How Media Portrays Disabled Software Developers

This project examines how disabled software developers are portrayed in the media. Especially focusing on the challenges they face and the efforts to empower them. Inspired by the paper “Is 40 the New 60? How the Popular Media Portrays the Employability of Older Software Developers,” the project aims to analyze media content, articles, blogs, and videos, to identify recurring themes, challenges, and the portrayal of disabled software developers. The objectives are to:

1. Investigate how the media depicts disabled developers.
2. Highlight the issues and barriers discussed in media portrayals.
3. Explore how accessibility initiatives, such as GitHub’s features, are represented in these discussions.

Tasks

1. Collect media content, including articles, blogs, and videos, discussing disabled software developers and accessibility tools.
2. Apply qualitative coding to identify themes like:
3. Barriers faced by disabled developers.
4. Accessibility efforts aimed at empowering this group.
5. Assess how media narratives align with corporate efforts like GitHub’s accessibility features.
6. Focus on specific tools such as global navigation, code search, and GitHub Copilot.

Deliverables

A document summarizing:

1. Themes in the media’s portrayal of disabled developers.
2. Comparative analysis between media narratives and organizational accessibility efforts.
3. Include suggestions for future research directions on media portrayals and their influence.

Resources

General news outlets and blogs discussing accessibility and disability in software development. https://github.com/readme/featured/open-source-accessibility

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/celebrating-ndeam-vs-code-visual-studio/

https://medium.com/illumination/breaking-barriers-building-inclusion-empowering-disabled-software-engineers-in-the-tech-industry-4f399718d872

https://github.blog/news-insights/company-news/github-celebrates-developers-with-disabilities-on-global-accessibility-awareness-day

GitHub’s blogs and YouTube content on accessibility (e.g., GitHub Blog, GitHub YouTube). https://github.blog/news-insights/company-news/empowering-all-developers-to-build-without-barriers/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0bTYYBsbLM&ab_channel=GitHub