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Welcome to Class!

How can computing enable new solutions to accessibility, including both access to the world and access to computers? Similarly, how can a disability studies perspective guide us in developing empowering and relevant solutions to accessibility problems? This course explores both of those questions through a combination of discussions, reading, and building.

Access technology (AT) has the potential to increase autonomy, and improve millions of people’s ability to live independently. This potential is currently under-realized because the expertise needed to create the right AT is in short supply and the custom nature of AT makes it difficult to deliver inexpensively. Yet computers’ flexibility and exponentially increasing power have revolutionized and democratized access technologies. In addition, by studying access technology, we can gain valuable insights into the future of all user interface technology.

In this course we will focus on two primary domains for access technologies: Access to the world (first half of the class) and Access to computers (second half of class). The largest project in the class will be an open ended opportunity to explore access technology in more depth.

For quick links to key things, check out the navigation bar above and the table of contents here:

  • TOC {:toc}

Introductory Video

Class Times

See Canvas for all zoom meeting links for classes and office hours.

Class Time: Tuesday 5:30-8:20PM (PDT)

Mailing Lists

Staff mailing list: Mail

Class mailing list: Mailman

Course Staff

Instructor

Jen Mankoff | Jennifer Mankoff (she/her)
Office Hours: TBD (PDT)

TA

Kelly Mack | Kelly Mack (she/her)
Office hours: TBD

(More information on Pronouns)

Should I take this class?

Yes! Everyone planning a career in interactive technology should understand access technology. Not only is it cutting edge and exciting, accessibility is a human rights issue and it is the law. Students of interactive technology should know how to build regular interfaces that are accessible as well as understanding the value of innovating new approaches to accessibility. Disability touches almost everyone either directly or indirectly at some point in life, temporarily or permanently. Let’s create a future we will also want to and be able to be part of.

This class will teach you

  • How to make interfaces and interactions accessible.
  • How to solve an accessibility problem
  • What access technologies already exist. We will find examples, watch people talk about how they use them, and help with or shadow someone using AT (tentative).
  • Ways to convince others that accessibility is important
  • How to build accessible interfaces. You will make your own webpage accessible.
  • Where we came from and where we are going. You will learn about some of the history of access technology, including how they are used, how they are constructed, when and how they were developed/adopted and what might be part of the future of AT.

Taking a class is a big commitment, and you will work hard in this class. So we want to help you make sure this is the right class for you. Below is some information about prerequisites and expectations.

Prereqs and expectations

The only requirement for this class is that you are comfortable programming and picking up new languages that you have not been exposed to before. You may be expected (with minimal to no specific instruction) to program in Python, Java (Android), work with HTML (and possibly CSS/Javascript).

Course Structure

Many of the goals in this class center around learning by doing. This means that hands on time trying out everything from implementation to evaluation is critical to learning. To support this, readings and videos will be expected to be viewed/read ahead of class, while class time will be used as much as possible for activities, discussion, review, and homework.

Zoom

All schedule sessions for this course are scheduled to run synchronously at your scheduled class time in person and on Zoom. These class sessions will be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video and computer screen. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will not be shared with or accessible to the public.

The University and Zoom have FERPA-compliant agreements in place to protect the security and privacy of UW Zoom accounts. Students who connect by Zoom but do not wish to be recorded should:

  • Change their Zoom screen name to a school appropriate screen name that hides any personal identifying information such as their name or UW Net ID
  • Not share their computer audio or video during their Zoom sessions (please notify us first!).

Lectures

Lectures are designed to introduce new material throughout the quarter, motivate key theories and concepts, as well as practice.

The goals in this class center around learning by doing. This means that hands on time trying out everything from implementation to evaluation is critical to learning. Active learning has been shown to increase student performance in STEM subjects.

Thus, class time will be used as much as possible for in class exercises and surveys, as well as discussion and review. You will be graded on general participation in lecture for understanding using a variety of technologies. We also highly encourage questions in lecture. Often many students share the same question and those questions can help the instructor gauge student understanding.

Lecture Readings

Preparation outside of class and participation in class are both very important and will improve your class experience. The pre-lecture readings and activities are designed to support your studying and learning, particularly as we discuss both theoretical and practical aspects of interface Programming. We will use interactive techniques during class to check for your understanding on these materials. Stay on top of the course materials and bring your questions to class!

Assessments

There will not be quizzes, or a midterm or final exam this quarter. Instead, your knowledge will be assessed via your code and detailed reflections related to those coding projects. In the final reflection you will expect you to synthesize all of the course material.

There will be "practice" quizzes each week that will allow you to check for your own understanding on the material in the course. You will be graded up to 2 points for each practice quiz that is completed. This work will be part of your participation grade for the course.

Remote Lecture Guidelines and Expectations

Students are expected to adhere to the below expectations for remote lectures. These guidelines are intended to help lecture go more smoothly, facilitate questions and group activities, and foster a sense of community within the class.

  • You are not required to have your video turned on during lecture except during group activities in breakout rooms
  • Please keep your mic muted unless you’re asking a question
  • To ask a question, you may use the raise hand feature in zoom, or type “hand”. The instructor or moderator will call on you to unmute yourself and ask your question.
    • You may also post questions in the chat, but you may be asked to unmute your mic and ask your question aloud.
  • There will be individual and group based activities which you are expected to participate in (please contact the instructor if you not able to participate in the lectures synchronously due to your current living situation).
  • It may be helpful for some students to see the instructor speaking even when the instructor is sharing their screen.
    • This can be achieved by right clicking the instructor’s video and choosing “pin” video.
    • Then, under “view options” you can choose the side-by-side option which will enlarge the instructor video

Accessibility

Please ensure that assignments you hand in are accessible to the best of your capabilities. We will offer guidance on this in class, but given that the process of making content accessible heavily depends on the tools you use to author the content, it is practically impossible for us to offer exhaustive guidance. Here are a few resources to get started, but please reach out to us when in doubt.

Workload

This is a challenging, four credit class, meaning you should expect 8 hours of homework outside of class a week. We hope to make the workload as predictable as possible.

Class Coordination

We want you to succeed in this class, and an important way that you do that is by asking questions and discussing course issues with your peers and teaching staff. Some ways to do that include:

  • We have a class discussion board on Ed, where you can make public posts that benefit the whole class, and are answered more quickly because your fellow students can help the course staff by responding also.
    • This is the best way to ask questions about things like homework and programming
    • Before posting, please search through the questions that have already been posted in case someone has already asked the same question.
  • We hold office hours (see above).
  • If none of those times work for you, you can also discuss matters with us privately on the Ed discussion board. Using Ed notifies the whole course staff at once and is usually faster than email.
  • If none of these work for you you can send an email asking to set up an appointment.

Class Expectations

The class is a shared learning environment and it is important it is a welcoming environment for everyone, from all backgrounds. As instructors, we know that students in this class may need materials to be accessible by screen reader, or may need extra time on exams. You may observe religious holidays that overlap class times, or have work, childcare or appointments that have to be prioritized at specific times. As students we also ask you to remember that each person brings different priorities and experiences to class. We should all strive to treat everyone in the class with respect and understanding.

The Allen School seeks to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for our community and our field (see the Allen School’s Inclusiveness Statement). Specific things we will do to promote welcoming class environment include:

  • Accessibility: If you have a temporary health condition or permanent disability (either mental health or physical health related) that impacts your academic experience, please let us know how we can accomodate you. You are NOT obligated to disclose any of these issues with the instrutor, only specify if there’s any accommodations required.
    • If there is something we can do to make your experience better, please let us know. We have attempted to make all the course materials accessible according to web standards but there are always things we may not have thought of.
    • If you need any additional support, we are always happy to work with you directly or through Disability Resources for Students (DRS) to make sure that the class meets your needs. If you need any adaptations for course materials (large font, pacing, image description, closed captioning), just let the instructor know.
    • You may also want to contact Disability Resources for Students (DRS) at uwdrs@uw.edu if you have not already. DRS offers a wide range of services for students with disabilities, that are individually designed and remove the need to reveal sensitive medical information to the course staff, but it is important to start the process as soon as possible to avoid delays.
  • Wellness: It is very important to us that you take care of your mental health throughout the course. Everyone on the course staff is available to chat, and you can always attend office hours for a non-academic conversation if necessary. Beyond the course staff, the University of Washington provides the following resources for mental health concerns. Your anonymity and privacy are protected.
    • Please reach out to the UW Counseling Center for any help and concerns related to mental health (including increased stress), available to all UW students at no cost.
    • If you are ever feeling uncomfortable and need to talk or are worried about someone close to you, it is highly recommended to visit the UW Heath and Wellness programs. They offer resources to students that can help.
    • If you're concerned for yourself or a friend, please call SafeCampus at (206) 685-7233.
  • Religious Accommodations The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations can be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form on UW's site.
  • Inclusivity: Our goal is to make this classroom a welcoming environment for all. We are working toward using a broad base of examples in our course material. Please let us know if you see an opportunity to improve our course materiale to be more representative of our student population. Additionally, if you experience interactions with anyone that are excluding or otherwise uncomfortable, please reach out to the course staff so that we can address the situation. Should you feel uncomfortable bringing up an issue with a staff member directly, there are a number of Community Feedback Mechanisms and Resources including the Anonymous Feedback form, but understand we can not respond to you directly if you use the latter. Responses, if possible, will be broadcast to the class as a whole or systematic changes to the class when necessary.
  • Sexual Harrassment: University policy prohibits all forms of sexual harassment.
    • If you feel you have been a victim of sexual harassment or if you feel you have been discriminated against, you may speak with your instructor, teaching assistant, the chair of the department
    • You can also file a complaint with the UW Ombudsman's Office for Sexual Harassment. Their office is located at 339 HUB, (206)543-6028. There is a second office, the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office, who also investigate complaints. The UCIRO is located at 22 Gerberding Hall.
  • Working Together: We will encourage students in this class working together, as long as you only turn in code that you implemented.

Grading

While grading is a necessary part of what we do at UW, I want to focus this class on learning. The following policies are meant to encourage that.

Grading Approach

We’ll be using approval grading in this class. That means that I will provide a rubric for each assignment, plus a rubric for learning goals for the entire quarter. You’ll fill both out. If you do the things they say, you get the grade.

Rubrics verification will be lightweight verification in class by random classmate, with occasional verification by myself and the TA.

One of the rubrics items for the class will have to do with time management. Turning in homework late will impact your score on that rubric. Part of time management is knowing when something should give. Thus, the time management rubric will include up to 4 penalty-free late days.

Grading Breakdown (tentative)

Grades will be assigned approximately as follows:

  • 10%: Facility in overall learning goals
  • 30%: Smaller assignments
  • 50%: Large project
  • 10%: Effort, participation and altruism

EPA (Effort, participation and altruism)

You can earn "points" for each of the following:

  • Effort: Attending office hours, lectures, and sections. Keeping up with the discussion board. Demonstrating a good effort on practice quizzes.
  • Participation: Asking questions in lecture and on the discussion board, voting on peer instruction questions, interacting with TAs and other students.
  • Altruism: Helping others in lecture, during office hours, and on the discussion board.

EPA scores are kept internal to the staff (i.e. not disclosed to students).

Regrade Policy

Reflecting on feedback is one of the most valuable ways you can learn from your mistakes, and we encourage you to do so. If you have a question about a grade you received or if you feel the grade you received is incorrect, please email an instructor for an appointment to discuss the assignment and your grade in detail.

It is also possible for the graders to make mistakes. If that happens we certainly would like to correct the error. Please note the following:

When you request a regrade, we may look at the entire assessment, homework or reflection. Therefore, it is possible for your grade to go either up or down through this process.

  • Coding Assignments: Regrade requests for homework assignments must be submitted within one week of when the grade was returned to you. You must do two things in order to request a regrade of a homework (failure to do these two things may result in the regrade not happening):

    • Reply to the code review comment that is prompting your request of the regrade. You can find your code review comments in your GitLab repository for that assignment.
    • Send a private message on Ed to the instructors that you are requesting a regrade.
    • Include a link to the repository in your message and a written summary describing why your work should be reexamined.

  • Written Assignments: We will use Gradescope to written assignments exams and manage regrade requests.

    • Via Gradescope, you should submit any requests separately for each problem with an explanation of why you want this problem regraded.
    • The time limit for such regrade requests will be detailed in the email you receive from Gradescope.

Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

The University of Washington acknowledges that we are on sacred land of the first peoples of Seattle, the Coast Salish people, past and present. We honor, with gratitude, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.