Promoting the Successful Participation of People with Disabilities in STEM (2014)

file type icon Promoting the Successful Participation of People with DIsabilities in STEM

February 25-28, 2014
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

The Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (AccessSTEM) coordinates multiple activities to increase the participation of students with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) postsecondary education and career fields. AccessSTEM  is led by the DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center at the University of Washington (UW) and is supported by the Research and Disabilities Education (RDE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grant #HRD-0227995 and HRD-0833504).  

This publication shares the proceedings of Promoting the Successful Participation of People with Disabilities in STEM, an AccessSTEM-sponsored capacity building institute (CBI) that was held at UW in Seattle on February 25–28, 2014. The content may be useful for people who:

  • participated in the CBI
  • want to create a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities in STEM programs and careers
  • want guidance for conducting a CBI at their institution, in their region, or within a national or international forum
  • want to increase their understanding of issues surrounding inclusion and STEM
  • are motivated to engage in an electronic community to discuss these issues
  • would like to access resources to help them make their campus courses, services, and activities more welcoming and accessible to a diverse group of students
  • have promising practices to share with others through future engagement

About AccessSTEM

AccessSTEM helps:

  • K-12 teachers, postsecondary educators, and employers make classroom and employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) accessible to individuals with disabilities, and provides a place to share promising practices
  • students with disabilities succeed in STEM courses and reach critical junctures on paths toward college studies and careers in STEM fields

AccessSTEM builds on established collaborations and brings together practices that have been successful individually, to create a unique and comprehensive set of interventions. AccessSTEM:

  • implements changes within postsecondary institutions to make STEM programs more welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities, including veterans
  • creates and expands engagement of stakeholders (precollege STEM educators, disability services, veteran associations, projects that broaden participation in STEM, and industry and career services) in fostering STEM education and careers that are welcoming and accessible to people with disabilities
  • creates synergistic and lasting relationships among stakeholders to foster systemic changes regarding the inclusiveness of STEM education and careers that are not likely to be made in isolation
  • implements evidence-based practices to increase the numbers of individuals with disabilities moving through critical junctures to STEM careers
  • supports an online resource center that shares research and promising practices worldwide

The lead agency for AccessSTEM is UW’s award-winning DO-IT Center, which has conducted successful NSF projects continuously since 1992. AccessSTEM works with a leadership team of partners that represent stakeholders including postsecondary institutions, precollege STEM educators, disability services, veteran associations, projects that broaden participation in STEM, and industry and career services.