CSE590W: Accessibility Research Seminar
Instructors
Seminar Format
This quarter, our topic is Art X Accessibility. Each week, we will explore different art forms/modalities through perspectives of disabled artists and scholars as well as technologists who work in this space. Attendees are encouraged to engage with curated readings and media and submit discussion prompts for our meeting. We will be meeting in Gates 287 or on zoom.
Who can attend? CREATE members and students at any level who are excited about learning more about accessibility research. Those who can't register directly for the course should reach out to Aashaka or Gina. All seminar announcements (including accessible copies of readings and meeting link) will be shared through the mailing list -- use this form to sign up or contact Aashaka!
Seminar Expectations
Please remember to help us create an inclusive, respectful, and accessible environment for all participants. This means many things but some examples are: taking turns when speaking, identifying yourself while speaking, remembering to do the reading if any is required, listen and avoid assuming you know what others experience; do the work to teach yourself and learn together; check in regularly; and let others speak before speaking again.
Schedule
Please note the below schedule is tentative -- check the mailing list announcements.
9/29/25: Introduction
Welcome! Go over the expectations and schedule for the course. What does art x accessibility mean to you?
10/6/25: Poetry and Metaphor
Readings and Viewings:
- Verbal and Nonverbal Metaphor by Asa Ito from Crip Authorship
- The Rebuttal: A Protactile poem by John Lee Clark [Video, PDF]
- Poetry is a way of Being in a World that Wasn't Made For Us
- Alt Text as Poetry
10/13/25: Music and Sign Language
Readings and Viewings:
- The enchanting music of sign language by Christine Sun Kim
- ASL Song Signing: Chrissy Marshall, Leila Hanuami, Erin Rosenfield
- Understanding tensions in music accessibility through song signing for and with d/Deaf and Non-d/Deaf persons
10/20/25: Guest Speaker: Lloyd May, Re-centering Joy in Inclusive Media Innovations
Suggested Viewings:
Optional:
- Ned, Lieketseng Yvonne. "African renaissance as a premise for reimagined disability studies in Africa." Journal of Black Studies 53.5 (2022): 485-504.
- Guffey, Elizabeth. "After Universal Design." (2023): 1-27. (Introduction and Section 1)
10/27/25: ASSETS (Possibly Cancelled)
11/3/25: Tactility and Textile Arts
Readings and Viewings:
- From Touch to Emotion by Sugandha Gupta
- Melodie: A Design Inquiry into Accessible Crafting through Audio-enhanced Weaving
11/10/25: Guest Speaker: Dr. Olivia Banner, Documentary and Insurgent Media
Readings and Viewings:
- Lincoln Hospital (Newsreel, 1970)
- “Feminist-of-Color Activism and Information Justice at Lincoln Hospital,” from Olivia Banner, Crip Screens: Countering Psychiatric Media Technologies (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2025), Ch. 2.