DO-IT News January 2023: All Articles

On September 29, Sheryl Burgstahler delivered a presentation to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which was held online and in New York. At the event, titled “Using Assistive Technology to Promote Social Inclusion for People with Disability through Collaboration and Partnership between Africa, America, Asia and Europe,” Sheryl presented information focused on education challenges across the globe. She was joined by a representative from each continent. Learn more about the event online.

Representatives from each continent shared their perspective. Representing North America, Sheryl presented challenges related to the full participation in education for individuals with disabilities, as well as recommendations and possible solutions assistive technology (AT) might offer to facilitate inclusive education for individuals with any kind of disability.

A conference organizer reached out to Sheryl last month, sharing “given all  you have done with the DO-IT Center and UW-IT Access Technology Center, I think you will be the perfect person to speak on this topic to highlight the importance of AT as a hugely transformative and enabling influence for people with disabilities and diverse background.”

Congratulations to Sheryl on this amazing endeavor!

The first in-person Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Celebration since 2019 was held September 7 – 9 in Washington, DC. Although there are still ongoing barriers to travel and meeting, AccessComputing was excited for the opportunity to gather with many in our community.

The first full-day of Tapia was kicked off with a keynote by AccessComputing co-PI Stacy Branham titled Hello, World! I Have a Disability. There were at least six other disability or accessibility-related sessions and for the first time, AccessComputing held a reception for our community members.

AccessComputing co-PI  Elaine Short (Tufts) served as scholarship chair and AccessComputing co-PI Raja Kushalnagar served as deputy accessibility chair.

AccessComputing partners Patricia Ordonez (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Stephanie Ludi (University of North Texas,) and Sam Rebelsky (Grinnell College) and team members Vincent Martin and Heriberto Acosta-Maestre were also part of the organizing committee.

The Tapia Celebration provides a great opportunity to connect with mentors, network across computing educators and employers, and learn about diversity in computing.  We look forward to seeing our community at the 2023 Tapia Celebration in Dallas, TX next September.

Recently, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Engineering Research Center (ERC) Program released a report that highlighted three DO-IT Programs AccessERC, AccessINCLUDES, and Neuroscience for Neurodiverse Learners (NNL).

As stated at the NSF ERC Association website, “The ERC program brings technology-based industry and universities together in an effort to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. These partnerships established cross-disciplinary centers focused on advancing fundamental engineering knowledge and engineered systems technology while exposing students to the integrative aspects of engineered systems and industrial practice… [The program] has produced a new generation of engineering graduates who are highly innovative, diverse, globally engaged, and effective as technology leaders in industry.”

DO-IT has helped ensure that this new generation of engineering graduates includes students with disabilities. Through partnerships with the UW’s ERC, the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT), founded in 2011, DO-IT has received additional funding for the three projects mentioned above to carry the missions of the ERC Program and the CNT forward. 

In the Fiscal Year 2020 ERCs Program report, released in September 2022, NNL is highlighted in the section called “Culture of Diversity and Inclusion.” The report shares, for example, that “NNL is providing hands-on experiences in neuroscience disciplines, networking opportunities, and resources to high school and early post-secondary students identified as neurodiverse learners and will disseminate findings to teachers of courses related to neuroscience and, more broadly, to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” Also stated in the report’s “Key Events” section, an article called “Center Promotes National Capacity Building” shares the work of AccessERC and AccessINCLUDES, which are designed to t to build a collaborative infrastructure for broadening participation in NSF-funded research and practice.

In October 2022, Zoom announced a new dedicated channel for sign language interpreters. The new feature allows one or more participants in a Zoom meeting to be assigned a role of “Interpreter” by the host, and assigned a specific language, such as “American Sign Language.”

Once interpreters are assigned, all meeting participants are notified that sign language interpretation is available, and an “Interpretation” button is added to the control bar at the bottom of the Zoom screen. If participants click this button, they’re presented with a choice of available languages. After selecting their preferred language, an interpreter window appears. It’s separate from the main Zoom window, so it can be resized and repositioned independently of the Zoom interface. If there are multiple interpreters for a given language, they share the same interpreter window but only one interpreter is shown at a time. They can hand-off to each other by toggling their video on and off.

This new feature offers an alternative to interpreters being regular participants, whose videos can be moved to the forefront by “pinning” (by individual users to customize their own view) or “spotlighting” (by the meeting host, for all users). This original model is delicate, as participants’ windows within Zoom share space with all the other Zoom features, such as the speakers’ video windows and shared screen. The new feature eliminates all confines and allows the interpreter to be anywhere on the screen, at any size.

Documentation from Zoom about these features is available for different audiences. Meeting owners and hosts should visit Managing Sign Language Interpretation. Participants can visit Viewing Sign Language Interpretation.

AccessComputing staff has been actively testing this new feature and providing ongoing feedback to Zoom’s accessibility team. There are a few known limitations. For example, as of November 2022, the interpreter window is not captured when the meeting is recorded. This limitation is expected to be addressed for cloud recordings in an upcoming release. A second problem is that the interpreter channel only works in the main room, not in breakout rooms. Interpreters can be assigned to breakout rooms, but in the breakout room they become regular participants again, so participants who need their services will need to fall back to the old way of doing things (e.g., pinning and spotlighting), until they return to the main room. A third problem is that interpreters by default do not have the ability to unmute themselves so they can speak on behalf of a participant. The host must change a setting for each interpreter to allow them to speak, which is burdensome for the host and adds an extra layer where things can go wrong.

If you have feedback you’d like to share with Zoom about their accessibility, send it to tft@uw.edu, and we will relay your feedback to the Zoom accessibility team.

DO-IT provided a yummy assortment of snacks and had the snack boxes shipped right to our houses each week. There were so many choices, including chips, soups, iced tea, crackers, and cookies. It was hard to choose from so many options!

During the social we ate our snacks and talked about our hobbies. Alexis shared some artwork she was working on, I shared about my power soccer team, and Tami did a show-and-tell with her stuffed unicorn, which brought out others’ stuffed animals as well! More people shared about their life and interests, and everyone had a terrific time sharing and getting to know each other. A big thank you to DO-IT!

Each summer, the DO-IT Scholars program hosts a Summer Study that supports 40-60 high school and college students with disabilities in learning about technology, self-advocacy, college preparation, and disability culture. This past summer, first-year students shared their favorite sessions, as well as what they learned this year with peers and staff. Below are some highlights:

Favorite Sessions

• HTML coding and web design
• Using math with origami and 3D models
• Inclusive Tech Lab with Microsoft
• Learning about the brain with the Center for Neurotechnology
• Opportunities to connect and socialize, including game night, movie night, the talent show, and snack box socials
• How to advocate in college

What Scholars Learned

• Different aspects of how the human brain works
• HTML coding, website styling, JavaScript, and web content creation
• Methods for reaching out to professors and disability services, as well as how to best approach getting needed accommodations 
• Different forms of accessible technology, including screen readers (which often work better than Voice Over) and the tools being developed in the Inclusive Tech Lab
• The history of people with disabilities and our rights
• How to advocate for myself in college and other aspects of life
• Perspectives from college students and professors who have worked with students with disabilities before
• Science careers can be accessible and achievable

This year, DO‑IT Phase I Scholars participated in a three-week Summer Study session. They learned about college life; explored online resources; interacted with peers, staff, and mentors; and had fun. The DO‑IT Scholars program started in 1993 as an experimental project for teens with disabilities nationwide. While it is usually held on campus at the University of Washington, this year it was held online. It is currently open to Washington State teens and is supported by the State of Washington. The DO-IT Scholars program is supported by all DO-IT staff and led by Tami Tidwell, Kayla Brown, and Andrea Mano.

NOTE: We had so many amazing articles this year from Scholars, we are sharing more in our next issue!

DO-IT’s NSF-funded Access to Informal STEM Learning (AccessISL) project recently completed its third year. Please join us in celebrating this milestone. We’re excited to share resources and information about our work to help ensure that informal STEM learning is accessible to everyone!

Recently, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) featured AccessISL's work on their blog in an article called Building Capacity in and Access to Informal STEM Learning Settings for Participants with Disabilities. We are honored to be featured among CAISE's offerings and we invite you to check it out.

AccessISL's website offers a variety of resources. As you explore the site, you can learn about accessible exhibits, universal design, promoting accessibility in curriculum and training, and more. Some examples include: 

Proceedings from the AccessISL Capacity Building Institute, explored challenges and solutions regarding equitable access to ISL. Participants identified specific ways stakeholders can work together to increase universal design, accessibility, and systemic change as it relates to informal STEM learning. 

AccessISL replication materials describe how the project provides internship opportunities for postsecondary students to enhance their learning about accessible ISL, promote accessibility within academic departments, and engage in activities to make ISL offerings more welcome and inclusive for everyone. The website also shares replication materials and best practices about Offering Accessible Online Informal Learning.

The resource Pedagogical and Content Design Practices that Support Accessibility and Inclusion in Museology Courses is designed for faculty in Museology and Museum Studies programs who seek to create accessible and inclusive learning environments and integrate accessibility topics within their curriculum.

The AccessISL Knowledge Base offers over 200 case studies, promising practices, and Q&A's regarding access to informal STEM learning. Examples of articles include:

• Accessibility Reviews: A Promising Practice to Improve the Accessibility of Local Science Education Programs
• How can I test my website for accessibility?
• Intrepid Museum: A Promising Practice in Providing Accessibility Information
• How can universal design be applied in educational settings?

You can get involved! All stakeholders are invited to participate in the AccessISL Community of Practice to join discussions and learn about opportunities to promote the increased participation of people with disabilities in informal science education offerings, training programs, and careers.

Photo from the Disabled and Here Collection.

Everyone’s heard of the five-second rule, right? The urban myth that if a dropped piece of food is picked up within five seconds it’s still safe to eat? Scientific research in microbiology has proven that myth to be false, because bacterium present on the floor can transfer to the food almost instantly.

The three-minute rule, on the other hand, is not an urban myth, but a strategy for overcoming procrastination; this strategy has been supported by research.

We all can be guilty of procrastinating—putting off something we know we need to do—but procrastination can be a significant problem for some. Putting off a task can bring a short-term sense of relief, but the longer we put something off, the more we experience a buildup of anxiety and stress. And so psychologists have come up with a “trick”, the three-minute rule, that can help most of us to overcome our procrastination tendencies.

The basic concept of the three-minute rule is to tell yourself that you’ll work for three minutes, but only three minutes, on a task that you’ve been putting off. Regardless of why you’re procrastinating, tell yourself that you’ll work on it for three minutes. After that, if you still can’t deal with the task just stop.

Psychology researchers have discovered that most people, with most tasks, will keep working after the three minutes are up, because telling yourself that you’ll start off with only three minutes of work can help make the task seem more manageable. In one trial, researchers discovered that setting a “20-minute rule” (as used in the Pomodoro technique) seemed too daunting, but that of their study participants who tried the three-minute rule, 98% kept working past the initial three minutes. These three minutes can get you out of the avoidance mindset, while longer time frames merely enhance avoidance.

Interestingly enough, psychology researchers were inspired to study the three-minute rule with procrastination because of the concept’s success in fitness and exercise; fitness experts have long been having similar success by encouraging people to start exercising for very short periods daily, instead of jumping in with long exercise sessions. And, psychologists have found that the three-minute technique can help people overcome a variety of phobias and social anxiety, too.

Oh, and about the five-second rule with food? There are a lot of variables—how dirty the floor is can be more important than how long the food sits on the floor. If you’re at home and swept recently, maybe the food is fine. If you’re in public and can’t wash the food, it might be better to just toss it.