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Helping STEM Students with Disabilities 

Kathleen M. Deery, PhD, CRCMichael Lawler, MSLaura McCullough, PhDGracia Larson, MS, CRC, PVE

Why Are We Here?

Part I

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Here are the facts….

• National need for more STEM professionalso Need to draw from underrepresented groups (women, minorities

& PWD)

• Low rates of success among students with disabilities in STEM workforce (7%) o 14% of the entire US labor force (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

2009)

• The problem is widespread…therefore the solution needs to be widespread

Evolving Needs 

We are teaching a more 

challenging student

We are teaching a more 

challenging student

Better Accommodations

Better Accommodations

However…They aren’t necessarily going into STEM programs

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Disabilities in STEM programs……

• Learning Disabilities (LD)• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

(ADHD)• Mental Health Disability

o depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

What does that look like?

I susgect th at thechil b wi tha learn ing disadility mu stfre quent lyex ger ienoea

n alicein won berl an bex is ten ceof the wef in b tba tthe ymu st co ge witha n unsta dlew or lb in consistentabul tsa nd haphaza r b gerceg tionsthey rec on Fuseb dyth erca zys ym dols we piv them gress ureb dy t he leng tho ft imei nwic hto b oi tamb frus tra ted dy regea teb fa ily restheybo no tlear no hetra bit lon alw ayamb sow ern u stte achth embif Ferently.

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Your Turn!

Student Perceptions

Here’s What They’re Saying About Instructors….

• Lack of Awareness• Indifferent Attitude• Unrealistic Expectations• Poor Response to Feedback• Unwillingness to Share Responsibility

(fear of favoritism)

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Millennials and Generation Y

How are they different?

• Product of ‘power-parenting’• Feel special • Highly social – need to connect• Seek partnership & consensus• Expect social promotion

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Generational Challenges

• High expectations - can feel like entitlement• Multi-tasking is a way of life• Zero tolerance for delays• Crave immediate feedback, reinforcement &

structure • Not used to speaking for themselves• Fear of failure

Digital Learning (OMG)And the Impact on Communication

IK,R?

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Bridging the Gap… A Study of Perceptual 

Differences

Pilot Study

Perception of ‘Readiness’ for Employment

StudentPerception(N= 40)

EmployerPerception(N= 680)

Difference

Technical Knowledge 98% 53% 45%

Job Seeking Skills 75% 46% 29%

Cover Letter & Resume 94% 53% 41%

Oral Communication 86% 50% 36%

Reading & Writing 87% 52% 35%

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Next Steps….• NSF Grant: Soft Skills – Hard Science• Value of mentoring• Use of modern technology

Program Method

Element 1  Soft Skills Learning Modules(Critical thinking, Interpersonaleffectiveness, Problem solving)

Element II  Work‐Based Learning (Co‐op or Internship)

Element III  Mentor‐Protégé Experience 

Break time….(sort of)

Blindness Simulation

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Accommodation: Level the Playing Field, 

Don’t  Lower the BarPart III

Gracia Larson, MS, CRC, PVEMinnesota State Services for the Blind

Accommodation: 

The Letter(s) of the Law

504

ADA

508

UDL

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Educational Accommodation Strategies

Two Levels of Accommodating Students

1. UDL: Universal Design for Learning

• Accessible Design of Facilities and Environment

• Digital Formatting of Material/Content

• Preparing students and teachers to apply UDL concepts

2. Individualized Accommodations for Students

• Needs identified through specialized assessment

• Non-device approaches/strategies

• Commercially available devices

• Commercially available with modifications

• Custom designed products

Lawler, 2008

The UDL ModelKey Ideas:

•Student diversity, high standards, and accountability challenge teachers to help all students achieve.

•New insights into the learning brain shed light on learner differences and effective uses of technology.

•UDL seizes opportunity of evolving technologies to create flexible methods and materials that can reach diverse learners.

•Instilling flexibility into methods and materials maximizes learning opportunities

•UDL is not "just one more thing;" it is an integral component of improving student learning, compatible with other approaches to education reform.

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Flexible Instructional Media

Key Ideas:

•Learners’ capacities are defined by abilities and tools. 

•Traditional materials and media, come in “one size” for all. Inflexible media actually create barriers to learning. 

•New classroom media, like digital text, sound, images, and the World Wide Web, can be adjusted for different individuals and can open doors to learning. 

Universal Design for Learning

Key Ideas: The key to helping students achieve is identifying and removing barriers from our teaching methods and curriculum materials. The UDL framework proposes three kinds of flexibility: 

• To represent information in multiple formats and media. 

• To provide multiple pathways for students’ action and expression. 

• To provide multiple ways to engage students’ interest and motivation. 

The three UDL principles, implemented with new media, can help us improve how  we set goals, individualize instruction, and assess students progress.

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Human Performance Model

ContextPsychoSocial ‐ Physical

HumanSensory – Cognitive ‐Motor

ActivitySelf Care – Work – School

Leisure/Play Assistive TechHuman/Technology Interface

Processor – Environmental InterfaceActivity Output

Context

Human

Activity Assist

Tech

(Bailey, 1983)

Who’s responsible for 

accommodation?

• Entitlement versus Eligibility

• High School and College Differences

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Under- & Over-Accommodation• Who decides what’s reasonable?• Pressure for Social promotion

Middle Ground Solutions• Cost, time, access• Negotiation

Dexterity & LearningInstructions:1. Place two pair of gloves on (one over the other)2. Duct tape together three middle fingers on each

hand3. Form a small group and select one person to be

the ‘instructor’

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PersistencePart IV

Cumulative Issues

It’s not just one thing – disability, perception, generational differences, soft skills, or accommodation…

….it’s EVERYTHING in combination.

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Reaching Out

• If they don’t know there is a problem, they can’t change it.

• Don’t overlook the elephant in the room• Stepping lightly around sensitive issues• Tough love vs. setting up for failure

Nobody Said Life Was Fair

• Provide authentic feedbacko NOBODY like constructive criticism…so

don’t do ito Find a way to examine the issue and

brainstorm together without judgment

• Relationship matterso How you say it as important as What you

say.

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Be human. Be forgiving. Be honest.

Additional Resources

• Searchable Online Accommodation Resources https://askjan.org/soar/disabilities.html

• National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) Online Accommodations Bibliography

http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/AccommBibliography/AccomStudies.htm

• Reasonable Accommodations for People with Psychiatric Disabilities (Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation)

http://www.bu.edu/cpr/reasaccom/• Academic Supports for Individuals with ASD

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/?pageId=3417• Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to

Practice (Burgstahler & Cory, 2010) http://www.hepg.org/hep/Book/83

© 2008 by CAST. All rights reserved.APA Citation: CAST (2008). Universal design for learning guidelines version 1.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

Use multiple means of engagementUse multiple means of expression

iii. Engagementii. ExpressionUse multiple means of representation

i. Representation

Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence

Provide options for recruiting interest

Provide options for self-regulation

7.

8.

9.

Options that guide personal goal-setting and expectations

Options that scaffold coping skills and strategies

Options that develop self-assessment and reflection

Options that increase individual choice and autonomy

Options that foster collaboration and communication

Options that increase mastery-oriented feedback

Options that heighten salience of goals and objectivesOptions that vary levels of challenge and support

Options that enhance relevance, value, and authenticity

Options that reduce threats and distractions

Options in the media for communication

Options in the tools for composition and problem solving

Options in the scaffolds for practice and performance

Provide options for expressive skills and fluency

Provide options for physical action

Provide options for executive functions 6.

4.

5.

Options in the mode of physical response

Options in the means of navigation

Options for accessing tools and assistive technologies

Options that guide effective goal-setting

Options that support planning and strategy developmentOptions that facilitate managing information and resourcesOptions that enhance capacity for monitoring progress

Provide options for perception1.

2.

3.

Options that provide or activate background knowledge

Options that highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships

Options that guide information processing

Options that support memory and transfer

Provide options for language and symbols

Provide options for comprehension

Options that customize the display of information

Options that provide alternatives for auditory information

Options that provide alternatives for visual information

Options that define vocabulary and symbols

Options that clarify syntax and structure

Options for decoding text or mathematical notation

Options that promote cross-linguistic understanding

Options that illustrate key concepts non-linguistically