My Experience at Tapia 2025: Finding My Community in Accessibility Research

By Hans Djalali, PhD Candidate, University of North Texas

As a PhD candidate whose research focuses on accessibility and human-computer interaction, I was thrilled to attend the 2025 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing in Dallas, Texas. With support from AccessComputing, I had the opportunity not only to learn from leading researchers but to find a community of people who share my passion for making computing accessible to everyone.

The highlight of my Tapia experience was serving as a guest panelist at Saturday's workshop on Accessibility in Computer Science, organized by AccessUR2PhD. This full-day session brought together faculty, researchers, and PhD mentors to share their work and experiences with students considering graduate school. I discussed PhD pathways for students interested in accessibility research. Speaking to students who reminded me of my younger self, eager to make technology more inclusive but unsure how to start, was deeply meaningful. Throughout the conference, I attended sessions that directly connected to my work. The "Diversity Includes Disability" Birds of a Feather session, led by Brianna Blaser (University of Washington), Rob Parke (USC), and Cathy Law (Oregon State University), created space for people with disabilities and allies to share strategies for success in computing. As an ODA student myself, these conversations reminded me why I chose to study accessibility: the barriers I faced navigating inaccessible technology are the same barriers I now work to eliminate through my research.

Friday's "Bridging the Accessibility Gap" session on inclusive career pathways reinforced my commitment to mentoring the next generation of students with disabilities in computing. My experience teaching K-12 robotics and mentoring undergraduate researchers has shown me the impact of accessible education. Beyond the formal sessions, Tapia provided countless opportunities to network with researchers, industry professionals, and fellow students. I left the conference with new collaborations in mind and a clearer vision for my research agenda.

I am grateful to AccessComputing for supporting my attendance. This experience strengthened my commitment to accessibility research and to building a computing field where diversity truly includes disability.