DO-IT News January 2023: All Articles

Have we really been “doing it” for 30 years? Well, time flies when you’re having fun, and that makes sense when it comes to DO-IT. In our flagship program, DO-IT Scholars, 570 students with disabilities from over 250 high schools in Washington have learned to use technology to maximize their independence and productivity, networked with successful people who have disabilities, and engaged in activities that help them prepare for challenging college studies and careers. 

It’s exhilarating to witness our students reach personal milestones, continue to participate in DO-IT as mentors to incoming students, speak in classes and at conferences, and become leaders in their fields. The successful practices of the DO-IT Scholars program have been replicated to benefit thousands of youth with disabilities through other projects and collaborative efforts, including those in Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. 

DO-IT works with everyone who can contribute to the success of people with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers: Disability service providers, employers, educators, parents, governmental agencies, and high-tech companies. Through our many programs, presentations, capacity building institutes, online classes, and conferences, DO-IT and its partners help people work more effectively with individuals with disabilities. We share successful practices around the world through a variety of resources, communities, and collaborations.

Scott Bellman, DO-IT Center manager since 2010, shares “It’s amazing to look back on the thousands of people who‘ve engaged with us on this accessibility journey through workshops, conferences, summer programs, video development, and the creation of other resources. Each time I look back, though, my mind returns to the present. There are many great challenges ahead as we continue to fight for equitable access within education, careers, and communities.”

We will continue our successful partnerships and create new ones to address critical needs in our society. We invite you to share your talents and resources to extend our reach.

[This article includes excerpts from our publication called DO-IT Retrospective: Our First 30 Years, where you can learn more about the past, present, and future of DO-IT.]

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 has recently added several videos and webinars to our online collection of resources.  Check out some of our new offerings:

Videos

• Access to Informal STEM Learning
• Women with Disabilities in Academic Careers
• Supporting Computer Science Student Mental Health
• Creating Accessible Documents
• Mentoring Students with Disabilities in Research Experiences
• Providing Accessible Informal STEM Learning

Webinars

• Including Students with Disabilities in CS Education
• Partnering with AccessComputing to increase the participation of students with disabilities in computing at community and technical colleges
• From Telecommute to Telecommunity: Pushing for institutional change
• Planning for Success: Effective Communication Strategies and Classroom Management for Neurodiverse Learners
• Chat With a Disability Services Panel
• Best Practices from an Online STEM Summer Camp Serving Neurodiverse Students
• Pedagogical Approaches for Neurodivergent Learners in STEM
• Real stories from neurodiverse students on how STEM faculty can support success
• Accessible Blocks Discussion
• Integrating Accessibility and Disability into the Computing Curriculum
• DREU Information Session
• Accessibility in Procurement of Technology: How to Choose Accessible Products and Services
• Making STEM Departments More Accessible to and Inclusive of Women with Disabilities

Ferguson is a person who has all kinds of disabilities. He lives on an island where there are few opportunities for him to get better in his education. Though his family has access to all the technology he needs—hearing aids, a wheelchair, text-to-speech, and others—Ferguson must still overcome the battles of dealing with school, where many of the other students make fun of him. What hurts him the most is when other students say he “can’t do anything” because it seems obvious to them that he cannot do some specific task for a group project. This happens all the time and really gets to Ferguson. 

He hardly joins clubs, because when he tries, he gets rejected or told he can’t participate. No one takes the time to get to know him or find out what he is interested in. He imagines himself being a leader of a club where they accept everyone. This dream is what he desires the most, a club focused on accepting and supporting people with disabilities. “Why couldn’t I make my own club?” he asks himself. 

The very next day, he told his parents about his exciting ideas about making his own club at his school. His mom told him that making clubs in school takes a lot of responsibility. His dad agrees. They both know that Ferguson can do it, but he does not have anybody to help him at school. As far as he knows, he is the only student with a disability. However, he decides to ask his favorite teacher, a history teacher, who agrees to help him make his own club.

Ferguson realizes that the first step to running a club is spreading the information about his club to the school public. He asks his teacher if he can put an advertisement on his bulletin board; the teacher agrees. By the next week, multiple people are interested in participating in Ferguson’s club. The day when the club is supposed to open, Ferguson is really shocked when he finds the hallway to his classroom crowded with students. He has no idea what is happening, and it takes a minute for him to realize it is for his club. He is speechless and opens the door. Everybody is excited for the activity and learning experiences about disability in his club. 

A few weeks before the last day of school, there is an assembly about awarding the best students in school. It is so crowded that people can hardly hear each other. Ferguson saw many trophies for the awarded students. He really wants one but doesn’t want to expect anything. A few minutes later, something unexpected happens to Ferguson; he is awarded for the best club activity. He is emotional and proud of himself that he can do anything if he believes in himself.

As a 2022 DO-IT Scholar, I can bring my outlook to their program and what it provides for others. Located at the University of Washington, the Scholars program is designed for those with various disabilities. As a first-year scholar of the program, the staff invest a lot of time with each person. They provide students with the assistive technology they need, showing each student the tools they need to succeed. As there is a wide variety of disabilities, we also come out of this program learning new things about each other and how others face similar or different challenges. We spent time developing a website, working collaboratively, and learning different skills that will help in college as well as understand how to help each other as each person needs help differently.

As we worked together, one remarkable thing this program provides is the opportunity to connect with others that have disabilities. I believe that even if you have a disability, you may not fully understand someone else’s experience, but you can still relate to overcoming societal barriers. Learning about others’ disabilities and how they affect each person gave me insight into helping you be outstanding advocates for yourself and others.   

As someone with a multiple disabilities, I don’t have complete control over fixing myself. I believe that we should not feel like we need to be fixed. Challenges and struggles may affect us negatively, but I find it’s better to think about the parts we can control, like strategies to manage our disabilities, medication, or changes in habits. Controlling the controllable can reshape how each of us feel about ourselves. Disability can be a strength and advantage---it gives us perspectives and experiences that most don’t have, and while the effects of our disabilities influence us, we are not just the disability. People with disabilities want to fit in, but we also want to be open in our identities. We are fantastic and extraordinary just the way we are.

One of the fun things about the Scholars program is visiting the University of Washington and getting a roommate. Unfortunately, this year the program is unable to do this. COVID-19 has brought us online. The DO-IT program provides complimentary snacks, and we partook in online chat groups. There were also movie nights and sessions on writing. One activity we did was watch a documentary called Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement. The documentary is about changing the capacity at which we can make enhancements to the human body. It brings up the challenges of defining the limitations of so-called normalcy and discusses the moralistic views of fixing disability.  

“Curing” disability is a hard topic, and a choice each person should be allowed to make for themselves. The more advancements in “fixing” disabilities, the more people with disabilities may be treated differently. As enhancements are created, we also need to make sure they are accessible to everyone. The goal should not be to fix the disability but to reduce the struggles and stress that come with a disability. People with disabilities aren’t different. They are ordinary people who are working in a society that often condemns those that exist outside of the box. Society has a way of projecting harsh pressures and expectations on people, even though there are a lot of different ways we can all live.

Being in this program has been an honor, and I greatly appreciate all the tools we have been given. This program is one I highly recommend for those that want to get support for their disability, especially if they are planning on going to college. When applying to DO-IT, highlight yourself. Answer each question deliberately with intention. Being a part of DO-IT is a lot of fun, and I look forward to the coming years. I hope we will be back in person next year. I look forward to getting to know all of you. And remember, we are not an inspiration. We are who we make ourselves. Your disability is not you; it is your choice to view it as an advantage. Many of you are great at piano, writing, or drawing. Each of us has things to be proud of, and this is what defines us. Don’t forget who you are, because every one of us has a future we deserve.

The DO-IT Center is partnering with the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI-UMN), the Association for Higher Education and Disabilities (AHEAD), and other organizations in the implementation of the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), which is funded by the US Department of Education. This new Center continues and expands practices employed in the current Center by the same name, which has worked for five years as the only federally-funded national center in the U.S. for college and graduate students with any type of disability, chronic health condition, or mental or emotional illness. 

At the Center you can access the NCCSD Clearinghouse that has information like Finding a College, Paying for College, Handling Problems at School, and much more. There are lots of resources for students, families, high school and college faculty and staff, researchers and policymakers. A current project that the NCCSD has undertaking is the development of training for postsecondary faculty to help them effectively teach students who have disabilities in their on-site and online courses.