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SPEAKER: Virtual Access to Informal STEM Learning.
CLARA 1: Informal learning, the practice
of learning outside traditional academic settings,
has often been restricted to in-person experiences
at institutions, like museums and community centers.
In the last decade, informal learning institutions
have greatly expanded their programming
to include virtual content.
Virtual programming has many benefits,
including increasing access for individuals with disabilities.
In this video, interns from the NSF-funded Access
to Informal STEM Learning or AccessISL project
explore how virtual programming can
be used in informal STEM learning programs
and institutions.
CLARA 2: Due to the current pandemic,
virtual programming has become widespread by necessity
as many people are working and learning from home.
Virtual spaces present and create
opportunities for engaging with different modes
of communication and interaction,
which can accommodate people of different access needs.
Informal STEM programs would benefit
from taking a wide range of needs
into account, starting from the very beginning of the program
design process.
MALIKAI: Virtual spaces avoid some
of the infrastructural and societal barriers
that hamper traditional programs,
such as transportation as people can participate
from their own home.
Individuals who are experiencing severe immune challenges
can also participate with less fear as contact with others
is reduced.
Finally, individuals who may not be
able to access the program in the limited social confines
of traditional hosting spaces can instead
participate from comfortable environments
with a variety of tools, supports, and regulation
strategies available.
DILLYN: When creating virtual programming,
it is important to consider how participants
will be able to access the program asynchronously.
Recording the programming and hosting it
on your website or YouTube channel
enables more people to engage in the program at their own pace,
in their own time zone, or when it is convenient for them.
Most virtual meet-up programs have a record function,
including Zoom, making it easy to upload program content.
ROCHELLE: Virtual offerings provide great opportunities
for accessibility tools, like alternative communication,
note-taking, and captions.
For example, integrated chat features
allows non-speaking participants more equitable
access to communication.
And applications, such as Zoom and Google Meets,
are increasingly offering automated live captions.
ELLIE: While the recommendations described in this video
provide a starting point for building accessible virtual
programming, meaningful accessibility is more than
the sum of its parts.
ISL practitioners must consider the accessibility of their work
at all levels of program design in order
to build meaningful experiences.
SPEAKER: To learn more about accessible and inclusive
informal STEM learning, visit the AccessISL website,
at uw.edu/doit/programs/accessisl
AccessISL is funded by the National Science Foundation,
grant number DRL-1906147.
Any questions findings and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the views
of the federal government.
Copyright 2022.
Permission is granted to copy these materials
for educational non-commercial purposes
provided the source is acknowledged.
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