The Challenge:

Students Jose, Rebecca and Brian each had a profound effect on my life as a person and an educator. Each one of these multitalented students had a disability that profoundly affected their lives. Their STEM talent and interest was recognized by their science teacher. The teacher contacted me about them as I oversaw recruiting students for a STEM research course. I contacted them and was immediately convinced that these students were waiting to find a class to express their profound interest in science and math. One of the students, who used a wheelchair, became a member of an engineering team that designed a unique shopping cart for those who use a wheelchair. Another student, who had autism. loved engineering and just this year graduated with an MS in engineering. The other student, who was visually impaired, completed a PhD and loved biology and computer science and is now a senior scientist at a pharmaceutical company.

Sometimes students with disabilities get overlooked or not exposed to advanced STEM courses. The challenge for educators and parents is to cultivate, encourage and provide opportunities for all students who demonstrate an interest in STEM. I found that as a teacher I must actively search and talk to and be open to all students, parents and teachers about the wonderful opportunities for students in the world of STEM.

A Solution:

My blog posts and website are for everyone. I do not categorize students in such a way that they would be discouraged from being involved in any STEM activity. The solution to bringing down barriers to STEM opportunities for young people is that there should not be barriers. A particular disability should not exclude a student from engaging in almost any STEM activity, our job as parents and educators is to modify and adjust and work with students and families to figure out how to make all science activities accessible. Check out this link from Science Buddies, “STEM is for Everyone! Supporting Inclusivity in Science Education”  It includes stories about scientists with disabilities and has some general advice (some links do not work). Another useful site is AccessSTEM, a program out the University of Washington.

Resource:

STEM is for Everyone! Supporting inclusivity in science education - https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/scientists-with-disabilities

DO-IT, Disabilities, Internetworking, and Technology - https://www.washington.edu/doit/

Supporting Persons with Disabilities in STEM, National Science Foundation - https://new.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/broadening-participation/supporting-persons-disabilities-stem