UnlockedMaps provides real-time accessibility info for rail transit users

screenshot of UnlockedMaps in New York. Stations that are labeled green are accessible while stations that are labeled orange are not accessible. Yellow stations have elevator outages reported.

Congratulations to CREATE Ph.D. student Ather Sharif, Orson (Xuhai) Xu, and team for this great project on transit access! Together they developed UnlockedMaps, a web-based map that allows users to see in real time how accessible rail transit stations are in six metro areas including Seattle, Philadelphia (where the project was first conceived by Sharif and a friend at a hackathon), Chicago, Toronto, New York, and the California Bay Area. Shown here is a screenshot of UnlockedMaps in New York. Stations that are…

CREATE Contributes to RFP on Healthcare Accessibility

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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) requested public comment about comprehensive, longitudinal, person-centered care planning for people with Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCC). CREATE contributed to a disability justice-focused response that highlights nine recommendations: Read the full response (PDF).

Accessible teaching strategies

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CREATE faculty member Stephanie Kerschbaum has contributed to a set of guidelines to help UW faculty plan, design, and adapt their teaching around students’ needs. “Accessibility is about recognizing that access is a complex, relational configuration as people move and share space together. Accessible teaching requires us to be in conversation with and responsive to our students.” – Stephanie Kerschbaum, UW professor and disability studies scholar The guidelines include general strategies such as anticipating students’ needs and using technology that supports…

Jen Mankoff receives SIGCHI Social Impact Award

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Congratulations to CREATE Co-Director Jennifer Mankoff! She has been awarded a 2022 Social Impact Award by SIGCHI, the special interest group of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for professionals, academics and students interested in human-technology and human-computer interaction (HCI). Mankoff was cited for research focused on accessibility to give people the voice, tools and agency to advocate for themselves. “She strives to make change at both structural and individual levels. For example, her recent work on fabrication of accessible…

CREATE Submits RFI on Disability Bias in Biometrics

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CREATE’s response to the Science and Technology Policy Office’s request for “Information on Public and Private Sector Uses of Biometric Technologies”

CREATE Co-Director Jacob O. Wobbrock Named ACM Fellow

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We congratulate CREATE Co-Director Jacob O. Wobbrock on being named an ACM Fellow by the Association for Computing Machinery for his contributions to human-computer interaction and accessible computing! Wobbrock’s research seeks to understand and improve people’s interactions with computers and information, especially for people with disabilities. He is the primary creator of ability-based design, which scrutinizes the ability assumptions embedded in technologies in an effort to create systems better matched to what people can do. CREATE profile Faculty page For this…

Year 1 Impact Report

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Front page of the accessible Year 1 CREATE impact report with highlights and photos from research

A whirlwind year of accessible technology research, education, collaboration, fundraising and recognition is highlighted in CREATE’s Year 1 Impact Report.

Go Baby Go Car Adaptation Workshop

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UW Go Baby Go, co-directed by CREATE Associate Director Heather Feldner, is excited to announce its fall workshop where we will build ten Go Baby Go cars for local children with disabilities and their families! UW and CREATE students, postdocs, and faculty (especially from engineering, computer science, and rehab programs), local clinicians, and parents/caregivers are all encouraged to attend. Saturday, November 6, 2021 * Workshop: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. * Family car fittings and pickup: 2-4 p.m. UW Rehab Medicine, BB tower…

Help make the WSDOT website more accessible

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Anthro-Tech is looking for people who use screen readers and other assistive technology to participate in a usability study on the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) website redesign. During a study session, the facilitator will show the participant the new website and ask them to use it to complete a few tasks. Sessions will take place on Zoom for 60-90 minutes and participants receive a $100 check as a thank you. Learn more and sign up at WSDOT Website Study: Call for participants.

Recruiting for Tactile Map Participants

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UW researchers are seeking participants for a paid study. Who: People who are blind or low vision who use a screen reader and are 18 years or older.What: Participants will be asked to test 3D-printed tactile maps. Sessions are 60 minutes. For details, see the signup survey.Where: UW Seattle campus.When: August.Compensation: $40 and a travel stipend.How: Contact Kelly Mack at kmack3@cs.washington.edu or fill out the signup survey.

CREATE Research Showcase – Spring 2021

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Schedule of events for the 2021 CREATE Research Showcase. Open to the public, CREATE faculty and students share research in accessibility.

Accessible CS Education workshop focuses on inclusive experiences

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Amid a global pandemic, innovative thinkers have been hard at work developing plans to improve equity in modern learning environments. The Accessible Computer Science Education Fall Workshop was held November 17-19, 2020, and jointly sponsored by Microsoft, The Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, and CREATE. Each day of the event focused on strategies to improve classroom experiences for students and faculty with disabilities. You can watch recorded sessions where speakers provided a wide range of perspectives on computer science pedagogy…

Research Workshop for Undergraduates with Disabilities

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Two student participants at the 2019 OurCS workshop use virtual reality goggles and hand controllers

CREATE and UW AccessComputing co-sponsored a 3-day research-focused workshop for undergraduates in computing fields who have disabilities.

CREATE Board Members Honored by SIGCHI

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Two UW CREATE board members were honored by SIGCHI for their research in human-technology and human-computer interaction (HCI) that advances technology for people with disabilities.

UW Disability Equity Project Seeks Focus Group Participants

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UW students, staff, and faculty who have a disability, physical or mental health condition, a chronic illness, or are d/Deaf are invited to contribute to a research project on disability, equity, and inclusion. A research team from the Disability Studies Program, The D Center, and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine will conduct online focus groups where participants will be asked to share their experiences of ableism or discrimination as well as allyship and community in academic and healthcare situations. The…

Scholars who use screen readers sought for user study

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The Semantic Scholar Research Team at the Allen Institute for AI is conducting an experiment to evaluate the screen reader accessibility of scientific papers. We are looking for participants who are age 18 or older, who identify as blind or low vision, and who have experience using screen readers to interact with scientific papers. The details: Complete the eligibility form to determine eligibility Study is all online (Zoom) Takes approximately 75 minutes Participants receive a $150 Amazon gift card Participation…

Black Disability Art History 101: From Back in the Day to Today

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The Inclusion Project, a youth led project, with the Center for Disability Leadership is hosting this workshop led by Leroy F. Moore Jr., founder of Krip-Hop Nation. Wed, October 21, 20203:30 – 5:00 p.m. PDT Learn more and register to attend Black disabled and Deaf artists have always existed. They were on the street corners down South singing the Blues, spray painting on New York subways, and bringing sign language to the big screen. Today, young Black disabled artists are…

January 8, 2021: Sara Hendren – What Can a Body Do?

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The CREATE Conversation Hub hosts a live Q&A with Sara Hendren on the future of mobility and lessons she learned through writing her new book, What Can A Body Do? How We Meet the Built World. Sara Hendren: Future visions of mobility and lessons learned through writing What Can A Body Do? How We Meet the Built World January 8, 2021 at 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. Eastern time) Sign up for Reimagining Mobility Conversations Sara Hendren is an artist,…

CREATE Conversation Hub: Reimagining Mobility

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October, 2020 Mobility is a central part of accessibility and this new Conversation Hub, hosted by CREATE Associate Directors Kat Steele and Heather Feldner, provides a way to connect and learn from guests who are engaged in critical mobility work — ranging from researchers to small business owners to self-advocates. We will dive deeply into conversations about mobility as a multifaceted concept, and explore how it intersects with other dimensions of access across contexts of research, education, and public policy….