Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges in computer science education including those related to inaccessible curriculum, instruction and tools. In addition, few computer science classes teach students to understand accessibility and design accessible technology. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the accessibility of computing education as well as those interested in teaching about accessibility. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of addressing accessibility in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, teaching accessibility, and more will be shared.

Several countries legally require computing programs to ensure their graduates can develop accessible computing solutions. Computing Science Curricula 2023 (CS2023), developed by a joint task force from ACM, IEEE-Computer Society, and AAAI, likewise mandates coverage of accessibility and provides guidance on how to integrate accessibility into computing curricula. Yet the accreditation criteria used by ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) -- which accredits more than 650 computing programs in 25 countries -- do not currently require graduates from these programs to know about computing accessibility. Adding accessibility to the CAC accreditation criteria would be transformative in closing the growing gap of accessibility skills in the computing industry, and ensuring new computing technology is accessible to all.

Parsons problems have become a mainstay of computer science education. They are heavily used among students, especially in K-12 and provide a small puzzle-like experience for students to practice their skills. Today, while prior work has explored complex issues with accessibility and block languages in general, the 2024 changes to accessibility regulations by the U.S. Department of Justice includes new rules around mobile platforms. These rules are ill-defined and in need of evaluation. In this work, we make several contributions. First, we conducted an evaluation of existing blocks with respect to their regulatory compliance and discuss a new blocks technology that we developed that meets these new mobile guidelines. Second, we conducted three empirical studies using Parsons problems to evaluate the usability of the technology with teachers of the visually impaired (n = 32), high-school students with diverse disabilities (n = 28), and high-school students with blindness or low vision (n = 13).

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges in computer science education including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible curriculum, instruction and tools, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. In addition, few computer science classes teach students to understand accessibility and design accessible technology. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of people with disabilities in computing and improving their success as well as those interested in teaching about accessibility. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of addressing disability inclusion and accessibility in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, teaching accessibility, and more will be shared.

Along with the growing number of students with disabilities in higher education comes an opportunity to explore the difficulties they experience, especially in the post-pandemic era, as well as how to better support them, thus making post-secondary education more inclusive. A considerable amount of research has been done in providing accommodation for students with physical disabilities, but other hindrances to accessibility such as mental health conditions are prone to be overlooked, perhaps in part due to the stigmatization and subjective invisibility of this topic, specifically in rigorous, competitive fields such as Computer Science (CS).

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges in computer science education including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible curriculum, instruction and tools, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. In addition, few computer science classes teach students to understand accessibility and design accessible technology. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of people with disabilities in computing and improving their success as well as those interested in teaching about accessibility. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of addressing disability inclusion and accessibility in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, teaching accessibility, and more will be shared.

The introduction of block-based programming has gradually changed the landscape of programming education, particularly for school children. Block languages today, however, have serious technical barriers to students with disabilities. For example, block languages are generally not screen reader accessible, incompatible with braille, and contain serious problems for users with motor impairments. No student with a disability should ever be denied access to learning computer science and they do not have to be. To help rectify this, we present a new approach to the design of block languages called Quorum Blocks. Quorum Blocks uses a custom hardware accelerated graphical rendering pipeline that takes into account how screen readers and other devices work under the hood. We discuss these technical details and demonstrate that accessibility support can be fully achieved without meaningfully losing either the look of modern blocks or their visual output. We present the results from focus groups that highlight the barriers students faced with a variety of disabilities when using the first version of Quorum Blocks. We focus especially on challenges with low vision users, screen reader users, or those using no mouse and only one hand to type. Block languages built using either our techniques, or on top of our libraries, would become accessible out of the box.

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges in computer science education including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible tools and instruction, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, and more will be shared.

Despite the important and long overdue increase in the number of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Computer Science, these efforts tend to be focused on diversity in terms of race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. and run the risk of overlooking the needs of students living with disabilities, who may also feel underrepresented and marginalized in our field. More specifically, few of these endeavors are targeted toward students living with diagnosed mental illness despite the current mental health crisis, which is already having an effect on the field of computing. This session seeks to explore ways in which current DEI efforts in Computer Science can be expanded to be more inclusive of students living with diagnosed mental illness. Rather than serving as a critique of the shortcomings of existing DEI practices, we seek to create a space for a constructive and open conversation. We will discuss how current outreach efforts, recruitment and retention strategies, mentorship opportunities, community building, career advancement, etc. can be broadened and modified to meet the unique needs of students living with mental illness, while at the same time seeking to erase any stigma and misconceptions that may cause others to marginalize and exclude these students. In this timely and important session, participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues that affect CS students living with mental illness, share resources that are available for both students and educators, and describe efforts to create and foster a culture of understanding and support for neurodiverse communities within computing.

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible tools and instruction, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, and more will be shared.

Long hours, lacking a sense of belonging, and fear of failure are just some of the stressors that affect Computer Science students and professionals alike, leading to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Although this issue is not unique to the field of computing, there is significant need for awareness and support around student mental health in the CS education community. However, while many CS educators recognize the importance of supporting their students' mental health, many feel ill-equipped to do so, are unsure if their approaches are helpful, and seek a community of educators with whom they can share ideas. Of particular concern is the mental health of students in underrepresented and marginalized groups within CS, particularly women, first-generation/low-income students, and members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, as they struggle to cope with the unprecedented events of 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide protests against systemic racial injustice, and the US Presidential election, all while participating in challenging academic courses. In this timely and important session, participants will have an opportunity to discuss the mental health issues that affect CS students, share resources that are available to students and educators, and describe their efforts to create and foster a culture of understanding and support for student mental health within their communities.

Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible tools and instruction, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, and more will be shared.

In our current situation, conferences, classes, and meetings are moving online. What steps can you take to ensure that your activities are welcoming to a diverse audience, including people with disabilities? This presentation will look at proactive strategies you can take to ensure that your meetings and presentations are accessible to a wide audience. We'll talk about communication with participants, preparation, presentation materials, technology, and accommodations.

Approximately 10% of computer science and engineering majors have a disability. Students with disabilities face a variety of challenges including those related to stigma around disability, inaccessible tools and instruction, disability disclosure, and a lack of mentors. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources related to accessible tools and instruction, universal design of learning, opportunities for students, and more will be shared.

Recent studies have demonstrated the prevalence of mental health issues and illnesses among students in higher education, especially in STEM degree programs like computing. While we work as a community towards solutions that benefit the mental health of all students, we must also take targeted action towards supporting students with diagnosed mental illnesses (e.g. major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). This should begin by allowing these often unheard students an opportunity to voice their invisible experiences in a safe space. This will start creating a shared understanding among faculty and students of how these illnesses can affect the educational experience, as well as how our common university practices can affect the lives of those living with these illnesses. This space will give students an understanding that their voices and experiences are valued and heard by the general academic community. We hope this will also show students that they are not alone and grant an opportunity for them to connect with others and establish networks of support. We will end this session discussing and disseminating best practices for supporting this community.

Approximately 10% of computer science and engineering majors have a disability. Students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of the major than those without disabilities. At the K-12 level, many tools used to teach computing have limited accessibility to students with disabilities. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources, including those produced by AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll, will be shared.

Approximately 10% of computer science and engineering majors have a disability. Students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of the major than those without disabilities. At the K-12 level, many tools used to teach computing have limited accessibility to students with disabilities. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources, including those produced by AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll, will be shared.

Although a critical step in the technology design process, ideation is often not accessible for people with disabilities. We present findings from a design workshop facilitated to brainstorm accessible ideation methods. Groups, mostly engineers, ideated on a design challenge and documented access barriers encountered by participants with disabilities. They then ideated and prototyped potential solutions for decreasing access barriers. We offer suggestions for more accessible communication and ideation on a design team and insights from using a workshop as a site for rethinking ideation.

Approximately 10% of computer science and engineering majors have a disability of some kind. Students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of the major than those without disabilities. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies and promising practices to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources, including those produced by AccessComputing (uw.edu/accesscomputing) and AccessCS10K (uw.edu/accesscomputing/accesscs10k), will be shared.

Approximately 10% of computer science and engineering majors have a disability of some kind. Students with disabilities are more likely to drop out of the major than those without disabilities. This BOF will bring together individuals who are interested in increasing the representation of students with disabilities in computing and improving their success. Participants will share strategies and promising practices to help each other do a better job of including these students in our classes and research projects. Resources, including those produced by AccessComputing (uw.edu/accesscomputing), will be shared.