AccessComputing: Building Capacity for Veterans (2009)

file type icon Building Capacity for Veterans.pdf
Photo of female student in a wheelchair at a computer

February 10 - 13, 2009
Seattle, Washington

A series of activities have been undertaken to increase the participation of veterans with disabilities in computing and information technology (IT) postsecondary education and career fields. These activities were coordinated by the Alliance for Access to Computing Careers (AccessComputing), led by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) at the University of Washington (UW). AccessComputing is funded by the Computer and Information Science and Education program of the National Science Foundation (#CNS-0540615 and CNS-0837508).

AccessComputing institutional partners are Gallaudet University, Landmark College, and Rochester Institute of Technology. AccessComputing alliance partners are AccessSTEM, EAST, MIDWEST, RASEM2, National Center for Women and Information Technology, National Girls Collaborative Project, Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education, Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Empowering Leadership: Computing Scholars of Tomorrow, and Advancing Robotics Technology for Societal Impact Alliance.

Goal and Outcomes

AccessComputing works to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing and IT fields. AccessComputing collaborators apply evidence-based practices to:

  • increase the number of students with disabilities successfully pursuing degrees and 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 to help students with disabilities pursue computing fields
  • help computing educators and employers, professional organizations, and other stakeholders develop more inclusive programs and share effective practices nationwide

Capacity Building Activities

AccessComputing collaborates with project partners in a variety of ways:

  • Conducting a Capacity-Building Institute (CBI) focused on increasing the participation of veterans with disabilities in computing and IT academic programs and careers.
  • Sharing the results of the CBI with other institutions and individuals who serve veterans.
  • Providing an electronic forum to continue discussion of veterans issues and increase services and supports for veterans.
  • Extending resources to other programs and promising practices via an online searchable Knowledge Base.

Audiences for These Materials

This publication was created for people who:

  • participated in the AccessComputing: Building Capacity for Veterans with Disabilities CBI
  • want to conduct a CBI at their institution, in their region, or at a national or international forum
  • seek to increase their understanding of issues surrounding the participation of veterans with disabilities in computing and IT studies and careers
  • are motivated to join an electronic community to discuss these issues
  • would like to access resources to help them make their campus courses, services, and activities more welcoming and accessible to veterans with disabilities
  • have promising practices to share with others