Helping STEM Students with Disabilities

PERSIST PERSIST

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

Support provided through The National Science Foundation grant # 1129682

Why Are We Here?Part I

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

Students with more severe disabilities in college

Better Accommodation

s

However…They aren’t necessarily going into STEM programs

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?

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Your Turn!

Student PerceptionsHere’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)

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

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

CommunicationIK,R?

Bridging the Gap… A Study of Perceptual

Differences

Pilot StudyPerception of ‘Readiness’ for Employment

  Student Perception(N= 40)

Employer Perception(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%

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

Program MethodElement 1 Soft Skills Learning Modules

(Critical thinking, Interpersonal effectiveness, Problem solving)

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

Element III Mentor-Protégé Experience

Break time….(sort of)

Blindness Simulation

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

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.

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.

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

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’

PersistencePart IV

Cumulative Issues

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

….it’s EVERYTHING in combination.

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 feedbackoNOBODY like constructive criticism…so

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

brainstorm together without judgment

• Relationship mattersoHow you say it as important as What

you say.

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