AccessComputing News - December 2020: All Articles

It is with great pleasure that we have seen some great coverage of our colleagues and their accomplishments this fall.

• AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll PI Richard Ladner received the Public Service Award from the National Science Board. This is a very prestigious award, which has been previously given to Jane Goodall and Bill Nye. Read more at The “conscience of computing”: Allen School’s Richard Ladner receives Public Service Award from the National Science Board, and see the awardees--Richard Ladner, Public Service Awardee; Roderic Pettigrew, Vannevar Bush Awardee; and Maya Ajmera, Public Service Awardee--in this video from the National Science Board.
• Long-time colleague Jeanine Cook from Sandia National Lab received the Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science and Diversifying Computing. Read more at CMD-IT (Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology) Announces 2020 Richard A. Tapia Award Winner Jeanine Cook.
• Another long time colleague, Rob Parke, who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Southern California, was profiled as part of People of ACM. Read more at People of ACM - Rob Parke.
• AccessComputing Partner Jonathan Lazar received the Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing (SIGACCESS) Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computing and Accessibility. More info at SIGACCESS's Outstanding Contributions.
• AccessComputing Partner Ayanna Howard was named the next Dean of the College of Engineering at the Ohio State University.\

Congratulations to all your great achievements!

This year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Computing Research Association’s Distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (DREU) through AccessComputing. I have been involved in AccessComputing since my sophomore year, attending the CS@UW+AccessComputing research workshop in the spring of 2019. Prior to my participation in this workshop, I never thought of research as a viable path for me. 

At CS@UW+AccessComputing, I had the opportunity to participate in research-based projects under Professor Anat Caspi, head of the University of Washington’s Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT). During the weekend, I was able to participate in research seeking to make Virtual/Augmented Reality accessible to individuals with motor impairments. The way that I learned my brain could ask questions, seek solutions, and learn along the way opened my eyes to the possibility of research in my future. 

After conducting independent research at the University of Puget Sound, my home institution, in the summer before my junior year, I knew that participating in the DREU was something that I wanted to pursue. Just before applying to the DREU, AccessComputing provided me the opportunity to go to the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), which enabled me to find a community that sustained me throughout my undergraduate coursework. 

When applying for the DREU, I knew that I wanted to conduct research in the areas of human computer interaction and/or accessible technology. Because of my exposure to these fields at the research workshop, I began to notice not only a growing passion within myself for this work but also the gaps at my home institution. For this reason, I knew that the DREU was my next step. 

After the application process, I was paired with a faculty mentor. I was delighted to learn that I would get to work with Professor Caspi again. Once we started meeting to develop a plan for my DREU, I was amazed at the amount of agency I had over what I would be working on. 

Ultimately, I started working on the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology’s OpenSidewalks Project, which focuses on pedestrian-based transportation networks and access to pedestrian-centric infrastructure. My project fell under the OpenSidewalks Project’s efforts to ensure equitable data collection regarding pedestrian networks. 

I was tasked with developing a prototype for an app to collect information on the accessibility for pedestrians at various intersections. The goal of the project was to develop an Android application that could be used by any user to document the presence of various accessibility features at the intersection (such as Accessible Pedestrian Signals, curb ramps and curb ramp placement, and traffic speed). A key interest was in how to collect consistent data when trying to gain insight on somewhat subjective topics (such as whether traffic is going above or below the speed limit). 

In addition to thinking about this question, I spent a large chunk of my summer learning how to create an Android application that would be intuitive for users. I ultimately developed a functional app and gained experience in user testing, design, and research. 

Through my participation in the DREU, I gained research experience in areas that I did not have access to at my home institution, gained a faculty mentor, and got to meet and be a part of a lab. I was fortunate to attend the Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing and present my research at Grace Hopper. This was such an amazing experience, and I cannot express enough how grateful I am to AccessComputing, the Computing Research Association, and Professor Caspi for fostering my growth as a researcher this summer. If you are interested in learning more about my DREU experience, or reading the final report, you can visit my DREU site.

(Photo on this newsletter page is from CS@UW+AccessComputing 2019).

OurCS@AccessComputing+CREATE is a research-focused workshop for undergraduates with disabilities in computing fields to be held virtually on Wednesday, January 13 through Friday, January 15, 2021, 9 am – 12 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Students with disabilities nationwide in computing fields are eligible to apply. Students will participate in research explorations designed to inspire participants to consider research careers and meet mentors with disabilities.

Students who participate in the entire program will receive a $50 stipend. Funding for this workshop is provided by Google Explore CSR with additional support from AccessComputing and the UW Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences at UW (CREATE).

For full consideration, please apply now! Applications are still being accepted on a space available basis.

(Photo on this newsletter page is from CS@UW+AccessComputing 2019.)

AccessComputing helps students with disabilities successfully pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in computing fields. We also work to increase the capacity of postsecondary institutions and other organizations to fully include students with disabilities in computing courses and programs. 

There are several opportunities to get involved:

1. Students with disabilities can join the AccessComputing student team and become involved in our mentoring community (as well as become eligible for funding for conferences and REUs). There is a short application online to join.

2. Professionals with (or without) disabilities can mentor students with disabilities within our community. The mentor application is also online; Mentors should note that they want to work with STEM students in question #6.

3. Anyone can join a Community of Practice. These are email discussion lists where we share resources and opportunities and discuss topics related to accessibility in computing.

4. Faculty can become an AccessComputing partner. Our partners make a commitment to working on making their institution or organization more welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities. Our partners meet monthly for discussions on related topics.

If you're interested in getting involved, but have questions, email Brianna Blaser <blaser@uw.edu>.

In the July 2020 edition of AccessComputing News, the article Accessibility and Third-Party Products and Services described the critical need to consider accessibility early when shopping for technology solutions, and recommended addressing accessibility at three stages of the procurement process: Soliciting accessibility information from vendors; validating the accessibility information received; and including accessibility assurances in contracts. Online conferencing platforms provide an excellent example of this need.

As most conferences have moved online since early 2020, they have turned to the use of a variety of technologies in an effort to replicate the functionality of face-to-face conferences. Conferences commonly feature presentations, an agenda or schedule of events, opportunities for networking and discussion among attendees, exhibitors demonstrating their products and services, and poster sessions. 

Unfortunately, many of the platforms and tools used by conferences for providing these functions online do not currently meet accessibility standards and consequently are difficult, if not impossible, for people with disabilities to use. For example, screen reader users depend on properly coded page structure, with headings that form an outline of the page and particular page regions (e.g., banner, navigation, and main) explicitly identified in the underlying HTML code; users who are physically unable to use a mouse must be able to access all links, buttons, and controls with keyboard alone; and users who are unable to hear the presenters depend on captions and expect to have some control over how those captions are displayed. Most, if not all, online conference platforms fail in one or more of these areas.

In order for this situation to change, conference organizers must demand accessible products. The more vendors hear from their potential customers that accessibility is an important consideration – maybe even a deal-breaker – the more likely they will be to recognize the market demand for accessibility. This is a wide-open opportunity for any vendor that embraces accessibility, as they can be first to market with an accessible product. 

Meanwhile, conference organizers, despite the lack of accessible choices for online conferencing platforms, still need to provide accessible conference experiences. They cannot simply discriminate against people with disabilities and provide conference features that are only available for non-disabled attendees. This requires working proactively with their chosen vendor as early as possible in the negotiation process, to try to help them recognize the implications of their accessibility failures and commit to fixing them. Whenever possible, accessibility expectations including a timeline for fixing known issues should be included in the contract. It also requires thinking creatively about workarounds, in case vendors fail to deliver an accessible solution on time. 

The following case studies describe how two conferences, both of which have long histories as face-to-face events, went fully online in fall 2020, and responded creatively to the need for an accessible conference solution.

Case Study 1: Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference

The Tapia Conference is an annual fall conference that seeks to acknowledge, promote, and celebrate diversity in computing. AccessComputing had representation on the Infrastructure Committee for the 2020 conference. Tapia chose vFairs as its online conferencing platform. vFairs provides a virtual experience that visually resembles a face-to-face conference, including an on-screen replica of an interactive lobby, exhibit hall, and auditorium. The virtual conference spaces even include virtual attendees mingling and browsing, and Tapia worked with vFairs to ensure those attendees had diverse characteristics, including people with visible disabilities such as wheelchair users and people using white canes.

Although visually compelling, vFairs had major problems with accessibility for attendees who are blind or visually impaired, as well as other attendees who use assistive technologies or custom configurations. AccessComputing staff, on behalf of Tapia, conducted an accessibility review of the platform and met with vFairs representatives on two occasions to discuss the most significant problems and describe possible solutions. The parties shared an online document in which progress was tracked on each of these issues. vFairs made some progress, and was able to fix a few of its problems, but ultimately, they ran out of time so many of the accessibility fixes were "in progress" but not deployed in time for the conference. 

As a workaround for the accessibility issues, Tapia provided attendees with a guide to navigating the conference environment with a screen reader. This guide included key landmarks and workarounds for navigating through the otherwise inaccessible features of the conference platform.

After the conference, vFairs representatives agreed to meet with a panel of conference attendees who have disabilities (three screen reader users and one attendee who uses eye-gaze technology in combination with Dragon speech-to-text software). The attendees described the challenges they faced in navigating and using the software, which helped to reinforce to vFairs that the work they had started would benefit actual users, and accessibility was not just an abstract technical specification.

Case Study 2: Accessing Higher Ground

Accessing Higher Ground (AHG) is an annual fall conference focused on accessible media, web and technology in higher education. AccessComputing had representation on the Program Committee for the 2020 conference. AHG actively sought recommendations for an accessible conferencing platform, but as noted above, all available products seem to fall short on accessibility, so AHG chose Whova, despite its known accessibility problems. 

AccessComputing staff, on behalf of AHG, conducted an accessibility review of the platform and provided a report to the vendor that included code-level recommendations for solutions to the most significant problems. At Whova's request, a meeting was set up to ensure they understood the report, and these issues were then handed off to the engineering team. However, they were unwilling to commit to fixing their accessibility problems in time for the conference, nor were they willing to offer a timeline by which the problems might be addressed.

Since AHG is a conference about accessibility, and since many of the attendees are known to have disabilities, AHG especially needed a workaround. Their solution was to develop a userscript, a JavaScript file that runs in a browser extension such as Greasemonkey or Tampermonkey, and fixes many of Whova's accessibility problems client-side, after Whova has loaded in the browser. This was created by AccessComputing staff as an open source project called Whova Accessibility Fix, hosted on GitHub. Conference attendees, particularly those who use screen readers, spoke fondly of this solution. As one attendee said in an email, "I can use the Whova desktop app without issue. Thanks to you and your sweet JavaScript band aid."

With more time to promote this effort, this could potentially be an effective means of building community around accessibility. Anyone who has JavaScript skills and/or web accessibility skills could participate in developing the solution in collaboration with others as part of a team, and could learn new skills as part of the effort.

However, despite its positive side, this solution has its drawbacks. It's essentially a hack, based on a snapshot in time of the application it's seeking to fix. If the company rolls out any changes, this could very easily break the solution, and since the solution is created independently of the company, there is no communication between the parties. Also, this solution may provide vendors with a false sense of relief from responsibility to fix their accessibility bugs. It's already difficult to persuade vendors to fix accessibility of their products. They may be even less motivated to do so if they believe their customers can use a fallback solution to avoid discriminating against their participants.

Logistical Considerations

In addition to choosing – to the extent possible – an accessible online conferencing platform, conference organizers can take many other steps to ensure their conferences are accessible. For example:

• Provide a means on the conference registration form for attendees or presenters to request accommodations.
• Be prepared to provide accommodations when they're requested, such as live captions or sign language interpreters. Identify vendors who provide these services and be prepared to use them. It is important to make arrangements early, to understand the steps for enabling these services in the chosen conference platform, and to relay that information to anyone who needs it (hosts, moderators, presenters and/or attendees). In 2020, demand for captioning has increased dramatically, so skilled captioners are in short supply, which means making arrangements early is especially important. Also, note that conference participants who need captioning and interpreting will need these accommodations for all parts of the conference, not just for presentations (e.g., for interacting with exhibitors and for networking events).
• Provide live captions and sign language interpreters proactively for large events such as keynotes, plenaries, and featured sessions. 
• Provide information to speakers about how to ensure their presentations (e.g., PowerPoints and digital handouts in Word or PDF) are fully accessible, with alt text for images, proper heading structure in handouts, and adequate color contrast. 
• If the conference includes pre-recorded videos of presentations, be sure to caption all videos.
• Another common accommodation request is access to presentations and slideshows. Again, proactively collecting presentations and sharing them with attendees can ensure everyone has access.

Harvard Education Press has published my new book, Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit. With content that integrates content related to accessible technology design in every chapter, it is particularly relevant to these times when so many courses and services have moved online. I also share myriad ways disability, accessibility, and universal design topics can be integrated within the curriculum of computing and other postsecondary courses.

In this publication I offer a practical, step-by-step guide to put the principles of universal design to work in all that we offer in higher education. Addressing the need for systemic change in order to dismantle institutional inequities, I share strategies that can be offered to all students enrolled in classes and using campus services and applied to the design of technology to avoid the creation of access barriers and build a more inclusive campus.

The book has broad appeal for faculty, administrators, and support staff interested in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion for all students on any campus, and includes specific examples relevant to students with disabilities. As shared by AccessComputing partner and chief executive officer and president of the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT, Valerie Taylor: “While this excellent book focuses on practical steps to provide inclusive environments in higher education, Burgstahler's recommendations are relevant and applicable to the broader community as well.” Margo Izzo, professor emeritus of Ohio State University, further elaborates: “Sheryl Burgstahler's passion for inclusion is grounded in personal, academic, and professional experiences. She provides an opportunity for the reader to ‘Take Action’ by reflecting, learning, and applying new concepts. This book is an excellent mixture of practical examples and useful strategies for administrators and faculty who strive to make their college campus more inclusive, diverse and universally designed!”

This publication complements Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice, second edition, that I edited and is also published by Harvard Education Press. In this book, I and 40 other chapter authors and co-authors make the case for the application of universal design to teaching and learning, campus services, physical spaces, and technology.

AccessComputing can lead online presentations and discussions for your department, institution, organization, or another group of colleagues. Time could be set aside during the session to discuss specific strategies that your department or organization could utilize to move towards becoming more welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities or how you could include accessibility topics in your instruction or research.

Below is a short list of some of the presentations that we can offer. 

• Integrating Disability-Related Topics in a Computing Course
• Accessibility is Becoming Mainstream
• Introduction to Ability-Based Design
• Panel of Students with Disabilities in Computing
• Perspectives of People with Disabilities Regarding Accessibility
• Teaching an Accessible Online Course
• Accessible Online Meetings and Presentations
• Designing Accessible Documents, Videos, and/or Websites
• Accessibility and Third-Party Products and Services
• Universal Design of Teaching and Learning
• Why is Data on Disability so Hard to Collect and Understand?
• U.S. Laws about Accessibility
• Tailor-Made Talk, Panel, or Discussion

See Host a Webinar for more information about webinars and to request one for your organization.