Apple is introducing its empowering Everyone Can Code for blind and deaf students curriculum to school across the U.S. Beginning this fall, schools supporting students with vision, hearing or other assistive needs will start teaching the Everyone Can Code curricula for Swift.

It started in Austin

“Apple’s mission is to make products as accessible as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We created Everyone Can Code because we believe all students deserve an opportunity to learn the language of technology. We hope to bring Everyone Can Code to even more schools around the world serving students with disabilities.”

As I reported elsewhere today, the Everyone Can Code curricula is compatible with VoiceOver, the most advanced screen-reading technology for people who are blind or low vision.

The company worked with engineers, educators, and programmers from various accessibility communities to make this coding training as accessible as possible.

This work isn’t over – Apple plans to work with schools offering the curriculum to provide additional tools and resources “such as tactile maps to enhance the understanding of coding environments for non-visual learners,” the company said, in a press release.

Empowering one empowers all

iPad and Everyone Can Code can also be used by students with physical motor limitations through Apple’s built in Switch Control, which enables switches, joysticks and other adaptive devices to control what is on your screen.

“Our students were tremendously excited at our first Everyone Can Code session earlier this year,” said Bill Daugherty, superintendent at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin.

“There are more than 10,400 students with visual impairments in Texas, and the development of this curricula is going to be a big step in opening up coding opportunities for our students and those across the nation.”

California School for the Deaf superintendent Clark Brooke said, “We’re thrilled to kick off the partnership with Apple. This program is a great way to bring to life the ideas and imagination of our Deaf students through coding, while also building a foundation for future careers in software development and technology.”

Julie Tye, president and CEO of the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired added, “As the largest educator within the visually impaired community, Hadley knows first-hand how important Apple’s technology is in making daily living easier and more enjoyable. Now, partnering with Apple, we are excited to help even more people learn how to code. Whether for fun or future employment, learning the language of technology can offer tremendous opportunity to everyone.”

The initial list of participating schools includes:

• 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)

In recognition of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 17, Apple is hosting events around the world to promote inclusive design and emphasize how technology can support all people with disabilities, incluing special events at stores worldwide. The company has also updated the accessibility pages on its website.