Disability Discourse Matters. The site tracks and analyzes political language surrounding people with disabilities across both official statements and legislative proposals.
Disability rights activist and author Alice Wong dies at 51 (NPR). Alice Wong, an author and activist who fought for disability rights and justice, has died. Wong was 51 years old. The MacArthur "Genius" Award-winner died Friday of an infection at the University of California, San Francisco hospital, according to an email sent to NPR by friend and fellow activist Sandy Ho.
How the portrayal of Deaf people in film has evolved over time (PBS). March 30th, 1987—21-year-old Marlee Matlin, bespectacled and in a puff-sleeved purple gown, cautiously took the stage and changed the course of film history. Her Best Actress Oscar for the role of Sarah in the previous year’s film adaptation of “Children of a Lesser God” made her the youngest woman ever to take the category, and the first Deaf person to win an Academy Award. But what was obviously a groundbreaking first for the Deaf community was in some ways also a full circle moment.
IDEA at 50: Resources To Support Students With Disabilities During the Week of Action (Center for American Progress). Fifty years after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act transformed special education services for children with disabilities, it is important to both celebrate its legacy and confront the urgent work still needed to fulfill its promise.
Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics (Project MUSE). No, not like Music or The Good Doctor. Like Juno—empathetic, strong-willed, intelligent, and full of life. After all, if you’ve met me, you’ve met one Autistic person. We all have strengths and challenges in different areas. So, how does that make my experience relevant to yours, or to someone you know?
Research linking gut microbes to autism is deeply flawed, critics say (Science.org). Last week, the U.S.-based health nonprofit Wellcome Leap opened applications for a $50 million program focused on a controversial idea that has intrigued some researchers: that the makeup of the gut microbiome could somehow influence the development of autism—and might be harnessed as a treatment. But in a paper published in Neuron today, a team of researchers argues there is no good evidence of a link.
2026 NextGen Leader Program (Disability:IN) Applications close December 5. NextGen Leaders are college students, veterans, or recent graduates with disabilities who are entering the workforce. The program is designed to serve as a bridge to help early career talent with disabilities access the resources, connections, and support needed to thrive in corporate roles.
From AccessComputing partner Foad Hamidi (UMBC): I’m honored to serve as technical program co-chair for next year's International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. We have a dream team with amazing colleagues, Stacy Branham, Mingming Fan, and Jenny Waycott! We are piloting a new approach to invite senior PhD students conducting accessibility and assistive technology research, as well as faculty and industry experts who conduct accessibility and AT research and are new to ASSETS, to sign up to volunteer as Future Program Committee Members. Volunteers will then be invited to a remote workshop series in January to network and hone peer review skills specific to this research community. We will then invite top performers to the 2026 PC. If you are interested or know other colleagues or students who may be interested, please fill out this form by November 30th.
Is an Accommodation Forever? (ADA National Network) Wednesday, December 10th, 20251:00 PM EST - 2:15 PM EST. Much focus is given to exploring and implementing reasonable accommodations in the workplace, but it is equally important to continue to monitor accommodations to insure they remain effective over time. This session will explore best practices for the employment service professional to consider in their work with employers and supported employees when monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of workplace accommodations.
(re) presented series is pleased to announce our first speaker Naba Rizvi, PhD, hosted by Adobe on Tuesday, December 2nd from 11am to 12pm pacific giving a talk titled "Ableism by Design? Unpacking Bias in Human-Like AI Agents". The (re) presented series pairs scholars who have missed opportunities to present their work due to disability, illness, family obligations, travel restrictions, financial hardship, and more with seminars from institutions across the world. Join via Teams Meeting ID: 267 090 910 369 Passcode: iZ9yD6od.
Abstract: As we design the next generation of conversational AI, we strive to make agents that are natural and engaging. But what happens when our definition of "human" is too narrow? This talk presents findings from interviews with the creators of human-like AI systems. Our findings reveal that the traits we label as undesirable or "robotic", such as literal language, atypical tone, or repetitive response, are often stereotypes associated with neurodivergent communication styles. We'll explore how the pursuit of "humanness" can inadvertently perpetuate harmful biases and lead to products that exclude or even dehumanize neurodivergent users. Finally, we will move beyond theory to provide actionable recommendations and design principles to help your teams create AI that is not just human-like, but truly neuro-inclusive.
Bio: Naba Rizvi is a multi-award-winning AI researcher with first-author publications at ACL, FAccT, CHI, and CSCW, grants from Google and National Center for Women In Technology, and research internships at Google AI, Microsoft Research, and Adobe Research leading to publications and product impact. She has been an invited speaker/panelist at major conferences and universities, including UC Berkeley, NeurIPS, SigCSE, Tapia, and GHC, with media features reaching 21 nations. She uses empirical, data-driven, and human-centered methods to benchmark, evaluate, and improve human-AI alignment in domains from education to healthcare.
The Born-Accessible Design Approach: Cost-Effective, Inclusive, Compliant (ADA National Network) Tuesday, November 25th, 20251:00 PM EST - 2:30 PM EST. Most digital technologies are still built and released then remediated for accessibility later - an expensive, inefficient, and exclusionary process. In contrast, the born-accessible approach ensures that accessibility is built in from the start, by involving people with disabilities at every stage of design, development, and procurement. This user-centered strategy improves productivity, enhances user experience, reduces costs, and helps meet legal and regulatory requirements. Join us to explore practical frameworks, key components, and emerging research to help make born-accessible design a key part of your digital accessibility strategy.
The Human Experience of Black People with Disabilities and Their Rights Under the ADA (ADA Center) Tue, Mar 4, 2025 12:00 PM - Tue, Dec 2, 2025 1:00 PM ET. Join us as we unpack this research study and provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities, as well as the challenges and barriers, faced by Black individuals with disabilities in accessing information and exercising their rights under the ADA. For more information on the webinar series, visit: https://bit.ly/467JqXg
The Power of Visibility and Community Advocacy (ADA National Network) Tuesday, December 2nd, 202512:00 PM EST - 1:00 PM EST. The Mid-Atlantic ADA Center invites you to participate in the webinar series “The Human Experience of Black People with Disabilities and Their Rights Under the ADA,” which reports on our research study about how Black individuals with disabilities access information and exercise their rights under the ADA.
Help Shape Safer AI for Youth — $30 Amazon Gift Card for Research Participation (Ozioma "Ozzie" Oguine, PhD Student, Notre Dame) - We are inviting community-facing professionals to participate in a research study as part of my PhD dissertation at the University of Notre Dame. The study explores how adults who work with youth understand safety, risk, and wellbeing in the age of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, image generators, and other emerging tools). AI systems are becoming part of how young people learn, create, and communicate. We are looking for participants whose work involves supporting or guiding youth, including: Teachers, Counselors and mental health professionals, Coaches and mentors, Religious leaders, Social service providers and caseworkers, Youth program staff and advocates. Participation involves: A one-time, 45–60 minute interview (via Zoom or in person), Questions about your experiences supporting youth as they interact with digital technologies and AI tools, and A $30 Amazon.com gift card as a thank-you.
November 14, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
The place I rest (The Mind Hears). As the conference day inches on, the back of my neck winds tighter with tension and I lean forward slightly, eyes fixed on the speaker. I am attending my first conference as a junior in undergrad; it’s in my home city over the summer. I am too scared to ask for accommodations, so I tell my advisor I will be fine. I attend every session for three days because no one tells me that I don’t have to. I sit in the front row at every presentation, eyes darting rapidly between the speaker and the PowerPoint slides. In a quiet room close to a single speaker, I can recognize maybe 4 to 12 percent of the words with my hearing aids; another 30 to 40 percent I can perhaps lipread, and the remaining words I guess based on context.
Stuttering Commons Handbook (Stuttering Commons). Learn about the key themes in dysfluency studies. The Handbook is authored by stutterers and written for everyone, especially those who speak with an abundance of repetitions, blurts, pauses, hesitations, and effort.
When everything feels unstable, access is what holds us together (Creative Connector). Arts funding is shrinking across the country, and organizations are being asked to do more with less while facing staff burnout, rising living costs, and increased competition for limited funding. The rapid rise of AI has added new layers of uncertainty about creative labour and authorship. Around the world, we're witnessing troubling signs of authoritarianism and the devaluation of human rights and equality. In times like these, it can be tempting to retreat — to cut programs, scale back risks, and focus on survival. But this might also be precisely the moment when social innovation and human-centred practices are more urgent than ever.
Webinars/Events/Other
A School Law Update: With Special Education Attorney Heidi Goldsmith (Learning Disabilities Association of America): December 5 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST. In this webinar, special education attorney Heidi Goldsmith will discuss the most current updates regarding education law, and how these updates will impact students with disabilities. This webinar will be recorded and available to watch at a later date.
Design for the Mind with Jean Hewitt, Inclusive Designer. December 2 12pm Eastern. Jean will briefly explain neurodiversity before giving an overview of the development of the UK's PAS6463 Design for the Mind standard. She will then provide an insight into what each chapter covers, the key takeaways, and show how sensory difference often associated with someone's neuro profile can also be the result of many other circumstances - such as age, trauma, gender, and life events. Jean will spend a few minutes showing the overlap with new UK standards for menstrual and menopausal health as an example. To finish, Jean will showcase a small but multi-award-winning retrofit project in London, where the principles of PAS6463 were followed with great success.
Embracing Intersectionality in STEM Education Through UDL: November 19, 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern. Christin Monroe will share insights and actionable strategies for applying the UDL 3.0 Guideline, Interests and Identities (7), across modalities and disciplines.
Are you considering a doctoral degree in education? Are you interested in making high school science more accessible to blind and low-vision students? Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen is recruiting a doctoral student for the 2026–2027 academic year. The student will work on the A11y in Sci project, conducting research and creating professional development for teachers. As part of Shaheen’s Lab, the student can pursue an Ed.D in either special education or teaching and learning at Illinois State University. The opening begins fall of 2026 and concludes spring of 2029. This 3 year graduate research assistantship includes full tuition remission and monthly stipends all year (12 months). Prospective students should email Dr. Shaheen (nlshahe@ilstu.edu) before January 4, 2026 to discuss their research interests and potential projects.
Bioethics Research Coordinator (Columbia University): Opening on: Nov 11 2025. The Ethics Team at the Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics (CPMG) seeks a highly motivated Bioethics Research Coordinator to support NIH-funded, community-engaged studies focused on the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genetics. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge bioethics research in a collaborative academic environment. The Coordinator will report to Dr. Maya Sabatello, Principal Investigator, and will work closely with faculty, staff, and community partners to implement research protocols and contribute to scholarly outputs.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist (Bioethics) (Columbia University). The Ethics Team at the Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics (CPMG) at Columbia University's Department of Medicine is seeking a dynamic, energetic Postdoctoral Research Scientist (Bioethics) to help implement NIH-funded, community-engaged studies. This position will involve independent and supervised work. Under the supervision of Dr Maya Sabatello, the principal investigator, the Postdoctoral Research Scientist (Bioethics) will provide support for all aspects of the projects, such as conducting qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analyses and manuscript preparation. The ideal candidate has prior experience in conducting empirical research, familiarity with research on the ethical, legal and social implications of genetics, and background in public health, disability studies, or/and social sciences scholarship.
Friday, November 7, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
AI's double-edged sword: A new frontier for employment of people with disabilities? (International Labour Organization). This article explores how artificial intelligence can both empower and disadvantage persons with disabilities in employment. It highlights the ILO Global Business and Disability Network’s efforts to promote responsible, inclusive AI that enhances accessibility while preventing bias and discrimination in the workplace.
Colleges Are Running Out of Time on Digital Accessibility (Inside Higher Ed). By the spring of next year, public colleges and universities will be required to make sure all their webpages, online course content and anything in a mobile app is accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance will require serious time and investment, making it prohibitive for many institutions. But the consequences of doing nothing are too serious to ignore.
Disability Rights Enforcement 2025: The Uber Complaint (Convergence Accessibility). At the beginning of the summer, I blogged about possible threats under the current Administration to the new ADA Title II web accessibility regulation. This short blog post reveals the other side of the coin and suggest that, at least as far as disability rights are concerned, we may have less to fear than in other areas of civil rights enforcement. This post isn't directly tied to digital accessibility law and policy. Instead, it talks about accessibility at a slightly higher level.
Guide to organising Covid safer events (Genevieve Cameo). This is a guide for anyone who organises events indoors and wants to keep attendees safe(r) from the life-alterning impacts of Covid-19 and other airborne diseases.
Life After (PBS). Disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport investigates assisted dying and uncovers how ableism, policy, and systemic failures can make death seem like the only option. With gripping stories and a personal mission, Life After explores who gets real choice, and who doesn’t, in life and death.
Neuroinclusive Human Capital Management (Disability In). By 2040, over 40% of the global workforce is expected to identify as neurodivergent. Is your business ready? This new report from Disability:IN draws on qualitative interviews with neurodivergent professionals across regions, roles, and generations. It reveals the framework for human capital management that drives agility, productivity, and long-term business value.
Robots Are Measuring ADA Compliance in Irvine, Calif. (Government Technology). Officials have deployed urban service robots to inspect sidewalk accessibility, in order to take an informed approach to improvements; the project is part of the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act self-evaluation.
The future is assistive: How AI and accessibility will shape the next decade of work (Atos). Imagine a workday where you switch effortlessly between voice, touch, gesture, and even eye or head movement to interact with your tools. That’s the promise of multimodal interfaces, and they’re already reshaping how we communicate and collaborate. The basic two-senses principle of accessibility is the perfect match for multimodal interfaces. At least two ways of interacting must be available: if you can see it on a screen, you should be able to hear it via screen reader or read aloud or touch it via braille or haptic feedback. For people with disabilities, these interfaces aren’t just cool features — they can be the difference between being able to do their job or not.
The Human Costs of Trump’s War on Government (Mother Jones). In my conversations with more than a dozen former federal employees with disabilities who were laid off under the second Trump administration, a common theme emerged: They found the federal government to be an extremely accommodating employer. That added an extra layer of grief to their terminations—would their next job actually support them?
Webinars/Events/Other
Accessibility Summer Camp 2026 Call for Proposals (ASC): Accepting Proposals Until December 19, 2025. Share your accessibility knowledge during our ninth annual virtual conference, Accessibility Summer Camp! This year’s ASC event will take place on June 12th, 2026 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CDT via Zoom. As a conference speaker, you can attend sessions as well as present and engage in valuable networking with like-minded professionals.
Fellowship Program (Lime). 2026 applications are now open. Apply by February 10th!. The Lime Connect Fellowship Program For Students with Disabilities is our flagship program in the U.S. designed for highly accomplished rising juniors/current sophomores with disabilities. This prestigious program guides Fellows through the summer internship recruitment process and connects them with our corporate partners – some of the world’s leading corporations – for potential Summer 2026 internships and more.
How Colleges Can Comply With Web-Accessibility Laws (Chronicle): Wednesday, November 19 | 2 p.m. ET. Colleges are rushing to adopt emerging technologies, but new Department of Justice regulations remind institutions of a more basic imperative: making their websites accessible to all users. With an estimated cost of $7 billion to higher education, the standards (which have been in place since 2018) affect every corner of campus digital life, from course materials to administrative services.
Postsecondary: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (Instructor-Led) (Cast): February 3, 2026 - March 27, 2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm. In today’s diverse classrooms, postsecondary educators have more responsibility than ever. The practical UDL framework, developed by CAST and supported by evidence in learning sciences, helps instructors address the challenges of teaching students with different abilities and from different backgrounds. CAST offers an online, facilitated course to prepare higher education faculty, instructional designers, and administrators to apply the UDL framework in their courses and programs. The course content includes strategies to revamp learning goals, materials, methods, and assessments to remove barriers to learning for students. Upon course completion, participants are eligible to submit a portfolio to receive the Postsecondary UDL Credential.
We’re excited to share Trove Market: a first-of-its-kind e-commerce platform empowering entrepreneurs with disabilities. Here, people can showcase their work, sell their products or services, and connect with customers who want to support their journey. Want to become a seller or know someone who might? Visit the website to learn more and sign up today.
Friday, October 31, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
Disabling Intelligences by Rua M. Williams (Springer Nature). This book discusses the influences of eugenics on the AI industry and the impacts of AI opportunism on disabled people. Why are the negative consequences of so-called AI so consistently directed at disabled and racialized people? Bridging the gap between STS and critical disability studies, the author centers disabled experiences to present a novel framework that helps readers transform their understandings of citizenship, consumerism, social movements, journalism, engineering, research, and scholarship.
Webinars/Events/Other
Supporting Students with Disabilities in Computing Research Webinar. Nov 7, 2025 01:00 PM. You’re invited to join us for Supporting Students with Disabilities in Computing Research, a one-hour webinar focused on practical strategies and recommendations for creating more inclusive research opportunities. Drawing on insights from the AccessUR2PhD mentoring circles and focus groups, we’ll share what students and mentors identified as most effective in supporting undergraduates with disabilities on research and graduate school pathways.
2025 State of Accessibility: EAA benchmarks revealed (IAAP) Nov 4, 2025 06:00 AM PT. Join experts from Siteimprove and the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) as they unveil the findings of our 2025 State of Accessibility report — a comprehensive look at how organisations across Europe are performing now that the European Accessibility Act is in force.
Virtual Town Hall to Protect Children with Disabilities & Protect IDEANovember 4 at 4pm ET . The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) in partnership with disability allies, invites every advocate/parent/educator to participate in a Virtual Town Hall. The event will mobilize communities in support of more than 8 million children with disabilities and to protect the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Parents, educators, and advocates for children with disabilities are all welcome to join.
One Year In: The Impact of the Current Administration on Disability Policy (National Organization on Disability): Nov 6, 202510:00 AM PT. One year after the election, NOD CEO and President Beth Sirull reunites with Charles Catherine and Congressman Jim Langevin to assess the current administration and policy changes, examining their impact on the lives of people with disabilities.
Title II Video Accessibility Compliance 101: What You Need to Know (3Play Media) Wednesday, November 12th at 11am PT. In this 30-minute session, we will unpack the core components of the ruling and what it means for video accessibility. We’ll translate the legal language into clear, actionable guidance so you will have clarity on what’s required.
Friday, October 24, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
How Will ED’s Latest Layoffs Affect Students With Disabilities? (Inside Higher Ed). The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which focuses on ensuring equal opportunity and improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities in the public education system, was among those hardest hit by mass layoffs at the Education Department on Oct. 10. And while most of the media focus has been on how the cuts to OSERS impact the K–12 sector, advocates for those with disabilities say members of the higher ed community will also be affected.
Interested in disability studies? Some introductory recommendations (Beyond the Scope). I’ve been teaching disability studies for just about 5 years now, mostly to undergraduate students, after completing the advanced certificate in disability studies program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. This field has shaped a lot of my thought and work, in particular my teaching, instructional design, and faculty development work. I’ve long felt that college faculty as a general group could significantly benefit from engaging with disability studies, and it is my secret dream to teach a disability studies course specifically for college faculty. Since that is not (currently) on the calendar, I wanted to create this post with some of my recommendations for readings that I would suggest for instructors who are interested in learning more about disability studies.
The State of Critical Race Disability Studies A White Paper Report from the Disabled Scholars of Color Collective (Disability Visibility Project). The Disabled Scholars of Color Collective (DSCC) is a group of disabled scholars of color working in the field of disability studies and beyond. The Collective was created in the context of a gathering of disabled scholars of color in San Francisco, California over Labor Day weekend 2025. Dr. Schalk’s central aim in planning the gathering was to create an accessible and pleasurable experience for thinking together so that critical race disability studies and disability justice were not just the topics of conversation but also shaped the process of the gathering as well.
Voice (RadioLab). Featuring disability rights activist Alice Wong. Over the course of millions of years, human voices have evolved to hold startling power. These clouds of vibrating air carry crucial information about who we are, and we rely on them to push ourselves up and out into the physical world. This week, we’re on a journey to understand how we got our unique sonic fingerprint, the power it affords us, and what happens when it’s taken away.
Webinars/Events/Other
Assistive Technology Specialist (Screen Reader) (10 Hours Per Week, 6 Months/ $80hr). We are seeking a detail-oriented accessibility tester to join our team on a contract basis. This role is ideal for individuals with deep experience in accessibility testing tools and methodologies who are fluent users of screen readers and potentially other assistive technologies (AT) - such as screen magnifiers and voice input tools. Your lived experience or technical background will help ensure our digital products are inclusive, usable, and conform to accessibility guidelines and regulations.
Voices of Lime: Insights into life with ADHD (lime): Nov 4, 2025 10:00 AM PT. Join Lime Connect and Kulin Matchhar, Lime Connect Canadian board member, as he moderates a discussion with Lime Network members who are living and working successfully with ADHD. As a person who identifies as having ADHD himself, Kulin is uniquely positioned to lead the conversation around the challenges our panelists experience – and the strategies and accommodations that have helped them succeed. Through this engaging session, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of ADHD as well as ways in which to support individuals on both personal and professional levels.
Options and Resources for Dealing with Disability Accommodation Concerns (AHEAD) - Tuesday, Nov 4 1:30-2:30 Pacific - Join us for an informative and supportive conversation about navigating disability accommodations in higher education. Our panel of experts and student advocates will share what to do when accommodation requests are delayed, denied, or ineffective. Learn practical strategies for self-advocacy while maintaining your well-being and gain tools to promote disability equity on your campus.
Friday, October 17, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
Autism is not your enemy (LA Times) When people talk about eliminating autism, what they are really debating is whether people like me should exist. But the difference is not a defect. We belong here.
Apple’s New Parkinson’s Ad Shows Why Its Accessibility Ethos Stands Apart (Forbes) Earlier this month, Apple launched the powerful campaign film No Frame Missed, a moving account of how its Action Mode feature is helping individuals living with Parkinson’s disease to record precious moments from their lives.
Artificial Intelligence 101 for AAC Users: Rua Mae Williams, Godfrey Nazareth, and Jordyn Zimmerman (CommunicationFIRST) Artificial intelligence (AI) has much potential for people who need and use AAC – potential that could be good, bad, and ugly. Dr. Williams will be joined by CommunicationFIRST Board members Jordyn Zimmerman and Godfrey Nazareth in this informative introductory webinar and discuss the potential impacts of AI for our community. Dr. Williams is the author of the new book, "Disabling Intelligences: Legacies of Eugenics and How We Are Wrong About Al."
Exploring the Future of Sign Language TechnologiesWe are a team of accessibility researchers interested in understanding individuals’ experiences with interpreting services and sign language technologies. We are looking for d/Deaf and hard to hear users of interpreting as well as sign language interpreters to share their experiences with us. This study will be conducted across different locations (remote or in-person) and participants will be compensated for their time with a gift card. If you are interested in participating, please fill out this quick (5 minute) screening survey to verify eligibility. The Gallaudet IRB has reviewed this study (IRB# IRB-FY25-135).
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt Disability in the Geoscience Workforce Workshop (Zoom) You are invited to a talk by disability superstar Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt - Disability, Inclusion and Representation in Science - Saturday October 18th 10:30 am central (9:30 eastern) on zoom.Dr. Forber-Pratt is a disability activist, former faculty member, 2-time Paralympic medalist and the Director of Research at the American Association on Health & Disability. Dr. Forber-Pratt was formerly the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). As a faculty member, her primary area of research relates to disability identity development and is author on over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous chapters. As a wheelchair-user for over 35 years, and a two-time Paralympian and medalist, Dr. Forber-Pratt is also nationally and internationally recognized as a disability leader and mentor.
Machine Learning / AI Internships (Apple) The Apple ML Accessibility Research team is hiring PhD research interns to start Summer 2026 or sooner. - Areas of focus include sign language, atypical speech, learning and cognitive accessibility, visual accessibility, and responsible AI and disability. We are interested in applicants with either technical, human-centered research or machine learning research backgrounds. Please (1) apply to the central job posting here: Machine Learning and AI Internships and (2) send an email to accessibility-aiml-internship@group.apple.com let us know that you’ve applied.
SIGCSE Virtual 2026 Conference and Program Support - Seeking Volunteers (Google Forms) SIGCSE Virtual 2026, ACM’s Global Online Computing Education Conference, will be held online November 12–15, 2026. We are currently finalizing the Program and Organizing Committees for Virtual 2026, but still have a few openings left. We hope to get some fresh perspectives to help shape this new SIGCSE Conference! To express your interest in volunteering, please fill out the Google form. You may select one or more of the vacant positionsto volunteer.
STARS Computing Core (STARS Computing Core) We are excited to announce the 2025-2026 STARS AI Scholars program for college and university students in computing, AI, and data science and for K-12 educators! This program provides opportunities to learn about AI and how to effectively engage K-12 students in AI education, all while developing leadership skills and connecting with a national network.
Accessible Graphical Representation Interview (Google Forms) We’re a research and design team at the University of Washington developing new assistive technology to make graphs and other visual content more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. We’re looking for participants to join a 30–45-minute interview to share their experiences and ideas. Your feedback will directly help shape our designs to be more useful, usable, and empowering. As a thank you for your time, you’ll receive a $50 gift card after completing the interview. Please share your contact information below so we can schedule a time that works best for you. Thank you for considering helping with this important work!
Friday, October 10, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
‘I Could Literally Be Left Behind to Die’: How a Student With a Disability Changed the Law (NYT). Every time her middle school classmates streamed outside for monthly fire drills, Kira Tiller had to stay behind, worrying about what would happen to her in a real emergency. Flashing bright lights can trigger seizures for Ms. Tiller, who has epilepsy. So her teachers in Gainesville, Va., would send her to a windowless office during drills to avoid the alarm strobes. When her family requested a real emergency plan, administrators just said they would figure it out. She remembers thinking, “I could literally be left behind to die.”
Webinars/Events/Other
2026 Disability:IN NextGen Leaders Program Application (Disability:IN). This online application must be completed by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. The NextGen Leaders Program is a six-month virtual mentoring program that pairs mentors from one of Disability: IN's Corporate Partner Companies with mentees who are college students and recent graduates with disabilities to focus on career readiness and employment outcomes.
Guidelines to evaluate the accessibility of AI coding tools for screen reader users. We are looking for participants (academic researchers, accessibility professionals, and blind or low-vision screen reader users who may be familiar with AI coding tools) for a remote online study to help us understand the utility of our guidelines for researchers and accessibility professionals could use to evaluate the accessibility of AI coding tools for screen reader users. The eligibility criteria and recruitment information are here: Vibe Coding Accessibility Flyer
RESPECT 2026 Volunteer Sign Up- The ACM Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) is the premier venue for research on equity, inclusion, and justice in computing and computing education. They are seeking volunteers (including reviewers! And for accessibility!) for the organizing committee for RESPECT 2026.
Friday, October 3, 2025
Articles/Reports/Books
Human Censored Design (Liz Jackson and Rua Williams). Kat Holmes and the late August de los Reyes came into cahoots after she “heard de los Reyes talking about this idea that Microsoft should be aspiring toward universal design.” The two bonded over a seemingly shared mission – and in time and collaboration with others, “hit upon a vein of design thinking [...] dubbed inclusive design, it begins with studying overlooked communities, ranging from dyslexics to the deaf. By learning about how they adapt to their world, the hope is that you can actually build better new products for everyone else.“
Which Types of Colleges Have the Most Undergraduates With Disabilities? (The Chronicle). The number of institutions where at least one out of 10 undergraduates reported having a disability has risen 50 percent in the past five years. In 2019-20, 375 institutions had 10 percent or more of their students report a disability to the campus’s office of disability services, or a similar office. In 2023-24, 562 colleges fit this description. Students could report having one or more of the following conditions: a specific learning disability, a visual impairment, a hearing difficulty or deafness, a speech impairment, an orthopedic impairment, or another health impairment. The diversity and related offices provide these students with such services as note-takers and American Sign Language interpreters.
Webinars/Events/Other
Digital Accessibility & Neurodivergence in the Workplace (Blind Institute of Technology). Oct 28, 2025 8AM PT. Join Mike Hess, Founder & Executive Director of Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), and Nat Hawley, MSc, Founder of Divergent Thinking, as they host an engaging panel on digital accessibility and neuro-equity in the workplace. Panelists include James Warnken, BIT’s digital accessibility expert, and Elliot Natale, Director of the BIT Academy. Together, they’ll share practical insights into how accessibility and neurodivergence intersect in professional settings – and what organizations can do to design with equity at the center.
GitHub's pledge to help improve the accessibility of open source software at scale (DO-IT): Recording. Given that technology is a ubiquitous and essential part of modern life, and approximately 16% of the human population have a disability, it is critical that people with disabilities are able to contribute to the development of the technology that is used by all. The challenge is that proprietary Assistive Technology products can be very expensive, and people with disabilities are unemployed or under-employed at higher levels than the general population so open-source assistive technology is imperative. This webinar will share information on how GitHub is working to make that happen.
Invitation to Share Experiences and Challenges with using AI/LLM's with Charts - From AccessComputing partner Stephanie Ludi: The purpose of the study is to explore the challenges that users who are blind/visually impaired face when accessing information in scientific and technical charts/diagrams. Time Commitment: 15 minutes of your time.
Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leaders Award (AAPD). Through the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award, AAPD recognizes outstanding emerging leaders with disabilities who exemplify leadership, advocacy, and dedication to the broader cross-disability community.
