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And if you act now…

Learn about the importance of accessibility in computer science education, including ethical decision making, critical thinking, and user perspectives. Explore legal considerations and the benefits of incorporating accessibility into curricula.

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And if you act now…

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  1. And if you act now… Katherine Deibel Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington Seattle, Washington, USA

  2. Curricula Overload SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  3. It’s about steak knives… Incorporating accessibility provides many opportunities for good pedagogy, including: • Ethical decision making • Critical thinking • User awareness and perspectives • etc. SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  4. Ethics & Accessibility • ACM Code of Ethics, Section 1.4: The values of equality, tolerance, respect for others, and the principles of equal justice govern this imperative. Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin, or other such factors is an explicit violation of ACM policy and will not be tolerated. • Legalities: • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (1998) • Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) • Britain’s Disability Discrimination Act (1995) • Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) • Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act (1992) SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  5. And ethics are muddy… Discussion time: You are putting together a web page for your working group (6 people altogether). None of you have a disability, and only you six will be using the site. Should you make the page accessible? SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  6. Critical Thinking • Critical thinking is pedagogical gold: • Analysis of information • Evaluation of ideas • Forming judgments • Justifying decisions SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  7. Critical Thinking & Accessibility • Disability is about diversity • Different disabilities have different needs • Which do you address? • Which do you not address? SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  8. Example: A very (or overly) accessible site • Example: Web site accessibility • WAI Guidelines focus mostly on non-visual users (e.g., screen readers) • Some learning disabilities, seizure conditions, etc. require visual modifications to the page http://students.washington.edu/dasa SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  9. User Perspectives & Accessibility • We (students, instructors, etc.) often design for ourselves: • We’re not representative of all users • Many of us do not have disabilities SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  10. User Perspectives & Accessibility • Designing for a user with disabilities: • Requires a shift in focus • Must attend to a user’s need and wants • Diversity in disability results in priorities and tradeoffs SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  11. And if you act now… Other benefits and opportunities: • Service learning • Capstone projects • Engineering Projects in Community Service (Purdue University) • Stimulating motivation and engagement (Wolfe, Computer Science Education, 2004) SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

  12. In summary • This isn’t an infomercial at 3 AM • There aren’t any steak knives • Accessibility is a serious and important issue • Computer technologists should know about it • The curriculum is crowded but… Accessibility provides natural opportunities for good pedagogy SIGCSE 2006 – Accessibility and Computer Science Education

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