AT Around Us
Last revised: 3/22/2024Overview
The goal of this assignment is to give you experience with seeking out first-person accounts of disability experiences with technology. It will also give you experience with presenting accessibly and expose you to a wide range of accessibility technologies.
Learning Goals/ Competencies
This homework may contribute to your competency grade on
- Accessible document/presentation creation
- Finding first person accounts by and for people with disabilities
- Image description
- Presenting accessibly
- Familiarity with a range of accessibility technologies
Length and Difficulty
Students in the past have reported that this assignment takes about 3 hours. However, in our experience many students have had to make multiple attempts to fully meet the competency for finding first person accounts. We recommend you carefully read the requirements for that below, and check in if you have a question. Many students also found presenting accessibly difficult, particularly with respect to how to describe images on their slides. We recommend that you practice this ahead of time. Some things students have told us about this assignment:
- “I like the requirement of looking at real world tools or tech, expanding beyond the computer.”
- “I enjoy doing this because I watched a few videos and learned a lot of accessibility technology tools [and why we have them].”
- “It was surprisingly difficult to find first-person accounts for the tech I chose.”
Example
An example can be found at the start of the slide deck (posted on the class discussion board) that you will add your slide to.
Assignment FAQ
I know or interviewed somebody who uses AT for their accessibility needs. Does talking to them count as finding a first person account?
Yes, this counts as a first-person account, but not for this assignment unless you are able to submit a transcript or video testimony for us to review (unlikely under IRB rules).
Does asking an other student or TA in this class who may use AT count as first person response?
No. This does not count as a first-person account. It is additional burden on the student who you are asking to help out in this capacity.
Details
To complete this assignment you will need to do the following:
0. Learn about how to present accessibly
Watch a video about presenting accessibly by Kyle Rector and look at DOIT’s guidance on accessible presenting. Review information about describing images and describing people in images verbally (during a presentation) or in text. Finally, make sure you don’t use ableist language.
Optional reading: Its complicated: Negotiating Accessibility and (Mis)Representation in Image Descriptions of Race, Gender and Disability
1. Select two examples of an accessibility technology or disability hack
Select two examples of accessibility technology, or disability hack, that you will be presenting about. An accessibility technology is something that is used by a person with a disability to increase accessibility. It can be something that is included in the infrastructure (such as a curb cut) or something that is used by an individual (such as Proloque2Go, a symbol-based communication system), or something that was not designed for accessibility but is useful (such as these 5 disability life hacks)
When you pick, consider these requirements
- One technology should improve computer access (such as sticky keys).
- One should improve access to “the world” at large (such as Microsoft’s Seeing AI).
- At least one should involve computers in some way (such as sticky keys).
- Try not to pick the same thing as someone else in the class.
- Do not choose really really common things (like elevators and glasses).
- Do not pick a Disability Dongle
- At least one of your chosen technologies is something you can try yourself
In addition, you should pick something that expands your knowledge of accessibility technology. You should include two different technologies that you are not already familiar with. Other considerations that could help when searching for technology:
- Does it address infrastructure (like curb cuts) or is it more individual (like a screen magnifier)?
- Was it designed for the disability community (like a screen reader) or is it a mainstream technology being used to address accessibility needs (like voice assistants have).
2. Find and Generate First Person Experiences
Find first person accounts by a person with a disability that is not an advertisement describing each technology and how they use it. A first person account is written or presented by someone who
- Uses this technology themselves on a regular basis
- Has a disability
A first person account that meets the requirements of this assignment is not
- A teaching video/presentation
- An advertisement
- Based on your personal experience
- Based on experiences of your peers or the course staff
For example, here is a personal perspective on audio crosswalks and here is an interview with two black AAC users about their experiences using AAC technology (start at 00:16:00)
Ideally, you will find a video account showing the technology in use. Try searching for “howto” or try searching first for vloggers who have a disability, and then looking in their channels for technology reviews. Also ask for help on our class discussion site if you are having trouble. If you cannot find a video, you can look for a written account, such as a blog or review. In this case, it still needs to be written by a person with a disability who would benefit from the AT that you are trying to learn about. This may influence your choice of technologies, it is OK to iterate.
3. Try it yourself
While some technologies may be expensive or hard to get, many accessibility technologies are easily available and some are even re-purposed everyday items. Try at least one of the technologies you find yourself.
3. Reflect on what you learned
Take some time to reflect on these questions, which will help you to prepare for your presentation
- What is the AT?
- What is the technology?
- What does the AT do?
- What is the access gap that the AT is attempting to address?
- Why was it developed?
- What are it’s strengths and/or weaknesses?
- How did your experience using it differ from the first person account you saw?
- Which disabilities does this technology support? Think broadly about this, and try to find evidence for your ideas. For example, audio books and screen readers are used by people who are blind or low vision, as well as people who are dyslexic, or cannot look at a screen without experiencing chronic illness symptoms.
- If you have a chance to interview users of this technology, what would be one question you would ask, that was not answered in your search for information?
4. Create two slides, one for each technology you found
You will create one accessible slide (per AT) in a shared slide deck posted in the Class Discussion. Your slide should include
- A summary of the AT you researched
- Information about its audience (range of disabilities that use it)
- A picture of it
- A link to the first person account you found
- Something you learned from the first person account about its strengths and weaknesses
5. Create a reflection for Canvas containing
- A list of the competencies you wish to be assessed on. Your choices are
- Accessible presentation creation
- Finding first person accounts by and for people with disabilities
- Image description
- Presenting accessibly
- Familiarity with a range of accessibility technologies
- A brief reflection on what you learned by trying the technology and how your experience differed from that in the first person account
Turnin
- Turn the slides in by adding them to the shared slide deck
- On Canvas, turn in your list of competencies and reflection
- You will also present at one of those slides in class. You should be prepared to
- Stay on time (3-4 minutes + 1-2 minutes of questions). This will require you to pick and choose what to focus on when you design your slide, and to practice ahead of class.
- Present accessibly (you may want to revisit presenting accessible by Kyle Rector)