffer an InternshipÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý. - Encourage faculty and staff to be welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities.
We have found that professional development activities that bring together faculty and staff can make a difference for students with disabilities. You could offer web accessibility trainings, host a Capacity Building Institute or disseminate resources like Working Together: Faculty and Students with Disabilities. See also Hosting a Panel of Students with Disabilities: A Promising Practice in Raising Awareness of Disability Issues.
- Design accessible curriculum and instruction.Ìý
Consider how you can develop and deliver courses that are inclusive of students with a wide variety of disabilities and other characteristics. Learn from students with disabilities whyÌýQuality Education Is Accessible.ÌýFor specific inclusive strategies view the short videosÌýHow Can We Include Students with Disabilities in Computing Courses?,Ìý. For more inclusiveÌýstrategies consultÌýEqual Access: Universal Design of Instruction. - Include disability-related content in courses.
Teach about accessible/universal/inclusive design in your courses so that future computer scientists and engineers will develop IT and other products that are accessible to users with a wide variety of abilities. To learn why these skills are important in a postsecondary setting, view the short videoÌý.ÌýFor examples of including disability-related content in engineering courses viewÌýIncluding Universal Design in the Engineering Curriculum.ÌýFor examples of curricula in computing courses consultÌýTeach Access Resources. - Make sure your website, documents, and online curriculum are accessible to visitors with disabilities.
For example, include text descriptions of content presented in images on your website, in your newsletter, or in your curriculum so that they can be read by screen readers that read aloud text for individuals with visual or learning disabilities.Ìý- To learn how to make your website accessible, view the short videosÌýITÌýAccessibility: What WebÌýDevelopers Have to SayÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý.ÌýFor detailsÌýconsultÌý30 Web Accessibility Tips.
- To learn how to make your documents accessible, view the short videoÌýCreating Accessible Documents. For more detail consult the UW websiteÌý.
- To make your online course accessible to potential students with disabilities view the video and short publicationÌý20 Tips for Instructors about Making Online Learning Courses Accessible.
- Caption your videos.
Routinely caption videos not only to make them accessible to individuals who are deaf, but also more usable by English language learners, individuals with learning disabilities, and those who simply wish to see the spelling of words spoken. To learn more view the short videosÌý, Making Videos Accessible, andÌýCaptioning Lecture Capture Videos: A Promising Teaching Practice.ÌýFor more detailsÌýconsult .
- Partner with a disability-related organization.
Consider including an organization with expertise in disability-relates issues as a subcontractor in your grant proposal or funded project. This group could be associated with special education in the K-12 setting, disability services in higher education, or nationwide organizations such as the .Ìý
AccessComputingÌýstaff members are happy to partner with you or help you identify other resources or partners to engage in these activities.
AccessComputing shares resources for departmental broadening participation activitiesÌý²¹²Ô»å methods for partnering with AccessComputing online.
For information about these and other topics regarding the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in computing academic programs and careers consult theÌý.