Workshop: Broadening participation of persons with disabilities in STEM, October 14-16 2019, National Federation for the Blind, Baltimore, MD

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides participant support for a workshop to be held October 14-16, 2019 at the National Federation for the Blind Headquarters in Baltimore, MD. The purpose of the meeting is to convene stakeholders from the broader impacts and disability services communities to discuss challenges and possible solutions to increase participation of persons with disabilities, who continue to be significantly underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The format of the meeting will be a combination of keynote talks, panel discussions, and small-group brainstorming. Outcomes will include a report on the current status of efforts being undertaken to promote meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities in STEM, e.g., what is being done and what remains to be done. In addition to identifying the areas of need, the report will consider potential ways to move forward toward meaningful solutions. The meeting and the report are expected to spur further research on issues related to improving accessibility to STEM careers for persons with disabilities. This workshop is motivated by the need for new resources to help researchers and others in academic and private sector institutions increase their ability to include persons with disabilities in STEM careers. The meeting is expected to catalyze formation of new collaborations and to build a network of individuals with a shared interest in working together to address this critical national need. Special attention has been given to involving persons with disabilities as organizers and participants in the meeting. The meeting will be accessible for all, and outcomes of the meeting will be widely disseminated via future workshops and resources of the sponsoring organizations, including the National Alliance for Broader Impacts, the Center for Advancing Research Impacts in Society, and the American Federation for the Blind. This award was co-funded by the following: Office of Integrative Activities in the Office of the Director; the Programs in Genetic Mechanisms and in Cellular Dynamics and Function in the Division of Molecular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences Directorate; the Division of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities in the Engineering Directorate; and NSF INCLUDES, which focuses on catalyzing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) enterprise to collaboratively work for inclusive change. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.