AccessSTEM and Seattle Public Schools
SPS is the largest K-12 school system in Washington State, and serves more than 45,000 students. Leading the efforts of AccessSTEM, I work with SPS leaders to make STEM programs more welcoming and accessible to high school students with disabilities, expand the engagement of stakeholders, implement evidence-based practices to increase the number of students with disabilities transitioning to college, and expand an online resource to share research and promising practices.
Partnering with SPS Administrators, Counselors, Educators, and Parents. AccessSTEM staff attend meetings of the Career and College Advisory Committee, the Transition Planning Committee, and the career center and counseling staff and special education department heads. As a result of these engagements, stakeholders learn how to make classes more accessible, include students with disabilities in activities, and gain access to resources. AccessSTEM hosted SPS technology specialists at the UW's Access Technology Center where they received demonstrations and participated in assistive technology discussions. Parents received information from staff about scholarships, internships, events on college campuses, and provided resources on student self-determination and the transition to college.
Partnering with SPS Students. Nearly twenty students from SPS have joined the AccessSTEM Team to participate in electronic mentoring, learn more about opportunities and challenges in STEM, and hear about academic programs and work-based learning opportunities. Team members are invited to events at local college campuses and STEM businesses.
One such event is AccessSTEM Mentoring Day. This past fall, teachers and nearly 100 students with disabilities participated in this event. Students learned about the skills and education needed to be successful in STEM careers by visiting local companies such as Boeing, Seattle Children's [hospital], the Port of Seattle: SeaTac Airport, Seattle BioMed [research institute], and the UW's power plant. Students met with employees at the different organizations and had the opportunity to ask questions about various jobs and career paths.
Other campus activities that SPS students are invited to attend include
- Seattle community colleges' transition to college events
- UW Access Technology Lab tours
- UW College of Engineering's Discovery Days
- UW College of Engineering learning labs
- UW Math Day
Occasionally, the AccessSTEM project hosts online contests for SPS students. For example, in December 2010, AccessSTEM hosted its second STEM resume contest. Students received a series of online lessons about resumes and were encouraged to send their updated resume to project staff. Prizes were awarded to students with the best resumes.
