Senior Project Advisor

Yasmine Elglaly

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Winter 2024

Keywords

disability, inequity, health, digital accessibility, accessibility, database, coding

Abstract

15% of the world’s people have a disability that could potentially hinder their access to digital information such as bank portals and medical insurance. Digital accessibility, the practice of creating user-friendly technology, helps mitigate these challenges. Despite this fact, college Computer Science (CS) programs fail to recognize the importance of including digital accessibility courses as a degree requirement. Consequently, these CS graduates lack sufficient knowledge to build accessible software when they enter the technology industry, leading to potential company lawsuits for the unethical design of technology. Our research aims to bridge the gap between accessibility knowledge and the CS college curriculum. To achieve this goal, we have created a programming assignment that fuses accessibility knowledge areas without compromising the core learning objectives CS courses. Specifically, we have designed an assignment intended for CS instructors that teach database classes, requiring students to make queries on statistics regarding the experiences of people with disabilities. Through this assignment and many others, we desire to showcase the real-world impact of fusing CS and accessibility knowledge, ultimately fostering the development of accessible technology.

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Software engineering--Social aspects; Computers and people with disabilities; User interfaces (Computer systems)

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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