AccessSTEM

Computers, multimedia, software, electronic communication, the web, and other information technologies are common in educational institutions today. The ability to access and use this technology has become essential to full participation of students in academic and other school-related activities. For most educational institutions, accessibility is commonly addressed as an afterthought and on an individual basis, often making it difficult, time-consuming, and costly to provide adequate access.

The Midwest Alliance was funded by the National Science Foundation to increase the number of individuals with disabilities successfully pursuing academic studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Alliance staff recruited students with disabilities into STEM fields in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Through their efforts, they identified several effective methods for recruiting students. They include:

The Kindergarten Bridge program in the Mount Vernon School District serves children of kindergarten-age, providing them with opportunities to learn the academic and social skills necessary to be successful in school. Each child in the program has an individualized education plan (IEP) with goals and objectives developed to meet their needs.

The Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) at Seattle Public Schools serves a wide variety of students with different learning needs.

Growing numbers of educational entities at all levels are embracing the web for delivery of curriculum, as well as for administrative functions, outreach, and communication. Delivering web-based content to a variety of audiences demands a respect for the varieties of technologies that people use to access the web. In addition to the standard combination of computer screen, keyboard, and mouse, many web users with and without disabilities use alternative devices both for providing input to the computer and for perceiving output from the computer.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended in 1998, requires federal agencies to ensure accessibility of software (and other electronic and information technology) that it develops, procures, maintains, or uses. The Access Board published a set of standards to support Section 508. The final standards document, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, includes a "Software Applications and Operating Systems" section.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a web markup language, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). CSS accompanies HTML and gives both developers and users more control over how pages are displayed. CSS allows web developers to separate the appearance of a page (CSS) from its structure and informational content (HTML). This is a good idea since users access content using a wide variety of devices and media. The presentation of a document should therefore not be the same for everyone, but content and structure should be.

In 2005 Dr. Daniela Marghitu launched the Computer Literacy Academy for Children. Based at Auburn University, this free multidimensional computer literacy pilot program is designed to enhance computer knowledge for children with disabilities. Each year the curriculum is developed to focus on increasing computer and communication skills such as grammar, following directions, sequencing, and reasoning.

Kelly Kerr is a teacher of students with visual impairments in the Central Kitsap School District located in Silverdale, Washington. Ms. Kerr wrote a proposal for an AccessSTEM minigrant to support students with visual impairments who are underrepresented in careers in math and science. In her proposal she emphasized that students often fail to pursue math and science because of the lack of accessible curriculum, labs, and manipulatives in these courses. Ms.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), formerly classified as ADD or ADHD, may impact a student's classroom behavior and study skills. Some students with AD/HD will need accommodations to help them achieve academic goals. Students may be the best source of information about their needs; teachers should encourage student input on the best accommodations.