Incorporating Inclusive Design Into Open Education For Data Science

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Abstract:

Designing for inclusion not only reduces barriers to access for the substantial proportion of learners who identify as having a disability or who have other barriers to access, it creates a higher quality educational experience for everyone by increasing options for customization and preference matching. In our process of designing a modular online data science education program tailored to biomedical researchers, we have made inclusion and accessibility a central component of our design. In this lightning talk, we will touch upon a broad spectrum of accessibility concerns, including accessibility for individuals of varying visual abilities, the neurodiverse, individuals with anxiety, and those who do not natively speak English. An overview of our tools and approaches taken thus far will be provided, and we will share some of our favorite resources. We will end with a discussion of unresolved accessibility issues in the data science space and the need for further action.