Demonstration for class

1. Equity Begins with
Recognizing
Diversity
Chris Stephenson
University of Toronto
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

2. Defining the Terms
Fairness
x I get what I want/need.
Justice
x Good people get rewarded and bad
people get punished
Equity
x Everyone gets what they need to
achieve their full potential
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

3. Chris’ List of Scary Words
x Class/ Socioeconomic status
x Ethnicity/Race
x Gender
x Physical abilities/attributes
x Religion/Faith/Culture
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

4. Chris’ Key Concepts
Privilege
x perks we take for granted
Prejudice
x lies we are taught to believe
Preconceptions
x programs we run in our heads which
may have no connection to reality
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

5. What I Offer You Today
Ideas I’ve collected over 16 years of research
on technological equity as it relates to:
x disability
x race/ethnicity
x class/socioeconomic status
x gender
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

6. What I Ask of You Today
x Keep an open mind
x Keep an open heart
x Keep me honest by challenging my
assumptions and programs
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

7. The Science Problem
“ If you are going to be a woman
scientist, you either have to
change how you see science or
how you see yourself”
Suzanne K. Damarin
The Ohio State University
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

8. The Media Message
x All scientists are crazy, or weird, or both:
– the Unabomber
– Rain Man
– Dr. Frankenstein
x Its in the genes.
x Its about torturing small animals.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

9. Defining the Problem
“ We are witnessing the
fracturing of the democratic
institutions that hold us
together. The possibility for an
information underclass is
growing.”
The Benton Foundation Report
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

10. The Costs of Inequity
The creation of groups of technological
have’s and have not’s will have
enormous negative ramifications.
x Economic
x Social
x Moral
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

11. People Without Jobs
x 60% of all jobs..require technology skills
x 75% of all transactions between individuals
and government ..take place electronically.
People without technology skills or
access to electronic communication
will be at considerable disadvantage.”
Goslee, 1998
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

12. Jobs Without People
IT employs more people and creates more
jobs than traditional industries combined.
x 71% of large and mid-sized companies
report that demands exceed skilled
workers
x 1 job waiting to be filled for every 10
x computer programming is expected to
grow by 21 to 35% over the next 10 years
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

13. The Underrepresented
720,000 women work in the IT industry.
They represent 30% of its labour force.
x 81% are white
x 10% are Asian American
x 6% are African American
x 3% are Hispanic
x <1% are Native North American
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

14. Emotional Cost
Inequities of access and use among
segments of the population lead to:
x disenfranchisement
x disillusion
x disintegration of the social fabric
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

15. Examining the Inequities
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

16. Consider the “ability”
and Not the ‘dis’
“ I don’t want to be viewed as
‘normal,’, but, rather as gifted
and unique. Everyone lacks
some ability. We are all gifted
and unique in our own way.”
DO • IT News Vol. 8, No.2
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

17. Defining Disability
The term “disability” itself is problematic.
x educational
x medical/rehabilitative
x social
x cultural
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

18. Disability vs Culture
Many Deaf people reject the entire
idea of disability in favour of self-
defining as part of Deaf Culture.
x a common history
x a visual orientation to the world
x a unique language (ASL)
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

19. Disability in Education
Traditional views of disability are
expanding in education to include
auditory, visual, and behavioural
learning disabilities.
x Greater likelihood that students will be
integrated into regular classrooms.
x Schools are providing new levels of
assisted learning.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

20. Disability in Education
Students with disabilites take fewer
science and math courses. Overall they:
x have lower grade and achievement
scores,
x are underrepresented among those
with degrees,
x are underrepresented in the workplace.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

21. Breaking the Pattern
“If we can provide all students with
true equity of access, we can break
that cycle of the haves and the have
nots. The cycle of welfare..is not an
entrenched society but a pervasive
society. If we can break that
pervasive society, we’ve got it
made.” Sharon McCoy Bell
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

22. Race/Ethnicity Factors
x 32.9% of African American students own a
home computer compared to 73% of white
students
x 9% of African Americans are likely to use
the Web at home compared to 14% of
white Americans
x 2.8% of African Americans are likely to
purchase a home computer compared to
10% of white Americans
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

23. High School Computing
In 1999 11,793 students took the AP
Computer Science “AB” exam
x 9% women compared to 91% men
x 65% were white
x 22% were Asian American
x 5% were African American
x 5% were Hispanic
x 3% were “other”
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

24. College
Students entering public black colleges
are the least likely of all freshmen to
report using the Internet for email and
research.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

25. Socioeconomic Factors
x 20% of students from households earning
less than $30,000 per year have a home
computer compared to 80% in homes with
incomes higher than $75,000
x 43.5 of families on public assistance do not
have telephones
x 50% of female-headed households living
in poverty do not have phones
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

26. It is Where You Come From
Students in areas with a
large portion of poor and
minority students are
much less likely to have
technology access.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

27. Gender Factors
“ Women working in science
and technology are doubly
marked, doubly silenced, and
doubly denied.”
Suzanne K. Damarin
The Ohio State University
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

28. The Generation Between
High school girls are a generation caught
in the middle:
x more career options and expectations,
x more access to technology,
x still subject to enormous peer and social
pressure concerning difference,
x less comfortable with technology than
elementary students.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

29. Lies We Tell Our Daughters
x Girls are different.
x Girls aren’t different.
x Science is neutral.
x Its okay to be smart and a girl.
x Life is fair.
x There are no limitations.
x Having a career doesn’t mean
sacrificing your personal life.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

30. What They Ask Themselves
x How come I feel different?
x Why is science/technology boring?
x If they know I’m smart will they like me?
x Are there going to be any jobs left for me?
x How come my Mom still does most of the
housework as well as her full time job?
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

31. What We Know For Sure
Virtually every study on gender equity and
technology in education concludes that male
and female students are treated differently:
x males receive more attention,
x males receive more praise,
x males have greater access to resources,
x males are encouraged to pursue a greater
variety of careers.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

32. What Really Works
The only thing that seems to guarantee
gender equity and success in science and
technology is single-sex education where
girls do not have to compete for:
x resources,
x attention,
x encouragement.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

33. Thanks for Nothing!
Given that the majority of
young people are in
heterogeneous, multiracial,
multiethnic, integrated,
coeducational academic
settings, what can we do???
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

34. Finding Solutions
Reality checks and attitude adjustments.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

35. Start by Admitting
There is a Difference
x Encourage young people in computing to
express and explore ways in which they
feel different.
x Organize around difference to make it
easier for them to own it.
x Encourage them to begin building support
groups that will help support and sustain
them.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

36. Never Expect Less
Of your students
x encourage high expectations
x give them tools, not excuses
Of yourself
x always be aware of your own programs
x don’t forget, you can’t fix everything but
every day you make a BIG difference
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

37. Specific Suggestions
x Group specific activities/access
x Role models
x Support groups
x Management skills
x Resources
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

38. Role Models
x Model equity in your classroom.
x On-line mentoring programs.
x Classroom speakers.
Try to avoid token over-achievers who
scare young people into thinking they
could never be the perfect rocket
scientist, spouse, parent....
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

39. Just for Us
x Classes
x Project groups
x Lab time
x Mentoring
x Career Counseling
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

40. Celebrating Your
Inner Nerd
x Technology clubs
x Pocket protector day
x Don’t comb your hair day
x Short pants day
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

41. Skills Training
x Time management
x Presentation skills
x Stress management
x Resume/interview preparation
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

42. Resources
x Get the Guidance people on track.
x Explore mass media.
x Get a good guide to careers in computing.
x Novels like Microserfs and 82 Desire.
x Find good technology websites.
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson

43. Why You Are So Important
x Ask any child who their heroes are.
x Now ask any successful adult.
“L’education nous faisait ce que nous sommes”
Helvetius
CS & IT Symposium June 25, 2000
© Chris Stephenson