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Two or three times a year, we share a detailed look at recent Center developments, research achievements, education highlights and opportunities to engage with us.
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Year 3 Impact Report – Academic year 2022-2023
Through hard work in the field of accessible technology research, education, and translation, CREATE members are making impact together and it shows!
The Impact Report details much of the work CREATE has been doing in the past academic year.
In this report:
- Research: 52 published papers on accessibility; high-impact research that included accessibility of visual content for blind people; automated large-scale mobile app accessibility analyses; and mapping sidewalk and indoor accessibility.
- Education: Teaching that emphasized hybrid participation for access and equity; co-sponsorship of 5 seminar speakers and a distinguished lecture. A new accessibility course in the CSE Professional Masters program and another new undergraduate accessibility course starting Autumn 2023.
- Translation: 4 community events that expanded our campus and industry connections, including an eSports event and our first workshop on Race, Disability and Technology. Events and outreach efforts grew, engaging 563 people and growing our membership to 465 individuals spanning 4 continents, 7 countries, 14 U.S. states, and 22 universities.
- Finance: CREATE thanks its generous donors! CREATE received a gift of $215,000 from the Allen School to support leadership of the Race, Disability and Technology initiative. The Charles Simonyi Foundation and Microsoft also donated to further our work in accessible technology.
Previous Years’ Impact Reports
Year 2 Impact Report – Academic year 2021-2022
Highlights from CREATE's Year 2 Impact Report:
- Research: 41 published papers and high-impact, collaborative research on wearable devices; more accessible virtual reality and mobile apps; and awards and honors.
- Education: Accessibility integrated into courses, 6 Ph.D. students, and support for students through grants and teaching.
- Translation: Project Sidewalk, Pointing Magnifier, Blocks4All, Hour of Code, AI4All summer camp, AI for Inclusive Urban Sidewalks, and more.
- Advocacy: Inclusive practices for hiring, interviewing and lecturing, biometric data fairness, remote learning, support for disabled faculty and students, state- and international-level advocacy.
- Operations: 12 new faculty members, 4 postdocs, a second Advisory Board meeting, and a new community engagement manager.
Year 1 Impact Report – Academic year 2020-2021
Highlights from CREATE's first year impact report:
- Research: 55 papers on accessible technology, launch of collaboration with UW I-LABS, new postdocs, numerous awards
- Education: student mini-grants and study away programs, seminar on accessibility and race, workshops and more awards
- Translation: Reimagining Mobility conversations with 150 members, research displayed on the Google Play store, our first Community Day
- Operations: Advisory Board formed, leadership and membership structures defined
- Fundraising: progress toward five-year, $10M goal with corporate donors and a training grant
CREATE Digest newsletter archives
March 2024 »
Research on a highly customized user interface for a tele-operated assistive robot to empower people with quadriplegia and severe physical limitations; a new book, Teaching Accessible Computing, from CREATE contributors and editors; and an ACM Fellowship for CREATE faculty Amy Ko.
February 2024 »
A new undergraduate course in which students conducted accessibility audits on state-funded websites with the potential to impact everyday activities for people with disabilities; AI+Accessibility Hackfest; a seminar on neurotypical interpersonal expectations in social technology; a recap of an inspiring lecture by Joshua Miele; news about funding opportunities; and recommended podcasts and reading.
January 2024 »
Announcement of new leadership for CREATE and also for our campus partner AccessComputing; research that looks at the potential for generative artificial intelligence tools to spout inaccuracies, fail at basic reasoning, and perpetuate ableist biases; research on refining actions of an assistive robot; and a podcast launched by CREATE postdoctoral fellow Sasha Portnova.
November 2023 »
Release of CREATE’s third annual Impact Report that reviews accomplishments in research, education, translation, and leadership during academic year 2022-2023 and sets goals for the next year; research on encouraging early childhood mobility; a spotlight on one of our most active community partners; new resources for accessibility and the disability community across the UW; and accessibility news beyond campus.
October 2023 Special Edition: Race, Disability & Technology »
This issue, we focus on what is–and what isn’t–happening in research at the intersection of race, disability and technology: A community partner that works specifically at that intersection, and an app that aims to reduce misunderstandings during traffic stops; a summary of two articles on parenting with disabilities where challenges are compounded by racial bias; and intersectional events to commemorate 50 years of Section 504 of the ADA.
September 2023 »
A new federal proposed rule and request for input for healthcare access; deadlines for CREATE funding proposals; several opportunities in accessibility education; and an exposé of the inhumane, often-dangerous experiences wheelchair users must endure to fly.
August 2023 » [PDF]
This month we call attention to the opportunity to review and comment on the Department of Justice’s proposal for updated digital accessibility guidelines. Please share with anyone who will be affected by the guidelines! We’re flattered that the DOJ cited one of our articles about research by CREATE members on the accessibility of mobile apps. And we announce a new undergraduate accessibility course being offered fall 2023. CSE 493 will be the first offering of an undergraduate-focused accessibility course. Taught by CREATE Director Jennifer Mankoff, the course will focus on practical skills such as assessing accessibility, from documents to AR/VR and AI/ML. Forward-looking topics include intersectional concerns, accessible healthcare, and accessibility in disaster response.
July 2023 » [PDF]
This month, our Research Spotlight is on a project that supports users who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing. In CREATE News: our first Race, Disability & Technology grant; two open source tools that support users of wheelchairs and strollers and blind/low vision users. Check out a couple of events happening very soon. And don’t miss the video of CREATE leaders on NSF Discovery Files!
June 2023 » [PDF]
Transitions! The end of the academic year, the start of summer. Students graduating, newly minted Ph.D.s launching huge new efforts. And the transition of three of our founding leaders who have set the stage for new and expanded roles within the CREATE community. With deep gratitude for three years of vision, dedication, and leadership, we applaud three of our founders: Jacob O. Wobbrock, Richard Ladner, and Anat Caspi. Wobbrock is stepping down from his co-directorship with Jennifer Mankoff to remain an associate director. Ladner will stay on as affiliate faculty, but is passing the Director for Education mantle to Mark Harniss. And Director for Translation Anat Caspi leaves the title, but not the center.
May 2023 » [PDF]
As a community, CREATE leadership gathered last month to brainstorm next steps as the center has moved past its infancy and is zooming right into young adulthood. Our ‘family’ continues to garner praise – most recently in the form of SIGCHI awards – and grow as we build strong partnerships. This month, CREATE hosted a cross-campus meeting to learn about intersection of race and disability and consider innovative solutions. And we continue to work with community partners like The Here and Now Project to learn from the lived experiences of people with disabilities. We’re excited that our story is being told in a feature article by the UW College of Engineering.
February 2023 »
As a community, CREATE leadership gathered last month to brainstorm next steps as the center has moved past its infancy and is zooming right into young adulthood. Our ‘family’ continues to garner praise – most recently in the form of SIGCHI awards – and grow as we build strong partnerships. This month, CREATE hosted a cross-campus meeting to learn about intersection of race and disability and consider innovative solutions. And we continue to work with community partners like The Here and Now Project to learn from the lived experiences of people with disabilities. We’re excited that our story is being told in a feature article by the UW College of Engineering.
November 2022 »
A busy and productive Autumn quarter, coinciding with conferences led by CREATE faculty, means we have lots to share! CREATE faculty, students, and partners are making technology accessible and developing technology to make the world accessible. Support for CREATE’s work has never been greater and never been more necessary. Please join the conversations and partner with us!
August 2022 »
The August issue of the Digest brings an update on research that makes sense of Homer Simpson and other automated GIFs for visually impaired users and a punny report on a recent CREATE-funded hackathon. We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of a student-led UW group that seeks to improve the availability of accessibility technology and share a little bit about our amazing faculty, students and postdocs. Thanks for reading!
May 2022 »
If you’re new to CREATE’s mission, co-directors Jacob O. Wobbrock and Jennifer Mankoff summarized the center’s research, translation, and education efforts in Expanding the Pipeline, recently published in Computing Research News. For the latest CREATE news, the May issue of the Digest has updates on research, awards, new partners, graduating students, and an excerpt of an essay on how employers benefit from hiring people with disabilities.
March 2022 »
In this issue we share research news, insights, and upcoming events. We include a summary of research that examines what is meant by “accessibility research” and an answer to an RFI on disability bias in biometrics. Six faculty and students received awards, honors and scholarships.
Inaugural CREATE Newsletter – Winter 2021
In this issue:
- Making a more accessible world
- Advisory board formed
- Joining forces with I-LABS
- App visualizes ambient sounds for deaf users
- Many mobile apps are inaccessible
- Faculty news
- Workshops and seminars
PDF of the inaugural issue of the CREATE Newsletter, Winter 2021. Click image to open PDF.