Regional Alliances for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
These five-year programs are funded by the Research in Disabilities Education program at the National Science Foundation. Each is an alliance of institutions of higher education and other educational organizations, and each provides resources and technical assistance to make STEM education and careers more accessible to persons with disabilities.
AccessSTEM, the Northwest Alliance for Access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Based at the University of Washington in Seattle,
AccessSTEM is one of a number of projects directed by Sheryl Burgstahler
that involve designing and providing resources and services to support
the learning needs of students with disabilities, particularly at the
post-secondary level. AccessSTEM has as its goal to “increase
the quality and quantity of people with disabilities in STEM careers.” The
many resources and services offered by this alliance, as well as links
to related projects,
can be found on the AccessSTEM Web site: http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/description.html
AccessStem is part of Burgstahler’s DO-IT (Disabilities Opportunities
Internetworking Technology) project. Developed and based at the University
of Washington, DO-IT’s core is a residential summer
program for 20 high school students (DO-IT Scholars) with a variety of
disabilities, some of which are learning disabilities. Students learn
to use technology to keep their disability(ies) from limiting their ability
to engage in rich academic and social communication and leadership opportunities.
During the school year following this first summer experience, DO-IT
Scholars stay connected with the program and each other through the Internet,
and have returned for subsequent summers, serving as DO-IT Ambassadors
to the next cohort of Scholars.
Related programs (DO-IT Pals and Campers) provide more limited opportunities for disabled high school students, and DO-IT Mentors taps college age students and adults as mentoring supports to all of the student programs.
DO-IT publicizes its programs widely at conferences and workshops. It
distributes free informational materials and videotapes, and markets
training materials to organizations that are interested in implementing
similar programs. The DO-IT Web site, linked below, links to many other
resources as well.
http://www.washington.edu/doit
Eastern Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (EAST)
Based at the University of Southern Maine in New Gloucester, Libby Cohen and Nancy Lightbody are principal investigator and project manager, respectively, of this alliance of colleges, universities, and organizations whose overall goal is to increase the number and diversity of students with disabilities receiving degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and ultimately entering STEM careers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The work of EAST includes training and support to teachers and schools using Universal Design for Learning, and assistive technologies (SOLO and Inspiration software, Kurzweil text to speech software, Thinking Reader and Thinking Writer) described in Technology Tools for Students.
For additional information about the work of the Eastern Alliance, see its Web site: http://www.eastalliance.org/
RASEM2: Regional Alliance for Science, Engineering, Mathematics for Students with Disabilities
Based at New Mexico State University
in Las Cruces, and led by William McCarthy and Joseph Misquez, RASEM2
is an alliance of colleges and universities, secondary schools, and
educational organizations in New Mexico and West Texas. Its mission
is “leveling the playing field for students
with disabilities.”
For information about the work of RASEM2, see its Web site
at: http://rasem.nmsu.edu/
Midwest Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Based
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, MIDWEST is a consortium
of educators, scientists, and student service providers from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
and the University of Northern Iowa, under the leadership of Jon Miller
and Mark Leddy. Its mission is primarily to increase the number and quality
of disabled students completing post-secondary education and transitioning
to employment, but its programs reach down into secondary schools and
target students with learning disabilities (among others) for resources
and services. The MIDWEST Web site contains contact information
and program descriptions.
http://www.stemmidwest.org
Most of the Web resources collected on these pages are not affiliated with or sponsored by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). EDC is merely providing those Web resources for informational purposes. EDC cannot guarantee that those Web resources are active or that the content is accurate. As with all Web-based information, links change from time to time. To our knowledge, all links were functional as of July 2006. Please notify Kerry Ouellet at kouellet@edc.org if you experience any problems.
