AccessSTEM &
AccessComputing: Creating
Sustainable Partnerships at
Local & National Levels
Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.
Affiliate Professor, Education
Director, Access Technology Services, DO-IT
University of Washington, Seattle
Disabilities, Opportunities,
Internetworking, & Technology
• 1992, grant from U.S. National
Science Foundation
• Now DO-IT Scholars program
funded by State of Washington
• Other grants fund special projects
• Total: > $50,000,000 since 1992
DO-IT Goal
To increase the success of individuals with
disabilities in
postsecondary
education &
careers, using
technology
as an
empowering
tool
Handouts
• AccessSTEM
• AccessComputing
• How You Can Engage with DO-IT
All are available in both HTML & PDF formats at
www.uw.edu/doit/Brochures/Programs/
Disabilities related to:
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Hearing
Seeing
Learning
Attention
Health
Speech
Mobility,
physical skills
• Communication
Primary Sources of Evidence
• Literature review
• Outcomes of prior projects
• Suggestions from
practitioners
• Input from
students with
disabilities (SWD)
• The Northwest Alliance for Students with
Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering,
& Mathematics
• Led by DO-IT
• Partners:
Bellevue College, Seattle Central Community
College, Seattle Public Schools
Goal
To improve academic & career
outcomes for students with disabilities
in science, technology, engineering &
mathematics (STEM) fields
Sheryl Burgstahler, PI & Director
Mari Ostendorf, Co-PI
Objectives 1 & 2
1. Implement changes within partner
postsecondary institutions to make STEM
more welcoming & accessible
2. Support engagement of
stakeholders in fostering
STEM education &
careers that are
welcoming & accessible
Objective 3
Implement evidencebased practices to
increase numbers of
individuals with
disabilities moving
through critical junctures
to STEM associate,
baccalaureate, &
graduate degrees &
careers
Objective 4
Support & expand an online resource center
UW Lead
• Engages with partner leaders to
assess needs, plan/implement activities,
collect data
• Engages with "A-Team” students to
assess needs & plan & implement activities
• Engages & supports SWD at partner
schools (e.g., mentoring, leadership
opportunities, workshops, internships)
UW Lead
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Assists partners with institutional change
Collaborates with other RDE Alliances
Engages online Communities of Practice
Disseminates information & resources
Improves & evaluates project
Participates in
AccessSTEM/AccessComputing/DO-IT
Longitudinal Transition Study (ALTS) to track
progress of students supported with NSF funds
since 1993
All Partners
• Engage in Alliance collaboration—identify needs
& develop/host/promote/evaluate activities
• Assist with campus-focused CBIs
• Promote institutional change
• Engage in CoPs
• Conduct faculty/staff UD & other training
• Engage with SWD to (1) recruit to activities & (2)
promote project goal
Other STEM Alliances
Collaboration
Department of Computer Science &
Engineering
DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities,
Internetworking, & Technology) Center
Goal
Increase the participation & success of
individuals with disabilities in
computing fields
Richard Ladner, PI
Sheryl Burgstahler, Co-PI & Director
Broadening Participation
in Computing Alliance
Organizational Partners
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AccessSTEM
Midwest Alliance
East Alliance
Virtual Alliance for
Reaching the Pinnacle
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Midwest Alliance
Virtual Alliance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
CAITE
CAHSI
EL Alliance
National Girls Collaborative Project
STARS Alliance
CCCE Alliance
NCWIT
ARTSI
Georgia Computes!
Into the Loop
Into the Loop
Georgia Computes!
CMD-IT
Institutional Partners
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Gallaudet University
Rochester Institute of Tech
National Tech Institute for the Deaf
Landmark College
Carnegie Mellon University
Auburn University
Georgia Tech
City University of New York
University of Rochester
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
North Carolina State University
Washington State University
New Mexico State University
Objectives
• Increase the number of students with
disabilities successfully pursuing degrees &
careers in computing fields
• Increase the capacity of postsecondary
computing departments to fully include
students with disabilities in computing courses
and programs
• Create a nationwide resource
Alliance activities promote:
• Student success
• Academies, internships,
mentoring, conference
attendance
• Institutional change
• Capacity building institutes, promotion of UD,
collaborations, communities of practice
• Knowledge dissemination
• Articles, publications, checklists, website,
online Knowledge Base
Working with Students
Alliances promote self-determination;
college transition & success; careers in
STEM
Working with Institutions
Alliances promote
universal design & effective
accommodations
Engagement with Students
Promoting self-determination;
college
transition
& success;
careers in
STEM
Challenges for students:
• Diminished support systems after high school
• Little access to successful role models
• Lack of access to technology that can
increase independence, productivity, &
participation
• Inadequate self-advocacy skills
• Inadequate accommodations
• Low expectations & other negative attitudes
on the part of people with whom they interact
-National Organization on Disabilities
Critical
Junctures
Opportunities! News
• Created collaboratively, tailored to each
campus
• Distributed to SWD in spring & fall
AccessSTEM/
AccessComputing Team
Student members participate in:
• E-mentoring
• Workshops, trainings, labs
• Leadership experiences (e.g., panels)
• Tutoring
• Industry/research internships (89 complete)
• Other work-based learning such as
corporate visits, mock interviews, resumebuilding
College & Career Prep Activities
• Experiences in dorm, cafeteria, facilities
• Learn about resources
• Become experts on assistive technology
& other accommodations
• Practice discussing disability &
accommodations with faculty
• Engage in mock job interviews
• Hear from successful college students
with disabilities
Summer Study
• Computer, science labs, lectures
• Practice selfadvocacy
• Field trips to
Microsoft
• College &
career prep
activities…
Year-round Participation
• Communicate online with each other,
staff, & mentors who support their
postsecondary education & career goals
• Get together for pizza & networking
• Participate in internships, mock
interviews, & other work-based learning
activities
• Meet with staff for individual consultation
• Participate in panels & other leadership
opportunities
Interns
at
Microsoft
Informal Science
Accessibility Reviews
Encouraging other programs to replicate this
popular & productive student intervention
Engagement with
Japan
• Two faculty members from University of
Tokyo visit DO-IT Seattle, each for one
year, to learn evidence-based practices
• DO-IT Summer Study began at University
of Tokyo in 2007
International Exchanges
Between
DO-IT U.S. & DO-IT Japan
1. Two U.S.
participants
traveled to
Japan to assist
with the first
Summer
Study.
They shared their experiences & tips for success
in postsecondary education & careers.
2. Japan & U.S. Scholars communicate in
electronic video conferences.
3. DO-IT Island
in Second Life
(a virtual reality,
cyber space)
was developed
by project
Interns in U.S.
A participant from Japan gave a talk about his
disability to participants in U.S.; they discussed
their disabilities on the Island
Working with Institutions
Promoting
universal design
&
effective
accommodations
Accommodation =
Alternate format, service,
&/or
adjustment
for a
specific
individual
“Coffeepot for Masochists”, Catalog of Unfindable Objects by Jacques
Carelman; in Donald Norman’s The Psychology of Everyday Things, 1988
Universal Design =
“the design of products &
environments to be usable by all
people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or
specialized design.”
The Center for Universal Design
www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
UD is:
• An attitude that values diversity,
equity, & inclusion
• A goal
• A process
• Practices that make learning
products & environments
welcoming, accessible, &
usable for everyone
Apply UD to:
• Instruction
• Student Services
• Information Technology
• Physical Spaces
Examples of UD in STEM
Course
• Arrange seating so that everyone has a clear
line of sight for viewing demonstrations
• Use large, bold fonts on uncluttered overhead
displays & speak aloud all content presented
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Provide multiple ways to gain & demonstrate
knowledge, using multiple senses
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Avoid unnecessary jargon; define terms
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Provide scaffolding tools (e.g., outline)
Examples of UD, continued
• Provide materials in accessible electronic
formats, including mathematics symbols &
figures
• Accommodate a variety of reading levels &
language skills, when appropriate
• Provide regular feedback
• Test in same manner in which you teach
UD of Science Labs
• Ensure wheelchair-accessibility & wide,
uncluttered aisles
• Incorporate an adjustable-height work
surface for at least one workstation
• Use lever controls instead of knobs
• Put equipment controls within easy
reach from standing & sitting position
• Address safety procedures for
students with wide range of abilities
UD of Science Labs, cont.
• Install mirror above demonstration area
• Use large print, high contrast letters for
signs & labels
• Buy lab products that can be used by
individuals with wide range of abilities
(e.g., plastic instead of glass, tactile
models, large-print diagrams,
non-slip mats, object clamps, surgical
gloves)
To apply checklists:
• Cross off those UDI practices that do not
apply to your situation
• Check UDI practices you already employ
• Put a date for implementation of UDI
practices you plan to employ in the
future to create a timeline
• Periodically check your progress
Quiz
A faculty leader along with a total of
9 other instructors & students met to
discuss potential curriculum changes
to a chemistry course. One
participant requested a sign
language interpreter. When the
invoice arrived…
Who is right about the cost
of interpreters?
a. Accountant: “Ouch. $80 for one
person? That is expensive!”
b. Faculty leader: “Oh, no, the cost
was only $8 per person.”
We need:
Universal design (proactive for
everyone) & accommodations
(reactive for individuals)
Policies & procedures that address
both
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Engagement of Practitioners in
Communities of Practice
More than 300 members of online CoPs for:
 broadening participation projects
 disability services personnel
 STEM educators
 computing/IT faculty
 veterans-serving organizations
 industry & career services
Vets CoP Messages
• Networking: …I have accepted a position with the
Veterans Administration in Seattle…
• Advice: I am looking for wisdom & guidance on next
steps for getting appropriate medical documentation
for veterans seeking services…
• Announcements: There will be a Senate proclamation to honor the Military on the Senate Floor at…
• Resources: Check out our newest featured video at
www.washington.edu/doit/, Returning from Service:
College and IT Careers for Veterans…
Examples of Publications
• Faculty publications, tailored for your
school, with legislation, UD,
accommodations, resources
• CBI proceedings
• Peer-reviewed journal articles &
other published papers
•…
Veterans Video & Publication
• Champions the great potential that veterans with
disabilities have in their pursuit of STEM fields
• Informs stakeholders of best practices
Accessibility of Science Labs, Computer
Labs, Computing Departments, …
Empowering institutions to improve
accessibility
Knowledge Base
• Q&A: How can I make my computing
department more accessible to students
with disabilities?
• CASE STUDY: Distance Learning: A Case
Study on the Accessibility of an Online
Course
• PROMISING PRACTICE: The ImagineIT
Workshop: A Promising Practice in
Engaging Students with Visual Impairments
Knowledge Base
• Q&A: Where can I find electronic text versions
of books for students who have visual
impairments or other print disabilities?
• CASE STUDY: Earth Science: A Case Study
on Teaching Concepts to a Student with a
Visual Impairment
• PROMISING PRACTICE: Accessibility
Reviews: A Promising Practice to Improve the
Accessibility of Local Science Education
Programs
Ultimate Impact of Activities
1. Making STEM opportunities available to
more citizens
2. Enhancing STEM
fields with the talents
& perspectives
of people with
disabilities.
You can engage with us in:
• Student activities
• Institutional change
• Knowledge dissemination
…
Student Engagement
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Summer Academies
Paid Internships
E-mentoring
Leadership Opportunities
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Panel presentations
Student summits
Technology conferences
Student case studies
Institutional Change Activities
• Capacity-building institutes
• Other training or
dissemination activities on
your campus
• Communities of practice
Formula for Success:
• Employ practices that are evidence-based
• Literature review
• Outcomes of prior projects
• Suggestions from practitioners
• Input from students with disabilities
• Evaluations of interventions reveal
• Indicators of participant success
• Institutional change
www.uw.edu/doit/Research/index.html
Resources
www.uw.edu/doit