There are limitless ways that senior design projects can help people with disabilities. Many faculty members do this by locating an individual with a disability who is looking to solve an accessibility problem. Students can then work to resolve the issue.
The International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) promotes access, accommodation, and inclusion for students and geoscientists with disabilities. Composed of higher education faculty, staff, and students, geoscience industry representatives, disabilities education researchers and other stakeholders, the IAGD vision is to:
My name is Daniel. As an undergraduate mechanical engineering student, I am required to take a design and manufacturing laboratory course. In this course, students work in teams to build devices using mills, lathes, and other manufacturing equipment. I have high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. At the beginning of the term, I spoke with the instructor about my disability and accommodations.
My name is Jack. I had surgery on my hand when there was about a month remaining in the semester. I was enrolled in courses that are required as part of my major in electrical and computer engineering.
My name is Debra. I am a college student who is deaf. Over the summer, I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates summer program where I helped develop an open-source 3D-printed wrist orthosis for individuals who have had a spinal cord injury. I attended and presented the results of this research at a national conference focused on prosthetics and orthotics.
National Science Foundation grant proposals must include a description of the broader impacts of the proposed work. One consideration is how project activities will promote the full participation of people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). There are many ways to include people with disabilities in your work and to otherwise address access issues for people with disabilities. This might include:
My name is Michael. During spring quarter, I experienced a depressive episode. This episode negatively impacted my concentration, short-term memory, and stamina. My grades suffered as a result.
My name is Brandon. I am a first-year undergraduate engineering student enrolled in a required calculus course. Because of my learning disability, I have accommodations including extra-time and using a four-function calculator on exams. I also use text-to-speech software that allows my computer to read aloud text presented on the screen.
Proceedings of an AccessEngineering Capacity Building Institute created to encourage efforts to make engineering more welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities and enhance engineering curricula with disabilities-related topics.