AccessCSforAll hosted a series of four webinars called Accessible Computer Science: Teacher to Teacher, funded by the Infosys Foundation USA. In these webinars, computer science (CS) teachers who specialize in teaching blind and visually impaired students, deaf and hard of hearing students, and learning disabled and neurodiverse students shared strategies that other K-12 educators can use to include students with disabilities in their classroom. Recordings of each webinar are available on our AccessCSforAll Infosys webinar page.
Teaching CS to Blind and Visually Impaired Students
In this webinar, Gina Fugate shared lessons learned teaching CS to students who are blind and visually impaired. Gina is an assistive technology teacher at Maryland School for the Blind and has also taught students who are blind and visually impaired in a public school setting. She earned her M.Ed. in special education with an emphasis on visual disabilities. She co-coaches the DOT5UDOGS and 180 Optimum using Quorum Lego Robotics for First Lego League.
Teaching CS to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
In this webinar, Elizabeth (Beth) Kimball shared lessons learned teaching computer science to students who are deaf and hearing impaired. Beth is a graduate of multiple universities with a passion for anything new. Currently, Beth teaches computer science at Indiana School for the Deaf in the middle and high school STEM departments.
Teaching CS to Students with Learning Disabilities
In this webinar, Sarah Ciras shared lessons learned teaching computer science to students with learning disabilities. Sarah is a special education teacher at Landmark School in Beverly, MA and has been teaching for 11 years. This year she was named a CSTA Equity Fellow. She has spoken at several conferences about making CS accessible to students with language based learning disabilities.
Teaching CS to Neurodiverse Students
In this webinar, Robert DeFillippo shared lessons learned teaching CS to neurodiverse students. Mr. Robert DeFillippo is a 25-year educator who has worked with varied exceptionalities throughout his career. In 2008 Mr. DeFillippo earned the Annie Sullivan award for excellence in education, along with being named the 2018 national Champion of Computer Science award winner for his work with equity and accessibility to computer science for students with severe cognitive and emotional disabilities.