re:sources

Whether you are an educator, an employer, or a producer of technology, think about what you can do to increase accessibility in your daily life. If you’re interested in learning more, there’s a small but dedicated group of organizations that focus on accessibility in computing education and careers.

NCWIT Resources Related to Disability

Advising for Future-Ready Careers Episode 4: CS + Accessibility
2020 NCWIT Summit — “Different Kinds Of Minds” By Temple Grandin
2016 NCWIT Summit Presentation — “Including Students with Disabilities in the Computing Education Pipeline” Workshop by Richard Ladner

Pre K-12 Resources

AccessCSforAll is a related NSF-funded project that works to develop accessible tools and curricula for K12 CS education.
The Quorum programming language is an evidenced-based programming language that is accessible to screen-reader users.
Other accessible tools include Swift Playgrounds (for Mac or iPad) and Blocks4All (for iPad).
The National Center for Computer Science Education maintains an Accessibility page that includes strategies and resources related to accessibility in K-12 CS education.
National Center for Accessible Educational Materials
The Creative Technology Research Lab (CTRL) aims to investigate how to meaningfully engage all learners in technology-mediated learning with a focus on K-12.

Postsecondary Resources

AccessComputing is an NSF-funded Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance that works to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing education and careers.
CMD-IT (the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT) aims “to contribute to the national need for an effective workforce in computing and IT through synergistic activities related to minorities and people with disabilities.” It hosts the Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing conference.
Code the Spectrum provides computer technology training to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other neuro-developmental disorders.

Workforce Resources

Teach Access works to ensure that accessibility is included in the postsecondary curriculum, with the goal of increasing the ability of the workforce to design and develop accessible products.
Disability:IN is the leading non-profit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide.
The Job Accommodation Network has resources for employees and employers about workplace accommodations. The resources in A to Z of Disabilities and Accommodations are particularly useful.
AccessComputing’s Employment Resources list includes many organizations that seek to match job seekers with disabilities with employer.

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Download this Issue

In the third edition of re:think magazine, we turn to issues of disability and accessibility and how they relate to inclusion and the creation of inclusive cultures. Discussions of inclusion often focus on navigating “visible” differences between people, yet we must always be mindful of all the invisible identities people inhabit, and the importance of creating inclusive cultures across these identities.