UW Leads National Effort to Bring People with Disabilities into Computing
From: UW News - 03/27/2006
By: Rob Harrill

A new program at the University of Washington is launching to help improve
computing accessibility for people with disabilities. Funded by a $2 million
NSF grant, the AccessComputing Alliance will attempt to create a nationwide
network through partnerships with universities and corporations to provide
specialized training for disabled students. "The shortage of qualified
professionals in computing fields is due in part to the under-representation
of specific groups of Americans, including women, racial and ethnic
minorities, and people with disabilities," said Richard Ladner, a professor
of computer science and engineering. Facilities are frequently inaccessible,
there is a shortage of role models and qualified educators, and equipment is
rarely designed with the needs of the disabled in mind, according to Sheryl
Burghstahler, director of Washington's Disabilities, Opportunities,
Internetworking, and Technology program, or DO-IT. The alliance will attempt
to grow the numbers of disabled students in university computing programs
though a system of summer academies, internships, and mentoring programs. It
will also develop analytics to measure accessibility at different
departments, and work with college faculty to better equip them to instruct
the disabled. Finally, the alliance will build a searchable database
consisting of case studies, best practices, and training and education
materials. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=23363

Links:
AccessComputing Alliance
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Newsflash/nf.03.03.06.html
http://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/

Improving Access to Graphical Images for the Blind
http://tactilegraphics.cs.washington.edu/

Vertical Mentoring Workshop for the Blind in Science, Technology,
  Engineering, and Mathematics
http://www.cs.washington.edu/vmwb  

DO-IT - Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology 
http://www.washington.edu/doit/  

Richard E. Ladner
http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/ladner/

Sheryl Burgstahler, PhD
http://staff.washington.edu/sherylb/