research-article

Best Practices for Teaching Accessibility in University Classrooms: Cultivating Awareness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Diverse Users

Authors:

Cynthia Putnam,

Glenn BradfordAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS), Volume 8, Issue 4

Article No.: 13, Pages 1 - 26

https://doi.org/10.1145/2831424

Published: 18 March 2016 Publication History

Abstract

As Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) become more diffuse, developers and designers need to consider a growing diversity of users including people with disabilities and aging populations. As a result, computing education needs to respond by providing students opportunities to learn about accessibility and designing for inclusion. This article presents results of a qualitative research study of practices in teaching accessibility in university-level programs in the US. The study included interviews with 18 professors from some of the top universities in the US and a content analysis of syllabi and other teaching materials. Using the pedagogical theory of authentic learning and elements from the 21st Century Skills framework, we found that instructors emphasized the need for students to develop awareness and understanding for a diversity of ICT users through multiple different experiences; experiences that included research projects that directly involve users with disabilities, guest speakers, field trips, simulating disabilities, and the use of videos/movies. Additionally, instructors used multiple resources (e.g., research papers, online resources), in part, to offset the challenge that there is a perceived lack of a comprehensive textbook. Instructors also emphasized the importance of their individual initiative; that is, the inclusion of accessible topics or courses was often linked to a faculty member's research and/or personal commitment. This article contributes to a gap in the literature by disseminating and sharing different approaches to teaching accessibility across multiple instructors, courses, and campuses.

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Cited By

Salgian AStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)No Average User: Covering Accessibility and Inclusion in an HCI CourseProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 210.1145/3641555.3705220(1609-1610)Online publication date: 18-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641555.3705220
Liu CZhou KSy SLodvikov EShan JKletenik DAdler RStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)Opening Digital Doors: Early Lessons in Software Accessibility for K-8 StudentsProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3641554.3701857(722-728)Online publication date: 12-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641554.3701857
Kang JPatton KGardiner-Walsh S(2024)Success for All: Maximizing Digital Accessibility in Special Education Teacher Preparation Courses through Universal Design for LearningJournal of Special Education Preparation10.33043/4a6kfo46Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
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Index Terms

Best Practices for Teaching Accessibility in University Classrooms: Cultivating Awareness, Understanding, and Appreciation for Diverse Users
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
        Computer science education

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing Volume 8, Issue 4

May 2016

80 pages

ISSN:1936-7228

EISSN:1936-7236

DOI:10.1145/2905046

Editors:
Matt Huenerfauth
Rochester Institute of Technology, USA
,
Kathleen F. McCoy
University of Delaware, USA

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Copyright © 2016 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Publication History

Published: 18 March 2016

Accepted: 01 January 2016

Revised: 01 December 2015

Received: 01 May 2015

Published in TACCESS Volume 8, Issue 4

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Cited By

Salgian AStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)No Average User: Covering Accessibility and Inclusion in an HCI CourseProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 210.1145/3641555.3705220(1609-1610)Online publication date: 18-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641555.3705220
Liu CZhou KSy SLodvikov EShan JKletenik DAdler RStone JYuen TShoop LRebelsky SPrather J(2025)Opening Digital Doors: Early Lessons in Software Accessibility for K-8 StudentsProceedings of the 56th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3641554.3701857(722-728)Online publication date: 12-Feb-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641554.3701857
Kang JPatton KGardiner-Walsh S(2024)Success for All: Maximizing Digital Accessibility in Special Education Teacher Preparation Courses through Universal Design for LearningJournal of Special Education Preparation10.33043/4a6kfo46Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.33043/4a6kfo46
Inal YCagiltay N(2024)Empathy Development in Digital Accessibility through Real-Life Practices in a Programming Course: A Case StudyProceedings of the 13th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3679318.3685482(1-7)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679318.3685482
Coverdale ALewthwaite SHorton S(2024)Digital Accessibility Education in Context: Expert Perspectives on Building Capacity in Academia and the WorkplaceACM Transactions on Accessible Computing10.1145/364950817:2(1-21)Online publication date: 22-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3649508
Kletenik DAdler RStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)Motivated by Inclusion: Understanding Students' Empathy and Motivation to Design Accessibly Across a Spectrum of DisabilitiesProceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630894(680-686)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3626252.3630894
Kletenik DMinkowitz RPeric ASahin MAdler RStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)From Awareness to Action: Teaching Software Accessibility for Neurodiverse UsersProceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630859(687-693)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
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Elglaly YBaker CRoss AShinohara KStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)Beyond HCI: The Need for Accessibility Across the CS CurriculumProceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630788(324-330)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3626252.3630788
Garcia RMorreale PVerdi GGarcia HNoa GMadsen SAlzugaray-Orellana MLi EBurnett M(2024)The Matchmaker Inclusive Design Curriculum: A Faculty-Enabling Curriculum to Teach Inclusive Design Throughout Undergraduate CSProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642475(1-22)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642475
Kuang EBellscheidt SPham DShinohara KBaker CElglaly Y(2024)Mapping Accessibility Assignments into Core Computer Science Topics: An Empirical Study with Interviews and Surveys of Instructors and StudentsProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642097(1-16)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642097
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