Looking for courses that include curriculum about accessibility? Start here, then confirm availability and logistics in the UW course catalog, MyPlan, and the department course listings.
CSE 340 – Interaction Programming »
- Accessibility assignment and related learnings
User interfaces for computing systems, including principles and implementation techniques. Covers key topics and programming paradigms for interactive systems, such as event handling; graphical layout, design, and widgets; undo; accessibility; and context awareness. Provides experience with modern application domains and frameworks (e.g., mobile applications).
Quarter: Autumn
CSE 440 – Introduction to HCI »
- Lecture on accessibility
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) theory and techniques. Methods for designing, prototyping, and evaluating user interfaces to computing applications. Human capabilities, interface technology, interface design methods, and interface evaluation tools and techniques.
Prerequisite: CSE 332
Quarter: Winter
CSE 482 – Capstone Software Design to Empower Underserved Populations »
Students work in teams to design and implement a software project involving multiple areas of the CSE curriculum, for the purpose of empowering marginalized or underserved populations.
Quarter: Not currently offered
CSE 482 course details in MyPlan (UW ID required)
CSE 493e – Accessibility »
Starting Autumn 2023, CSE 493e – Special Topics in Accessibility will explore how computing can enable new solutions to accessibility, including both access to the world and access to computers. Similarly, the course will investigate how a disability-led perspective can guide us in the development of empowering and relevant solutions to accessibility problems. Both topics will be addressed through a combination of discussions, reading, and building.
Quarter: Autumn
CSE 513e – Disability Inclusion & Accessibility for Technologists »
A new (in Spring 2024) breadth class for CSE graduate students, the project-based course explores new solutions to accessibility through computing. Students take a disability studies perspective and gain valuable insights into the future of all user interface technology. The course includes creating accessible documents, websites and apps; accessibility in fabrication; AR/VR and AI/ML, and looks at intersectional concerns such as healthcare and sustainability.
Quarter: Not currently offered
CS 513e course description | CS 513e MyPlan
CSE 590w – Accessibility Research Seminar »
The seminar is for students and faculty members to explore research in accessible computing for people with disabilities in the context of human-computer interaction (HCI). The seminar consists of short student presentations of current research results, followed by discussion and critical evaluations the research. Topics vary by quarter.
Quarter: Autumn, Winter, Spring
CREATE description | CS 590w course description | CSE 590w time schedule (UW ID required)
DISST – Disabilities Studies courses »
Disability Studies is a multi-disciplinary field that investigates, critiques, and enhances Western society’s understandings of disability.
Disabilities Studies course descriptions | UW course catalog
DIS ST 391 – Disability and Society: A Focus on the Community
Explore what it means to provide access and disability justice for community members in recreation spaces. Jason Naranjo, a Disability Studies core faculty, has partnered with the Outdoors for All Foundation to create Summer and Winter courses that combine classroom time and outdoor experiences. In the field, students support access to rock climbing, paddle sports, cycling, and snow sports.
- Learning while playing in the great outdoors, ArtSci Perspectives, 1/25
- UW course looks at justice and accessibility on skis, UW Video, 1/23
- Hitting the snow with a new course on accessibility and disability justice, UW News, 1/23
DISST 300 – Disability Studies in Education »
Examine history, theory, values, and assumptions about disability to develop a critical understanding of how disability is situated in the contexts of schools and society. Explore how disability is defined within our educational system and in society at large. Weekly guest speakers share their lived experiences and perspectives on the topics at hand (scholars, teachers, parents, students, and activists). Focus is historical and theoretical foundations for defining disability; disability in the context of public schooling; and the relationship between disability, social change, and equitable access to opportunity.
Quarter: Summer
DISST 300 MyPlan | DISST 300 syllabus
DISST 332 – Disability & Society: A Focus on Community and the Outdoors »
Community-based, applied learning in disability studies by making outdoor play and recreation accessible to people with disabilities. In partnership with the Outdoors For All Foundation and through service-learning, academic texts, and contemporary media explore: access and barriers to inclusive play and recreation; allyship and social change; and the importance of outdoor play and recreation across the lifespan. Choice of activities depend on student’s experience with activities offered and our partner’s needs.
Quarter: Winter, Summer
DISST 332 MyPlan | DISST 332 syllabus | UW News article (2023) | Intro video: winter
DISST 360 – Redesigning Humanity: Disability in Speculative Fiction »
Analyze science fiction texts centering stories and novels by Black disabled authors and several films that use speculative settings and nonrealist conventions to comment on contemporary social issues and bioethical debates. Focus is on the connection between speculative fiction, the field of disability studies (DS), and the work of BIPOC and queer Disability Justice (DJ) activists and scholars. Consider representations of disability and neurodivergence, including intersections of racism and ableism, in which authors and readers create new meanings of accessibility, identity, community, family, justice, normal, and human.
Quarter: Summer
DISST 360 MyPlan | DISST 360 syllabus
DISST / HSTCMP 402 & 502 – Topics in Disability »
Hybrid course to center disability in historical inquiry, engaging with topics and themes in the histories of disability in the U.S. in 19th – 21st centuries. Synchronous or asynchronous readings, discussions, written responses to readings, and a final paper/project.
Quarter: Not currently offered
DISST/HSTCMP 402 & 502 MyPlan | DISST/HSTCMP 402 & 502 syllabus
Gen St 297 – Disability 101: Identity, Education, Careers, & Leadership »
Small-group discussion with faculty representing a wide spectrum of academic disciplines. Topics include faculty’s research techniques or findings, concentrated reading in his/her area of interest, or illustrated problems and alternative related to the study of a particular academic discipline. Class structure varies based on instructor.
Quarter: Autumn, Winter, Spring
HCDE 315 – Inclusive Design and Engineering »
Surveys a range of methods that examine, support, and interrogate design and engineering for disability and inclusivity. Students enact inclusive methods, reflect on their capacities to broaden design and engineering goals, and critique and evaluate their effectiveness from a variety of perspectives.
Quarter: Spring
Prerequisite: none
HCDE Directed Research Group »
Students in the Tactile Graphics Directed Research Group work in teams to develop workflows for tactile graphics. In this showcase, view demos of hardware and software solutions for low-cost Blind and Low Vision making and tactile biomechanics diagrams.
Quarter: Spring, Summer
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
HCDE 596 Directed Research in Human Centered Design and Engineering »
Students working in teams and supervised by faculty, review relevant literature, pose research questions, design and conduct studies, and present the results in papers prepared for submission to a professional journal or for presentation at a professional conference.
Quarter: Spring, Summer
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
INFO 498 – Special Topics in Informatics: Accessibility »
Making the world and its information accessible can be crucial for supporting independent living and providing equal access to the information-rich world for millions of people. This class will cover concepts related to inclusive design, why accessibility is important, what access technologies already exist, and how to make interfaces and technologies accessible. Through a combination of readings, hands-on exercises, and an open-ended project, students will learn about the history and existing state of accessibility, where its future might be, and how to apply its principles and guidelines in practice.
Quarter: Spring, Summer
Perhaps of Interest:
INFO 104 Technology Ethics, Policy, and Law »
Drawing from law, ethics, and science and technology studies, introduces the ways society seeks to mitigate the harms of emerging technology and to promote human flourishing. (Spring 2025)
UW Professional & Continuing Education:
UW Specialization in Web & Digital Accessibility »
A single, 12-week course for nontechnical (and technical) professionals, compliance coordinators, program administrators, social service professionals, disability service providers, educators, content creators, and advocates in any field. UW certificate and digital badge awarded upon successful completion.
- 100% asynchronous, online
- $1525
ITA 340 – Introduction to Web Publishing »
- Includes the Web Accessibility Initiative
Introduction to markup languages and publishing web content. Students gain understanding of HTML coding and extensions, image manipulation, information architecture, and web site publishing. Includes the Web Accessibility Initiative.
Quarter: Winter, Spring, Summer
ITA 341 – Client-side Scripting and Design »
Introduction to web browser design environment, scripting languages, JavaScript, Document Object Model, and creation of dynamic HTML web pages in combination with Cascading Style Sheets. Includes client-server architecture and web design principles in the contexts of technical feasibility, usability, and accessibility.
Quarter: Winter, Spring, Summer
HCID 501 – Immersion Studio »
A five-day intensive workshop that orients students to core ideas and terminology in HCI and design, provide some key skills that will be instrumental in success in a studio learning environment, and provide students with a intriguing portfolio story worth talking about with industry professionals.
Quarter: varies
Prerequisites: MHCID major
PMP – Future of Access Technologies »
Accessible technologies are at the forefront of technological innovation in a changing society. This class covers these cutting edge technologies, teaches thinking about access and inclusion, and looks at some of the history and critical theory around disability. Primarily, this is a class to build in, and we will learn about physical access technology using Arduinos and fabrication tools as well as software access technology. This is a graduate class with a fairly open-ended project at the end.
Quarter: varies
Prerequisites: comfort with programming, new languages
REHAB 566 – Disability and Health: Tensions, Intersections, and Opportunities »
Interrogate ways of thinking about disability and health within historical and contemporary healthcare practice and lay communities. Engage in critical analysis of disability and how tensions between various understandings of disability influence healthcare delivery, health professions education, and dominant social discourses of health and wellness, including the intersectional relationship between disability and other marginalized identities.
Quarter: Spring, Summer
REHAB 566 syllabus
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.
Related news
Student Minigrant Story: Assistive-Feeding Robot Tested in the Real World
March 17, 2025
A team of UW researchers has been working on increasing the accuracy and the finer social aspects of an assistive-feeding robot. ADA, for Assistive Dexterous Arm, consists of a robotic arm that can be affixed to a power wheelchair or other sturdy furniture and controlled by the user. Through a web app, the user decides what bite they want. To feed the person that bite, the system uses a camera to distinguish between foods on the plate, a sensor to apply the correct force, and facial recognition for aim.
Deployment in the real world
Recently, CREATE Ph.D. student Amal Nanavati led a 5-day deployment of the system in the home of community researcher Jonathan Ko. Ko used ADA to feed himself ten meals in different rooms and during different activities and social contexts.
In the deployment, Nanavati and Ko discovered that being seated in bed limited Ko's head movements and led to some tricky bites. Breakfasts might be eaten quickly, whereas a customized "rest mode" improved snacks while Ko worked.
Funding from CREATE
The deployment was partially funded by a CREATE Student Minigrant. Involving people with the lived experience of disability is a core aspect of CREATE-funded research.
"Our past studies have been in the lab because, if you want to evaluate specific system components in isolation, you need to control all other aspects of the meal, But that doesn’t capture the diverse meal contexts that exist outside the lab," said Nanavati.
At the end of the day, the goal is to enable people to feed themselves in real environments, so we should also evaluate the system in those environments.
Lead author, CREATE Ph.D. student Amal Nanavati
Nanavati is the lead author and Ko a co-author of a paper, Lessons Learned from Designing and Evaluating a Robot-Assisted Feeding System for Out-of-Lab Use, presented this year at the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. The presentation includes a video highlighting the findings and challenges.
Nanavati is co-advised by CREATE faculty Maya Cakmak and Siddhartha S. Srinivasa, founder of the Personal Robotics Lab that houses the research; both are senior authors on the paper.
A decade of research
Through about ten years of research, the assistive-feeding robot has graduated from feeding users fruit salads to full meals composed of nearly anything that can be picked up with a fork. Researchers also investigated how the robot can enhance the social aspects of dining.
The scope of the research has included CREATE Ph.D. graduate Ethan K. Gordon; Tyler Schrenk, the late president of the Tyler Schrenk Foundation and another community researcher; and Vy Nguyen, an occupational therapy clinical research lead at Hello Robot. Many more co-authors are listed in the paper.
This article includes excerpts from a UW News article and Amal Nanavati's research website.
Coffee Chat Recaps - Winter 2025
March 4, 2025
CREATE has initiated Coffee Chats – one or two opportunities per month for conversation among faculty, student, staff, and industry and community partners.
Topics have included opportunities for student involvement in CREATE, how researchers can benefit from community-engaged research, and where to find funding for research. These meetings have proved useful for sharing ideas, experiences, and information.
Future Coffee Chats
UW students and faculty, make sure you're subscribed to either the CREATE Students or CREATE Faculty internal mailing list. Also, subscribe to the CREATE event calendar.
For accessibility info, contact Dr. Olivia Banner, CREATE’s Director of Strategy and Operations.
Community-engaged research
This Winter quarter, two coffee chats centered on community-engaged research.
Communicating with research participants: Community partner visit
On February 26, Kathleen Voss introduced Kimberly Meck from the Disability Empowerment Center (DEC), one of our community partners. The center supports independent living for people with a variety of – and often multiple – disabilities. Members of the DEC community have been recruited to participate in CREATE research. Meck noted that, while initial recruitment materials shared with them have not always been accessible, usable, or understandable by community members, Voss’s work as CREATE’s Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager has resulted in significant improvement in accessibility.
Meck had this advice for working with communities such as DEC:
Recruitment requests need to be specific and explained in plain language, at a sixth-grade level.
For example, recruitment materials often ask if people use “accessibility tools,” but a better way to ask this would be to use specific examples of the kinds of tools. That is, a blind/low vision user might not think of JAWS as an “accessibility tool;” they may think of it as what they use to read web content. Rather than using terms such as “artificial intelligence” and “GAI,” use concrete examples such as “ChatGPT” and “Claude.” Even if people know the term “AI,” they may not know when they’re using AI content. This also applies to language about what participants will be doing. For example, instead of asking people to “participate in a panel discussion,” rephrase that to “talk to a few people about your experiences.”
Tailor your materials to the audience.
Would a video be better to explain a project? Folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities might best comprehend the information through short videos, which must include all other access features such as transcripts of audio, CART, subtitles, and sign language interpreters. Other people can’t process images; for them, materials with too many pictures are hard to use. Consider the audience’s age range and disability when choosing a medium and your language.
Know your audience.
Know your audience's disability, and know if they’re likely to have multiple disabilities. From Meck’s perspective, the best way to do that is to already be engaged and interacting directly with the people whose needs you’re trying to address.
A researcher's perspective: Postdoctoral workshop
Meck’s visit followed a February 12 conversation between Jazette Johnson, a CREATE postdoctoral scholar, and Mark Baldwin, Assistant Professor of Computer Science in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles. Their discussion showcased key principles for undertaking community-engaged research.
Meet Jazette Johnson
A 2025 CREATE postdoctoral fellow, Jazette Johnson's research explores the impact of AI-generated images, particularly persuasive and difficult-to-detect misinformation, on adults and elders with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She was a 2020 Microsoft Ada Lovelace Fellow and a 2019 Newkirk Community Based Research Fellow.
Researchers need to understand the needs of the community.
Baldwin drew on his graduate research about how to make outrigger canoes accessible to people with mobility challenges. He often worked on prototypes not in the lab but in the field, where he engaged deeply with people as they were getting in and out of canoes. Baldwin gained feedback, examples of challenges, and even assistance with fabrication. Through this on-site and collaborative work with the community in question, Baldwin developed a deep understanding of the needs of the community.
Johnson has observed different approaches to community-based research, including how researchers begin to build connections and trust within an organization, as well as how projects are formed either for the community or with the community. She documented her observations and outlined steps for deeper engagement in a blog as a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Informatics at the University of California – Irvine.
During their discussion, both Johnson and Baldwin emphasized that research needs to be sustainable, maintained, and beneficial to the community. They highlighted the importance of being clear with the community about process and outcomes, including these core questions:
- What will the process be like?
- What happens when you’re done with your research/paper?
- What good will participation do for the community?
In his case, Baldwin left 3D prototypes with the community, a form of direct benefit. And the organization’s director appreciates being mentioned in Baldwin’s publications, since it adds to credibility with prospective donors.
Both Johnson and Baldwin, like Meck, recommend deeper engagement with partner communities. “Volunteer with the organization, attend their events, and invite others to attend as well,” said Baldwin. Their final advice:
Consider how much you’re taking from the organization and make sure you’re giving more.
One way to boost your community partner: share their events and fundraisers with the CREATE community. Contact Liz Diether-Martin, CREATE’s Digital Content Developer, with details.
These events were organized by CREATE staff, and we particularly wish to thank Kathleen Voss for her efforts to inaugurate a once-per-quarter workshop/meeting with a CREATE community partner. Voss is always working to strengthen the collaborative ties between the CREATE research community and CREATE’s community partners, and these two events highlighted the importance of her role.
CREATE Funding Opportunities
In January, we had a conversation on the various grants and funds offered by CREATE, led by Mark Harniss, CREATE Director for Education and an associate professor in Rehabilitation Medicine, and Dr. Olivia Banner, CREATE Director of Strategy and Operations. CREATE funds are described in detail on our website, but the event offered the opportunity to ask questions and also support in a year when the funding landscape is changing.
Our Resources for Disabled Academics page also lists funding sources such as scholarships, fellowships, and grants.
Visits with Shaun Kane and Hrovje Benko
We also held two coffee chats with industry affiliates, where they met with Ph.D. students in discussions about research.
Shaun Kane is a research scientist in Responsible AI at Google Research. His research leverages HCI, AI, and machine learning to support equality, independence, health, and creativity for people with disabilities. Kane is also an Associate Professor in the departments of Computer Science and Information Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Hrovje Benko is a Director of Research Science at Meta Reality Labs Research where he is developing novel interactions, devices and interfaces for Contextualized AI, Augmented and Virtual Reality. He currently leads a multi-disciplinary organization that includes scientists and engineers with expertise in human computer interaction, computer vision, machine learning, AI, design, neuroscience and cognitive psychology.
Panel discussion: Being disabled on the job market
Banner led a panel of faculty and students in a discussion about being a person with a disability (PWD) on the job market. Topics included navigating issues around disclosing or not disclosing a disability and what information to include throughout the job search process and in job market materials.
Two Research Fellowships on Accessibility from UW Population Health
February 27, 2025
The UW’s Population Health Initiative announced two fellowships that may be of interest to CREATE graduate and undergraduate students.
Accessibility of King County parks
Graduate and undergraduate students from all UW schools and colleges are encouraged to apply for the Population Health Applied Research Fellowship on the accessibility of King County Parks. The Summer 2025 fellowship team will collaborate with the King County Demographer and King County Parks to assess park accessibility.
This paid fellowship program offers training in data analysis techniques as well as in research and presentation skills, while they develop a work product for an external partner. Students will combine quantitative methods with field research to provide insights into physical access networks around parks, helping prioritize improvements to ensure all residents can enjoy these green spaces.
- Register to attend the March 3, 12–1 p.m. info session, in person on the Seattle campus or virtually.
- Apply by March 20.
The UW’s Population Health Initiative is partnering with the university’s Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology to offer the fellowships.
Virtual Study Assistant leveraging AI
Four fellows will be selected from a variety of disciplines to investigate projects focused on finding innovative ways to maintain the balance between financial sustainability and social impact. Of particular interest:
Virtual Study Assistant for Potential Research Participants, a bilingual virtual study assistant that seeks to support recruitment and screening in research studies, leveraging AI to improve accessibility and reduce resource needs while ensuring careful consideration of potential biases in machine translations.
The Population Health Initiative is partnering with the UW’s Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship and CoMotion to offer its summer Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.
Funding and training opportunities - Winter 2025
January 21, 2025
We've rounded up some great opportunities for accessibility research, funding, and training. Most notably, deadlines are approaching for two CREATE grants:
CREATE Seed funding
For projects that push boundaries and try new things, or need opportunistic funding in response to a new student, collaboration, or flash of insight.
Race, Disability, and Technology funding
For projects that engage with the intersection of race, disability, and technology (RDT).
Teach Access Student Academy
A two-day, free, virtual workshop for all, whether new to accessibility or deepening understanding, college or university student, or lifelong learner. The featured keynote speaker is Haben Girma, renowned human rights lawyer and the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School.
- February 20 – 21, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Registration is free!
Highly recommended by CREATE Director for Education Emeritus, Richard Ladner. And CREATE Ph.D. graduate Emma McDonnell is presenting on day 1!
ACM CHI Workshop on Aging in Place call for participation
The ACM CHI workshop on Technology Mediated Caregiving for Older Adults Aging in Place focuses on research around technological supports for caregiving, specific to older adults as they age and begin to experience cognitive changes.
- Workshop: April 27
- February 13 - Position Papers due
- March 5 - Statements of interest due
See also
- Resources for Academics - A CREATE-curated list of grants, fellowships, mentoring, internships, and training opportunities for faculty and students.
- CREATE Research Funding - Funding for CREATE faculty, students, and staff working on accessibility-related research.
Former CREATE postdoc Sasha Portnova talks about her experiences and inspirations
November 22, 2024
Dr. Alexandra (Sasha) Portnova, who was a postdoctoral research with CREATE in 2022-24, was interviewed about those experiences as a NIDILRR-funded fellow and about her work in rehabilitation research. In the National Rehabilitation Information Center interview, Portnova spoke about the value of the CREATE ARRT fellowship in transitioning from the overwhelming life as a Ph.D. student into a faculty career.
Currently, Portnova is a research scientist in the Neuromechanics & Mobility Lab, directed by CREATE associate director Katherine M. Steele. She describes herself as an upper-extremity enthusiast. From orthotic and prosthetic devices to virtual rehabilitation techniques, she is interested in fusing engineering and medical fields to develop solutions that would improve the quality of live of individuals with upper-limb disabilities.
"Research. A lot of research."
Portnova said that the goal of the postdoctoral fellowship is to train leaders in rehabilitation research and to harness advances in physical computing and fabrication. Postdocs participate in research, coursework, mentoring, and physical computing tools for rehabilitation applications. "You design your project from scratch... you see it come through every step of the process."
And though she chuckled at the idea of taking courses again, she noted that instead of the huge course load of a Ph.D. student, she took targeted courses to enhance her education and experience. The mentoring experience was very helpful to prepare to be a principal investigator and ultimately feel more prepared to tackle the role as a faculty.
She also noted that, as an undergrad at the UW when CREATE was a brand new research center, she has enjoyed seeing the growth into a "big center" and a community working to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Gears of Progress Podcast
Asked about the inspiration behind her podcast, Gears of Progress, Portnova emphasized the importance of scientific communication, mentorship, and the future of research in assistive technology. She first became interested in listening to podcasts as a new parent, wanting to be productive while her hands were busy. Since she loves talking about science and communicating about research to the general public, producing her own podcast was the next step. Her goal with Gears of Progress is to bring content out of the research journals to the rehabilitation specialists and, ultimately, to people with disabilities.
The Gears of Progress podcast is available on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox
