What strategies used to recruit other underrepresented groups could be repurposed for use in recruiting students with disabilities to your program, institution, or department?

Many programs, institutions and departments have strategies that they use to recruit individuals from underrepresented groups such as women and racial/ethnic minorities.  Many of these strategies can be adapted for recruiting individuals with disabilities. For example:

• Offer funding to create internships for students with disabilities.
• Make recruitment materials welcoming by including pictures of individuals with disabilities and language that they are encouraged to apply.
• Ensure websites and application materials are accessible.
• Educate faculty and staff on the needs of students with disabilities, how they can be included in the program, the benefits to working with these students, and disability culture.
• Include someone with a disability on your recruiting and leadership team.
• Use peer recruitment practices.
• Share recruitment materials with disability services and veterans services offices.
• Host field trips for high school students with disabilities to visit your department or lab.

For additional information and ideas for recruiting students with disabilities, consult Student Learning Communities: A Promising Practice to Recruit STEM Students with Disabilities and The Center for Emergent Materials: A Promising Practice in Training Faculty to Mentor Undergraduates with Disabilities in Research.