Select one assignment, reading question answer, or other text you need to *write* or *make a video* about.. Pick a topic you think would be useful to practice plain writing for. A good choice is an introduction to a topic; or a short essay such as an answer to a reading question; a video summary, or something you are writing anyway for a general audience.
You also need to select an audience. This could be a general, non-scientific public; or could go beyond that to focus on someone with an intellectual disability. The Plain Writing Act of, described on [plainlanguage.gov](https://www.plainlanguage.gov/law/), "requires federal agencies use clear government communication that the public can understand and use." According to [WCAG guidelines](https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG3/2021/how-tos/clear-words/), plain language also "benefit individuals who live with cognitive and learning disabilities, language impairments, memory impairments, and autism." You can decide which of these audiences to focus on, and should specify that when you hand in this assignment.
## 2. Write/Talk about the technology using plain language techniques
Write or rewrite that paragraph using the plain language techniques you [learned in class](https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/csep590b/23wi/slides/plain-language.html). Please note that if you choose to create a video, we cannot provide as
many resources about plain language. However, many of the same
principals that you would use for an essay apply. Some apply to the
video script (such as don't use jargon) and some might apply to the
video structure (such as having clear transitions rather than
headers).
In addition to using plain language techniques, please make sure that the document
and/or video you produce is accessible. In the case of the document,
you should use a single column format; label headers properly (in
word, pdf, or html); and include alt text for images (again in any
format). In the case of a video, you should present accessibly; and
include captions and verbally describing important visual elements.
Please choose at least five of the ten plain language
principals [presented in class](https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/csep590b/23wi/slides/designing.html#24) and include an addendum saying which five you picked.
# Turnin
You will turn this assignment in on canvas.
- Upload your document or link to your video using plain language techniques
- Upload a list of the principles that you applied
- Upload a document containing the ALT text for each figure, if any
# Competencies
This homework may contribute to your competency grade on
- Image description
- Accessible document creation
- Accessible video creation
- Plain language writing techniques
- Your participation grade, as a percentage of completeness (are all the required parts present)
The goal of this homework is to learn about how accessibility is being applied outside of websites and apps, and the accessibility challenges and solutions that exist among these new media and technology platforms. A secondary goal is to practice plain language writing.
This assignment will expose the class to a range of in-use accessibility technologies, and give you experience with seeking out first-person accounts of disability experiences with technology. It will also give you experience with presenting accessibly.
## 1. Select one example of second wave technology and read about it/try it
## Learning Goals / Competencies
This homework may contribute to your competency grade on
- Image description
- Accessible document creation
- Accessible video creation
- Plain language writing techniques
- Your participation grade, as a percentage of completeness (are all the required parts present)
Select an example of a so-called <q>second wave</q> technology, that you will *write* or *make a video* about. Your goal is to (1) summarize some accessibility research with that technology for a general audience and then (2) give a survey of some common accessible solutions available today for people with disabilities who want to try the technology (here you can do more of a survey, links to actual available stuff is ideal)
## Length and Difficulty
Students in the past have reported that this assignment takes a median of 8 hours (mode=8). Students liked the variety of technologies to choose from, but had some trouble with meeting the plain language goals on this assignment. To make this easier, we have reduced the plain language requirement to a short summary one-two paragraphs in length.
# Details
To complete this assignment, please do the following
## 1. Select one example of second wave technology and read about it
We have a couple of requests from community partners, and you can also select something based on interest. Once you select that technology, you should pick one paper to read deeply, and also try out some of accessible examples of the technology that are available now (you may need to search around to find these). The details of what you read, and try out, may vary with the topic you pick ad you can check with the instructors if you are unsure.
{% details Possible technologies %}
Those marked with CA are *CREATE ASK* topics, i.e. topics that CREATE partners have asked us to provide them with content about. Those with MA are *Maybe Ask* topics, i.e. relevant to a community partner but not a direct ask. Essays on those topics may be shared more broadly in CREATE or partner publications.
Those marked with CA are *CREATE ASK* topics, i.e. topics that CREATE partners have asked us to provide them with content about, making it more likely that your work will be shared with the CREATE community. Those with MA are *Maybe Ask* topics, i.e. relevant to a community partner but not a direct ask. Essays on those topics may be shared more broadly in CREATE or partner publications.
- CA: Educational Games for young children ([PAVE](https://wapave.org/)). Articles: [A preliminary analysis of Android educational game accessibility](https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3441852.3476532) ; [Web-based serious games and accessibility: A systematic literature review](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/21/7859); [Video games and disability: Looking back at a challenging decade](https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/8/21056713/disabilities-video-game-characters-inclusion-accessibility-decade-in-review). Available now: [games that are accessible](https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/supporting-your-child-with-disabilities-with-digital-learning-games#:~:text=Four%20games%20from%20the%20long,can%20receive%20similar%20learning%20benefits.)(you may need to try these to confirm); [Celeste](https://store.steampowered.com/app/504230/Celeste/)
- CA: Online spaces for kids with disabilities (any age) ([PAVE](https://wapave.org/)). Articles: [Would you be mine: Appropriating Minecraft as an assistive technology for youth with autism](https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2982142.2982172); [You're my best friend: Finding community online in BTS's Fandom, ARMY](https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3495266); [My voice is definitely strongest in online communities: Students using social media for queer and disability identity making](https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/663305). Available now: [first-person account of what that means](https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2021/05/31/how-to-find-your-disability-community/?sh=3388225010fe)
...
...
@@ -41,25 +53,39 @@ Those marked with CA are *CREATE ASK* topics, i.e. topics that CREATE partners h
- Other: You are welcome to tackle other areas covered in class including [AI/ML](https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.04712); [Intelligent Agents](http://acm.mementodepot.org/pubs/proceedings/acmconferences_3173574/3173574/3173574.3174033/3173574.3174033.pdf); you will need to work with the instructors to identify a set of reading papers and technololgies that are available now.
{% enddetails %}
## 2. Write/Talk about the technology
## 2. Find some free, *accessible* examples to try
Using the resources provided for your topic, and anything else relevant you can find on your own, identify 2-5 freely available examples of accessible versions of the technology you picked. Download them and try them.
## 2. Write a Plain Language Abstract
Review [plain language writing for accessibility](https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/10/22/plain-language-writing---an-essential-part-of-accessibility/?sh=4afd8af77935) and [plain language guidelines](https://www.med.unc.edu/healthsciences/clds/wp-content/uploads/sites/859/2021/06/Minimized-Text-Complexity-Guidelines-version-2.03.2021.pdf).
- Please choose at least five of the plain language
principals [presented in class](https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/csep590b/23wi/slides/designing.html#24)
- Use these five principales to write a one paragraph abstract (about 250 words) summarizing the article that you read. Here is an example from the fabrication and physical computing category.
You should write or talk about the technology. Your writeup should
Many Arduino tutorials use schematic diagrams. Schematics are symbols that represent how a circuit works. Some tutorials use pictures or diagrams of the circuit to help people see how to connect the parts of the circuit. Unfortunately, schematics and pictures in tutorials aren’t usually shown in a way that blind people can understand. The Arduino board has pins arranged in rows called headers. Pins are small pieces of metal on the board that attach to wires so you can create a circuit. Each pin has a number. Some pins also have a name, such as “ground.” Pin numbers and names are usually printed on the top of the board next to each pin. It can be hard for blind people to know the pin numbers on an Arduino because they can’t see the names and numbers printed on the board.
{: .quote}
1. Describe the topic
a. Introduce the technology you focused on (1 paragraph)
b. Summarize what might be important to know about the technology from a disability perspective (1-2 paragraphs), including things that can impact its accessibility
2. Summarize what you learned about the topic from the research article. It is ok to mention more than one article, and we selected articles that complement each other. However, you are only *required* to summarize a single article. (4-5 paragraphs)
3. Describe solutions and/or options *available now* to people with disabilities. For each one, Describe it briefly; Provide a link
4. Conclude by summarizing the key take aways
## 3. Create an Introduction to this Technology
Please make sure that the document
and/or video you produce is accessible. In the case of the document,
you should use a single column format; label headers properly (in
word, pdf, or html); and include alt text for images (again in any
format). In the case of a video, you should present accessibly; and
include captions and verbally describing important visual elements.
Create an introduction about the accessibility of your technology aimed at the disability community. You may *write* a summary or *create a video*. Your summary should include:
1. The plain language abstract
2. A 1 page summary of the article you read
3. A review of the free, accessible examples you found, with links to them.
Here is an [example from last year](arduino.pdf). Note that small
details of requirements have changed, in particular the whole
assignment was required to be plain language and there was no abstract
at the time this was done.
Please make sure that the document and/or video you produce is
accessible. In the case of the document, you should use a single
column format; label headers properly (in word, pdf, or html); and
include alt text for images (again in any format). In the case of a
video, you should present accessibly; and include captions and
verbally describing important visual elements.
# Turnin
...
...
@@ -67,11 +93,4 @@ You will turn this assignment in on canvas.
- Upload your document or link to your video
- Upload a document containing the ALT text for each figure and/or the caption file for your video
# Competencies
This homework may contribute to your competency grade on
- Image description
- Accessible presentation
- Accessible video creation
- Accessible document creation
- Your participation grade, as a percentage of completeness (are all the required parts present)
- Upload a list of the 5 plain language principals you applied in creating your abstract, along with your abstract.
