Accessibility is about maximizing the potential of individuals with disabilities to make all communities, including the STEM community, more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive (https://www.washington.edu/doit/about/overview). There are strategies educators and program leads can employ in both in-person and online learning that can make STEM programming more accessible, engaging, and inclusive.
The Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day webinar was hosted by NGCP on May 18, 2021. In this webinar recording, speakers provide resources and ideas for making your programming more accessible and for increasing awareness about the importance of accessibility.
Sheryl Burgstahler
Sheryl Burgstahler founded and directs the DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) team and the IT Accessibility Technology Team (ITAT) out of the University of Washington. These dynamic groups promote (1) the use of mainstream and assistive technology and other interventions to support the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers and (2) the universal design (UD) of learning opportunities; facilities; websites, media, documents and other IT; and services to ensure that they are accessible to, usable by, and inclusive of individuals with disabilities. ITAT focuses its efforts at the University of Washington (UW) campuses in Washington State; the DO-IT Center reaches national and international audiences with the support of federal, state, corporate, foundation, and private funds. Dr. Burgstahler is also an affiliate professor in the UW College of Education. Her teaching and research focus on the successful transition of students with disabilities to college and careers and on the application of UD to technology, teaching and learning activities, physical spaces, and student services; the incorporation of UD topics in mainstream curriculum; and the adoption of a UD framework to inform all practices in higher education.
Crystal R. Emery
Crystal R. Emery, p.g.a, is an activist, filmmaker, and the Founder and CEO of URU The Right to Be, Inc., a nonprofit content production company. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and New York Women in Film and Television, and is an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Her work covers such issues as diversity, inclusion, equity, accessibility, STEM education, and environmental stewardship. Emery has been a keynote speaker for distinguished institutions and multimedia platforms including the National Security Agency, National Institute of Health, National Organization on Disabilities, Kaiser Permanente, AAAS Emerging Researchers National Conference, TedX Beacon Street, and Global Disability Innovation Fund. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Leadership in Journalism Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Connecticut.