CREATE’s education initiatives train the next generation of technology designers, engineers, and product managers to be champions of accessibility.
We support teaching students and faculty about accessible technology and about accessible teaching and learning. We support this aim through curriculum development, educational events, grants for student research, and faculty commitment to advancing the field of pedagogy and accessibility. Our new Director of Education, Mark Harniss, has focused on CREATE’s collaboration with HuskyADAPT and on exploring a minor in accessibility.
We invite graduate and undergraduate students with interests in accessibility research, education or translation-to-practice to join CREATE.
Learn about Student Membership
Student members are welcome to participate in CREATE research and activities, such as:
Contact us
Email Mark Harniss CREATE Director for Education at mharniss@uw.edu.
HuskyADAPT
HuskyADAPT students organize toy adaptation events, workshops, and community-driven design projects.
Extracurricular and experiential:
Student competitions, -fests and -thons
CREATE, HuskyADAPT, the Taskar Center, and community partners host hackfests and hackathons each year. These events are intended to be fun, challenging, and accessible opportunities to generate new research ideas, pursue solutions to accessibility problems, work with mentors and peers, and gain new skills.
Farther afield
Student teams across the Pacific Northwest and across disciplines present their innovative research projects and compete for recognition and money prizes. All teams receive invaluable experience and feedback from judges. These challenges are hosted by the UW Foster School of Business’ Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge – April, with start-up workshops and planning sessions in January; applications due early February.
- Environmental Innovation Challenge – early April, with start-up workshops and planning sessions in February; applications due the first half of February.
- Sacia Digital Health Innovation Workshop – Mid-November, UW Population Health Initiative co-hosts student “idea-athon” on digital solutions to pressing problems in healthcare, with preparation for springtime innovation challenges.
CREATE EDUCATION NEWS
Spring 2025 Research Showcase
Student teams presented 30 projects, covering a wide range of research. Undergraduate and graduate students from at least eight majors/programs and all three UW campuses shared their projects. Seventeen of over 120 attendees of the 2025 Research Showcase, gathered in discussion groups around research posters. More photos below. The closing event for CREATE's Community Day…
Richard Ladner: SIGCSE Outstanding Contribution to CS Education Award
March 5, 2026 Richard Ladner, CREATE's Founding Director for Education Emeritus and a continuing CREATE faculty member, received the 2026 Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education Award at the ACM SIGCSE Conference. The award cited Ladner’s contributions to accessible computer science education at the K-12, college, and graduate levels and was given “in recognition of…
Blind and Low Vision Teens Join CREATE through YES2 Summer Internships
September 3, 2025 This summer, CREATE hosted three high school/undergraduate interns through a program that focuses on career preparation for young Washingtonians who are blind or visually disabled. Left to right: YES2 intern Susanna Haley, DUB Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) student Kaija Frierson, YES2 intern Mohammed Al-jawadi, YES2 intern Kaleb The Washington Department of…
Community Day 2025 Recap
June 5, 2025 On May 28, CREATE student and faculty researchers gathered with industry and community partners to discuss concerns about and approaches to sustainable accessibility research. Two hybrid panel discussions covered timely topics, followed by research presentations from CREATE students and the CREATE-HuskyADAPT Research Showcase. Thank you to all who attended Community Day and…
Students: Apply for HuskyADAPT Leadership Positions
April 7, 2025 CREATE students are encouraged to join the HuskyADAPT leadership team through a variety of student chair positions. Applications are being accepted through Friday, April 18. Being on the leadership team involves approximately 5 hours per week of commitment, though this may vary based on your role and upcoming events. The HuskyADAPT chairs…