Collaborative Research: AccessCSforAll: Including Students with Disabilities in High School Computer Science

University Of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Washington, in collaboration with the University of Nevada Las Vegas, proposes AccessCSforAll, a project to develop strategies, tools, and curricula needed to bring an accessible version of Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (CSP) to students, including those with disabilities. Approximately 7.5 million K-12 students are identified as having a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. These students should have access to quality computer science education, but there are often significant barriers, including inaccessible tools (for example, programming languages, integrated development environments not accessible to screen readers), or curricula that include exclusively visual program output. Civil rights legislation requires that curriculum be offered in a format that is accessible to students with disabilities. AccessCSforAll will create a researcher practitioner partnership (RPP) that includes practitioners at schools that serve students who are deaf, blind, or learning disabled, as well as schools that serve mainstream students. Building on previous work with more than 30 CS10K projects, AccessforAll will provide professional development for CS teachers that includes strategies for supporting students with disabilities. It will partner with The College Board to ensure that they are ready to properly evaluate students with disabilities, and it will partner with developers of accessible tools and curricula. The project will develop and maintain resources for computer science teachers to help them better include students with disabilities in their classes, and to showcase solutions for universal design in tools, curriculum, and pedagogy that appeal both to general education students as well as students with disabilities. The project will build a community that is focused on accessible K-12 computer science education.