AccessSTEM & AccessComputing: Creating Sustainable Partnerships at

Local & National Levels

Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.Affiliate Professor, Education

Director, Access Technology Services, DO-ITUniversity of Washington, Seattle

• 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

Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, & Technology

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:

• 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 & DirectorMari 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 evidence-based 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

• 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

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, & Technology) Center

Collaboration

Increase the participation & success of individuals with disabilities in

computing fields

Richard Ladner, PI

Sheryl Burgstahler, Co-PI & Director

Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance

Goal

Organizational Partners

• AccessSTEM• East Alliance• Reaching the Pinnacle• 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• CMD-IT

Midwest Alliance

Virtual Alliance forDeaf and Hard of Hearing

Georgia Computes!Into the Loop

• 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

Institutional Partners

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 StudentsAlliances promote self-determination; college transition & success; careers in STEM

Working with InstitutionsAlliances promote universal design & effective accommodations

Promoting self-determination; college transition & success; careers in STEM

Engagement with Students

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, resume-building

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

• Computer, science labs, lectures

• Practice self-

advocacy

• Field trips to

Microsoft

• College &

career prep

activities…

Summer Study

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 ExchangesBetween

DO-IT U.S. & DO-IT Japan

They shared their experiences & tips for success in postsecondary education & careers.

2. Japan & U.S. Scholars communicate in electronic video conferences.

1. Two U.S. participants traveled to Japan to assist with the first Summer Study.

A participant from Japan gave a talk about his disability to participants in U.S.; they discussed their disabilities on the Island

3. DO-IT Island in Second Life (a virtual reality, cyber space) was developed by project Interns in U.S.

Promotinguniversal design & effective accommodations

Working with Institutions

Accommodation =

Alternate format, service, &/or adjustment for a specificindividual

“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 Designwww.design.ncsu.edu/cud

• An attitude that values diversity, equity, & inclusion

• A goal

• A process

• Practices that make learning products & environments welcoming, accessible, &

usable for everyone

UD is:

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• Provide multiple ways to gain & demonstrate knowledge, using multiple senses• Avoid unnecessary jargon; define terms• 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

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.”

Universal design (proactive for everyone) & accommodations (reactive for individuals)

Policies & procedures that address both

We need:

•

•

Engagement of Practitioners in Communities of Practice

More than 300 members of online CoPs for:broadening participation projectsdisability services personnelSTEM educatorscomputing/IT facultyveterans-serving organizationsindustry & 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 procla-mation 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…

• Faculty publications, tailored for your school, with legislation, UD, accommodations, resources

• CBI proceedings

• Peer-reviewed journal articles & other published papers

• …

Examples of Publications

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

• 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

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

• Summer Academies• Paid Internships• E-mentoring• Leadership Opportunities

• 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