Past Study Away Events

2022 Virtual Study Away

The 2022 Teach Access Virtual Study Away will be a 5 week program, beginning on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. During this program, students will learn about accessibility while interacting with Teach Access industry partners such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, LinkedIn, Walmart, etc.

The 2022 Virtual Study Away program is being offered for free to accepted applicants.

2022 Program Schedule:

  • Session 1: Tuesday, April 12, Kick-Off Welcome Event
  • Session 2: Tuesday, April 19, Introduction to Accessibility
  • Session 3: Tuesday, April 26, Accessibility & Inclusive Design
  • Session 4: Tuesday, May 3, Accessibility & Innovation
  • Session 5: Tuesday, May 10, Accessibility & Advocacy

All sessions will take place virtually on Zoom from 7:00pm-9:15pm Eastern Time (4:00pm-6:15pm Pacific Time)

2021 Virtual Study Away

In 2021, for the first time, the Teach Access Study Away program was held virtually, allowing students from around the country to participate safely from home or school. Despite the change in format, the program still provided an experience where students learned accessibility fundamentals, got hands-on experience, and had quality networking opportunities with industry members and other students in the program.

The program kicked off on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 and was followed by four weeks of curriculum delivered synchronously and asynchronously. Throughout the program, there were several opportunities to practice and engage with the material during structured team-based activity challenges. The program culminated in an optional hackathon, with the winning team recognized on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 20, 2021. 

Study Away 2021 Participating Teach Access Companies

  • Apple
  • EY
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • LinkedIn
  • Microsoft
  • Spotify
  • Verizon
  • Verizon Media
  • Walmart

Study Away 2021 Participating Teach Access Universities

  • California State University, Northridge
  • Marshall University
  • Michigan State University
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Sonoma State University
  • University of Colorado, Boulder
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Southern California
  • University of Washington

2021 Accessathon Winners

1st Place Winner

Green Team: Classroom Communication Tech Tool 

  • Cole Inniss – Rochester Institute of Technology 
  • Gary Tubbs – Michigan State University 
  • Harsh Jain – Rochester Institute of Technology 
  • Imari Cheyne Tetu – Michigan State University 
  • Kamryn McKenzie – University of Southern California
  • Lilian Coutts – University of Washington

2nd Place Winner

Red Team: Indoor Navigation Application

  • Avigna Tatineni – Michigan State University 
  • Grady Thompson – University of Washington 
  • Katie Albus – Michigan State University 
  • Qixin Ding – University of Washington 
  • Randall Le – University of Southern California
  • Sagarika Verma – Rochester Institute of Technology 
  • Vijayalaxmi MP – University of Washington 

3rd Place Winners

Blue Team: Mental Health and Accessibility 

  • Adrienne Moon – Sonoma 
  • Albert Kim – University of Southern California
  • Emily Lin – Michigan State University 
  • Emma Sadjo – University of Washington 
  • Harshitha Padiyar – University of Southern California

Orange Team: AccessaNote – Improving DSP Note Taking Services 

  • Brittnay Stahl – Michigan State University 
  • Claire Jaesook Lee-Kim – University of Washington 
  • Han Feng – University of Washington 
  • Jay Goettman – University of Southern California
  • Mohamed Alhaddad – Michigan State University
  • Winfield Zhao – University of Southern California