Project:Possiblity just hosted the first ever SS12: Code for a Cause. SS12 is a programming competition where teams of students compete to code open source software for persons with disabilities over the course of a weekend. Teams of students working with GNOME’s Caribou took first place at UCLA and second place at USC!
Thanks go to Stanley Lam and Steve Lee for not only making the project happen but getting GNOME involved. Thanks go to GNOME accessibility hacker Ben Konrath for mentoring the students over the weekend.
You can read more about it in this newspaper article, the “existing on-screen keyboard” is GNOME Caribou.
And some pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/projectpossibility/UCLAVsUSCSS122010Day1#
http://picasaweb.google.com/projectpossibility/UCLAVsUSCSS122010Day2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/projectpossibility/UCLAVsUSCSS122010FINAL#
The students from the winning teams will be at CSUN, the 25th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference, where they will meet with the GNOME developers attending CSUN and the GNOME a11y hackfest.
I hope they decide to continue their work on GNOME accessibility – they are doing a great job!
The winners from the finals, held last weekend are:
1st – UCLA Mobile Currency Reader
2nd – UCLA #GNOME Caribou team
3rd – USC Caribou team.
1st & 3rd will be at the CSUN 2010 conference in San Diego on 26/27 March presenting their work and meeting the GNOME a11y team who also have a booth.
Jacquelyn Leong did an amazing job of organising the event