Survey Headaches

In the library profession, and in the world as a whole, the experiences of trans and gender diverse people often go unnoticed, hidden, and ignored. But we are here. Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries is entirely written and edited by trans and gender diverse people involved in the field: its fifty-seven authors include workers from academic and public libraries, special collections and archives, and more; LIS students; and a few people who have left the library profession completely. This book is not intended to be the definitive guide to trans and gender diverse experiences in libraries, but instead to start the conversation. It is our hope that this book will help trans and gender diverse people in libraries realize that they are not alone, and that their experiences are worth sharing. This book also demonstrates some of the reality in a field that loves to think of itself as inclusive. From physical spaces to policies to interpersonal ignorance and bigotry, the experiences recounted in this book demonstrate that the library profession continues to fail its trans and gender diverse members over and over again. You cannot read these chapters and claim that Safe Zone stickers and “libraries are for everyone” signs have done the job. You cannot assume that everything is fine in your workplace because nobody has spoken out. You can no longer pretend that we don’t exist

Test Document for Accessibility Ingesting

Testing document for accessibility ingestion

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

We often learn of successful pedagogical experiments, but we seldom hear of the the ones that failed. For this special session we solicited submissions from the SIGCSE membership, selected the best from among these, and will have presentations at the session by the selected authors. Our contributions describe pedagogical approaches that seemed to be good ideas but turned out as failures. At the session, contributors will describe their pedagogical experiment, the rationale for the experiment, evidence of failure, and lessons learned

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Positive Portrayals of Disabilities in Popular Webcomics: A Small Case Study

The narrow markets for newspapers comics and comic books limits the stories and characters published. However, the unrestricted and burgeoning webcomic community produces comics involving diverse topics, including disabilities. While not all such inclusions are commendable, this presentation provides analysis on how disabilities are positively portrayed in several popular webcomics

Understanding and Supporting the Adoption of Assistive Technologies by Adults with Reading Disabilities

Reading disabilities such as dyslexia are life-long conditions affecting an estimated 5–15% of thepopulation. For adults with these conditions, participation in today¢s information society can be problematic. By using the very digital media that is helping drive this information society, computing technologies may be a viable means of providing reading support and accommodation. For such technologies to be successful,though, they must be adopted into regular use. Unfortunately, studies have shown that 35–50% of all assistive devices are abandoned after purchase. This dissertation explores the many sociocultural, technical, economic, and environmental factors that influence the adoption and usage of assistive technologies by adults with reading disabilities. A key element in these factors is the invisible nature of reading disabilities. People with reading disabilities often choose to not disclose their disability. As using an assistive technology may make one's disability evident to others, choices made about technology usage are complex social negotiations involving issues of identity, normalcy, and disability. The key approach used in this dissertation is Value Sensitive Design. By taking a multidisciplinary perspective and focusing on human values and a diverse set of stakeholder groups, detailed insights are developed for the design and deployment of reading-support tools better suited for adoption and ongoing usage by reading-disabled adults. Specific contributions include the following: * A literature analysis establishing critical value issues involving the multiple stakeholders relevant to reading disabilities. * Case studies derived from online message board discussions and one-on-one interviews involving adults with reading disabilities and the roles of technology and disability in their lives. * Value-based reviews of existing assistive technologies and design guidelines for future development. * A detailed proposal for deploying socially-flexible assistive technologies that address the critical issues of disclosure, privacy, and stigma management among adults with reading disabilities that is based on the use of meta-tools that assist in recommending and integrating other reading tools. This work also establishes Value Sensitive Design as a powerful and beneficial approach for conducting assistive technology research and refines and expands upon the Value Sensitive Design methodology