HETS is pleased to announce its new nonprofit corporate member, Teach Access. A Michigan-based 501(c)(3), Teach Access, collaborates with education, industry, and disability advocacy organizations to address the critical need to enhance students’ understanding of digital accessibility as they learn to design, develop, and build new technologies with the needs of people with disabilities in mind. Teach Access envisions a future where technology is born accessible and inclusive for all.
Teach Access is committed to increased collaboration with historically excluded and underrepresented faculty, students, and institutions through expanded outreach and training efforts. Some of these programs include:
- Seven online, self-paced Accessibility in the Disciplines Courses for educators including an introduction to disability and accessibility and how to incorporate accessibility into teaching various disciplines such as computer science, human-computer interaction, graphic design, UX design, technical writing, and instructional technology. Courses focused on additional disciplines will be released in 2024.
- Teach Access Grants (formerly known as Faculty Grants) has awarded more than $350,000 to faculty in higher education. These awards help instructors infuse concepts of digital accessibility into their current courses by creating materials that can be used to teach, which are then added to the free open educational resource (OER) Teach Access Curriculum Repository, with more than 350 curricular items. New application submission guidelines will be available in early 2024.
- Two virtual student programs to introduce college students to disability and accessibility throughout the academic year. Student Academy and Student Ambassadors program participants learn from Teach Access staff, accessibility experts, disability advocates, and industry partners working to create accessible technology, products, and services.
For all programs and resources, visit: www.teachaccess.org or contact:
Kate Sonka, Executive Director: Kate@teachaccess.org
Rolando Méndez, Director of Education: Rolando@teachaccess.org