Improving Opportunities for Students with Disabilities through Cooperative Dissemination

University Of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls IA

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal # HRD-0094986 Institution: University of Northern Iowa Principal Investigator: Gregory Stefanich Title: "Improving Opportunities for Students with Disabilities through Collaborative Dissemination" ABSTRACT This project is a communication/dissemination project for teachers, administrators and teacher educators to improve their knowledge and familiarity with resources for the teaching science to students with disabilities. The project will continue an existing alliance with NSTA to enhance equity for all students in science. The mode of delivery will be a two-day pre-conference program presented at the NSTA Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri on March 20-25, 2001, a sectional presentation at the NSTA meeting, and maintaining an exhibit booth in the exhibition hall throughout the conference. This project will educate professionals providing services to students with disabilities about effective resources, and teaching/assessment strategies. The disability areas addressed will include motor/orthopedic impairments, deaf and hard of hearing, visual impairments, learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, and behavioral disabilities. Information in the areas of assistive technologies, teacher education, research on effective teaching, methods of instruction, materials and programs, evaluation and assessment, and educational organizations and agencies will be disseminated to participants in the pre-conference and to those visiting the exhibit booth. The proposed effort will address responsibilities of educators contained in legislative mandates (i.e. Disabilities Education Act, 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act, 1989, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997), inequities reflected in the literature concerning opportunities in science for students with disabilities, and informational needs of teachers and teacher educators in making science instruction responsive to students with disabilities.