The AccessComputing Leadership Institute, held November 6-7, 2008, in Seattle, WA brought together leaders and emerging leaders in broadening participation in computing for persons with disabilities. The goals of the Institute were threefold:
Eleven deaf and hard-of-hearing students from Seattle-area high schools participated in the Saturday Computing Experience for eight weeks in spring 2012. Richard Ladner, PI of AccessComputing, led the class along with nine volunteers, including graduate students from the Computer Science and Engineering Department and staff from Google, Isilon and Microsoft. Three graduates of the Summer Academy for Advancing Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Computing and AccessComputing team members, Jordan Atwood, Josiah Cheslik and Travis Smith, served as teaching assistants.
Stakeholder groups represented in the CBI included
The following individuals participated in the CBI.
Manju Banerjee
Landmark College Institute of Research and Training
Michelle Bower
Landmark College
Sandy Bower
Landmark College
Loring C. Brinckerhoff
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Geoff Burgess
Landmark College
What might be the first response of a professor when a student who is deaf enrolls in her computing class? Would she look forward to the unique perspective this student brings to the class, or only be concerned about what accommodations might be necessary? An important step to creating a classroom environment that is welcoming to all students is to value diversity in all of its many forms—to see, in this case, differences in hearing abilities as a normal, interesting part of the human experience.
The content of the presentations is summarized below.
Presenter: Manju Banerjee
AccessComputing partners with more than eighty postsecondary institutions and other organizations to support the following activities and resources.
AccessComputing helps students with disabilities pursue degrees and careers in computing fields through inclusive academic and mentoring programs.
For college and graduate students with disabilities interested in computing careers, mentors, and internships.
AccessComputing provides a nationwide resource to help students with disabilities pursue computing fields and computing educators and employers, professional organizations, and other stakeholders develop more inclusive programs and share effective practices.
AccessComputing Team members
8:30 a.m.
Registration
9:00 a.m.
Welcome
Manju Banerjee
