K-12 CS for Learners with Disabilities Track
Strategies for Teaching
Accessible CS
Computer science education often treats accessibility as an afterthought. This track flips that narrative. Courses in the CS Everyone K-12 CS for Learners with Disabilities track prepare educators to build learning environments where individual student needs are expected, planned for and supported.
Teaching accessible CS can feel challenging because the field often moves faster than the pedagogical supports needed for universal access. This University of Florida-developed program relieves the burden of constantly tweaking lessons. Instead, we provide you with transformative frameworks to design curricula that are proactively accessible.
Strategies that Fit Your Classroom
We know teachers find the “whack-a-mole” approach to student support exhausting. Chasing technical fixes rather than focusing on instruction is time-consuming, especially without support. Our courses provide a sustainable, proactive framework for teaching accessible CS.
- Develop the specific vocabulary and technical knowledge to explain the “why” behind your instructional choices to administrators and parents.
- Create flexible assessments that allow students to demonstrate computational thinking in multiple ways—whether that is through blocks, text, verbal explanation or physical manipulatives.
- Build a library of accessible resources so you are ready for any student who walks through the door, with the tools available to your classroom.
- Ways to move beyond deficit-based models to focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), ensuring your instruction works for everyone from the start.
- Apply research-backed frameworks, like the POUR Framework (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) and High-Leverage Practices (HLPs), directly to CS lessons.
- Evaluate tools to spot “hidden barriers” in CS platforms before they become classroom crises.
Designed for Everyone
You do not need to be a CS or special education expert to benefit from these courses. In fact, this track is ideal for those who are new to computer science and/or accessible learning.
- K-12 classroom teachers of all subjects
- Special education professionals
- Instructional coaches & paraprofessionals
- Administrators
Asynchronous, but not Alone
We partner with you in your professional growth. Though you work at your own pace over four weeks, our expert instructors are on hand to guide you through any challenges. Successful completion of the 20-hour program earns you a recognized Credly badge and documentation for continuing education credits.
Courses in this Track
This track offers a flexible, but recommended progression. We encourage beginning with the introductory course before moving on to more specialized courses.
All of our courses are aligned with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards to provide a grounded approach for teaching accessible CS.
Intro to K-12 CS for Learners with Disabilities
Our foundational course. Explore the disability in education landscape and create an immediate action plan for teaching accessible CS using UDL and HLP basics.
UDL in K-12 CS Education
Dive deeper into the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Develop strategies to meaningfully incorporate it in your classroom by offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and action & expression.
High-Leverage Practices in K-12 CS
Learn how to establish specific instructional moves—like explicit instruction and scaffolding—that support deeper learning for students.
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Still have Questions about Teaching Accessible CS?
Contact us or visit our K-12 CS for Learners with Disabilities Track FAQ
