One of the significant benefits of membership in Teach Access is the opportunity to impact the future of digital accessibility. Teach Access members commit to participate in one or more Task Forces and to join their colleagues across industry, academia and advocacy as we work towards making accessibility mainstream.
Teach Access members employ their knowledge and expertise to drive a future in which accessible technology is the norm. The following briefly describes our current working Task Forces and their goals:
Members of the University Task Force engage with leaders in academia to encourage and support curricular infusion of accessibility knowledge and skills in courses and programs from computer science, design, UX and other disciplines. This includes the use of existing as well as newly developed materials. The resulting enhanced curriculum will include the necessary skills required for designing and developing technology that is accessible to all. In 2019, Teach Access awarded Faculty grants to 20 professors across the U.S. to support this effort. The Faculty Grant program will continue in 2020. This coursework will be shared in a repository in keeping with our mission to make our advances and innovations open source.
Our Industry Task Force participants focus on our partnership with Industry leaders. Teach Access member companies have the power to influence the growth of accessibility coursework and curricular material at the university level via their hiring standards and recruitment strategy. Our current workforce is severely lacking in accessible design and development skills and the demand for that expertise continues to grow. The Industry Task Force team plays a vital role in creating the demand for workers who can create products that everyone can use.
The Students Task Force engages with students to create excitement around the potential opportunities for graduates with accessibility skills. Among other efforts, this Task Force is responsible for our annual Study Away Silicon Valley (SASV) program. SASV brings together students, industry leaders and faculty to explore the field of accessibility. At Study Away, students are given the unique opportunity to work together and with industry leaders to address an accessibility challenge. This opportunity for experiential learning allows students to bring the knowledge they acquire in the classroom to practice. The SASV program continues to grow and has resulted in the creation of student professional networks, better awareness of career paths in accessibility and a better understanding of Silicon Valley culture and success models.
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