Access to Computing in Higher Education: Capacity Building for BPC Projects (2010)

January 31, 2010
Los Angeles, California

The goal of the Access to Computing in Higher Education Capacity Building Institute (CBI) was to help participants better understand the under-representation and increase the participation of students with disabilities in computing and information technology (IT) postsecondary education fields and careers. Broad issue areas discussed included access to higher education curricula and courses through universal design of education and accommodations, best practices for outreach to veterans with disabilities in higher education, and increasing access to computing and IT through assistive technology, among others.

The CBI began with presentations about the importance of self determination for students and universal design in institutions. Following these presentations, small groups discussed questions such as "How can disability support services, computing departments, veterans organizations, and other groups work together effectively to increase the number of people with disabilities in the computing sciences?" Participants also heard from a panel about computing-rich careers and previewed a draft video on veterans with disabilities.