DO-IT Work Cited in Article by the National Institutes of Health

Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published an article called “Barriers to Inclusion of Individuals with Disabilities in the Workplace." The article described access barriers faced by individuals, as well as institutional barriers such as limited resources for staff training and purchasing accessibility-related technology. The article stated that including people with disabilities “is not just a matter of fairness or following the law, it’s also important for the advancement of science. Including individuals with disabilities means including people who have different ways of thinking, different viewpoints, and different skill sets.”

DO-IT work cited in the article included an American Behavioral Scientist article called “Broadening Participation by Including More Individuals with Disabilities in STEM: Promising Practices from an Engineering Research Center,” which was developed through DO-IT’s partnership with the UW’s Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) and work with the CNT Education Director, Dr. Eric Chudler.

Also referenced was the DO-IT online book Perspectives of STEM Students with Disabilities: Our Journeys, Communities, & Big Ideas, in which students with disabilities talk about their experiences pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The 96-page book provides an in-depth exploration of the student perspective as well as their goals for making the world a better place through their careers.

The NIH is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the nation’s medical research agency—making important discoveries that improve health and save lives while providing perspectives, tools, and resources to improve the quality and usefulness of information about science and health for the public.