Apple has announced that its Everyone Can Code curriculum will be living up to its name, by making it accessible to blind and deaf students, as well as those with other disabilities such as issues with motor skills.
A Swift training program which begins in kindergarten schools, Everyone Can Code started out as a free ebook (available here, with teachers’ guide) before being rolled out to colleges around the world, including a huge rollout in Chicago …
The accessibility initiative for the program is beginning in the fall at eight schools:
- California School for the Blind (Fremont, CA)
- California School for the Deaf (Fremont, CA)
- District 75/Citywide Programs, New York City Department of Education (New York, NY)
- Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (St. Augustine, FL)
- Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Winetka, IL)
- Perkins School for the Blind (Watertown, MA)
- Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Austin, TX)
- Texas School for the Deaf (Austin, TX)
It has been piloted at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, where superintendent Bill Daugherty said that students had been ‘tremendously excited’ by the first session.
Apple says that the program takes full advantage of the company’s existing accessibility features, with some specific tailoring for this initiative.
CEO Tim Cook said that the program was in line with the company’s commitment to accessibility.
It has been warmly welcomed by the participating schools.
The program was announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Apple said that it is also marking the day and rest of the month with store events.
The company recently highlighted a few of the ways that it has worked to make life easier for people with disabilities.
Throughout May, all Apple stores will host accessibility-related events and sessions for customers. On May 17 Apple corporate locations in Cupertino, Austin, Cork and London will also hold events. Since 2017, Apple has held over 10,000 accessibility sessions across the globe.
