Here are some initial descriptions of possible projects for this fall:

• Complex Image Database This project addresses an accessibility challenge in higher education: providing meaningful access to complex images used in STEM instruction. Faculty regularly use diagrams, charts, scientific illustrations, and other complex visual materials that require more detailed explanation that can’t always be provided through standard alt text. This proposed capstone project would explore the development of a workflow that allows instructors to upload images to a website, develop an image description, and then get back a permalink they can add PowerPoint presentations, digital documents, and course materials that direct users to the long descriptions and supplemental information. The project could also investigate creating a shared campus-wide database of complex image descriptions that faculty can contribute to, edit, and reuse across courses, improving accessibility while reducing duplicated effort. The primary beneficiaries would be students and faculty, particularly those who rely on accessible instructional materials to fully engage with STEM content.
• Dynamic Memory Allocator Simulation This project explores how to best to arrange and convey complex technical information in a way that is navigable and understandable to screen reader users. Specifically: Redesign the existing 351 Heap Simulator to incorporate different parameters and policies, while improving accessibility.
• Last Mile Navigator For someone with a mobility disability, navigating around campus can be difficult. Once you park, or exit, a vehicle, there are numerous options (campus transportation, lime bikes, etc), but the systems for finding, and mapping routes, using these options are not disability-friendly. For example, it’s hard to plan a route when it’s unclear what areas of campus are strictly forbidden for lime bikes. How can one enter a specific building and find the best route to it?
• College Inclusiveness Search Prospective college students may come across difficulties when trying to assess how well a college will meet their specific needs, particularly with respect to access needs, safety, and inclusiveness. Existing data sources such as institutional disability resource reports, state-level risk maps, and student reviews are often fragmented, distributed, or difficult to interpret in a comprehensive way. This project is a continuation of an open source website based on a prior class project. An existing code base already exists that needs to be expanded upon. Specific options for additions include adding scraped data about college inclusiveness, collecting data about specific universities to use in a product launch, and identifying and adding new features.
• Accessible Circuit Design Circuit schematic viewing is not accessible to people who cannot use vision. For example, Tinkercad fully punts on this (see their VPAT). We already have begun to solve this for CAD design, but very little work has addressed circuit design (there are guidelines only). As with CAD, there are languages for circuit design but no accessible visualizers. Develop a solution for displaying a circuit schematic (.sch file format) on the DotPad, or printing it out on swell paper, that can be used by BLV/DeafBlind electronics students.

• ChemE Unit Operations Lab Simulator Train students in safety emergencies and accidents in a safe environment; provide a way for students who need to miss class for an extended period to engage with experiments virtually; provide way for disabled students to engage with lab as needed. Design a virtual UO lab space (based on our current and newly renovated UO lab) that can help train students in emergency response, simulate individual experiments, and identify accessibility design strategies; consult with other ChemE faculty and DEIA Committee members on the design. Lab Tour Video

• Your idea here…