AccessComputing Workforce Minigrants Available

By Lyla Crawford, AccessComputing Staff

Join AccessComputing Workforce in educating future computing innovators about accessibility and ensuring that computing education is accessible to all. By applying for an AccessComputing Workforce minigrant, you can help advance training, experiential learning, and other computing related activities nationwide. 

We anticipate most awards to be in the $4,000–$5,000 range. Proposals may be submitted at any time, but funding is limited. Individuals, institutions, or organizations are welcome to apply for funding that will be used for these types of activities:

• A workshop for faculty focused on adding accessibility content to computing courses
• An outreach event for computing students to expose them to accessibility-related topics
• Presentations to a school or a department by an accessibility expert to encourage faculty to adopt accessible practices or teach about accessibility
• Accessibility hackathons that bring together students, mentors, and community members to teach, learn, and develop accessible technology
• The development of resources that encourage the integration of accessibility into computer science education, including blogs, podcasts, curriculum, or webinars
• Revise curriculum according to universal design principles or other high-leverage practices and share their experiences with other faculty
• Revise a course to add a unit or lesson related to accessibility and share related resources with other faculty

Below are featured funded minigrant-funded projects:

• Researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) organized a two-day workshop, titled Best Practices for Accessible Makerspace Design, held at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico. The workshop brought together researchers, practitioners, and community partners to discuss key considerations in developing accessible makerspaces, focusing on accessibility, cultural relevance, and engaging the local community. The event was funded by AccessComputing and the National Science Foundation Division of Research and Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (#2321761).
• A team at the University of Illinois is developing a first-person shooter video game to teach about accessible design through immersive experiences where players navigate limited visual or auditory modes and use accessibility features. User studies and co-design sessions will gather feedback from both non-disabled participants and people with disabilities, especially those who are blind, low-vision, D/deaf, or hard-of-hearing. The project involves 90-minute user sessions and 120-minute co-design sessions, with compensation for participants, aiming for up to 200 and 20 participants, respectively.
• A faculty member at the University of North Texas received support to host the Universal Design (UD) and Best Practices in CS Education to Support Success for Students with Disabilities event designed to “increase efficacy for faculty in UD and enable them to translate UD principles and accessibility best practices into actionable practices in their CS courses to increase access to Computer Science for all students. 

To apply, complete the AccessComputing Workforce Minigrant Application Form. For questions, contact Lyla Crawford at [email protected].