REU Site: Accessible Information and Communications Technologies

Gallaudet University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site on Accessible Information and Communication Technology (AICT) site engages a group of students with diverse auditory abilities (deaf, hard of hearing or hearing) in human-centered research experiences that investigate accessibility of information and communications technologies (ICT). As ICT becomes more pervasive, a crucial challenge is to provide an equal user experience to people regardless of their auditory abilities, by training the next generation of people who have diverse auditory abilities. This program will train a cohort of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing student to be future ICT accessibility leaders. Students will learn about accessible ICT, engage in the research process from ideation to presentations, and join a community of scholars and practitioners who will provide career advice and mentorship. The REU projects will form the basis for new collaborations among the investigators and other collaborators at the students' home institutions. The inclusion of undergraduate and faculty/staff researchers who have diverse auditory abilities increases recognition of the range and complexity of needs by users with diverse auditory abilities and the range of possible ICT solutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.