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Making Science Labs Accessible to Students with Disabilities

PDF Version (326 KB)

by Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

Students with disabilities face access challenges to typical science labs in precollege and postsecondary settings. Access barriers may prevent a student from:

• gaining knowledge,
• demonstrating knowledge, and
• fully participating in lab activities.

There are two approaches to making academic activities accessible to students with disabilities—accommodations and universal design. Accommodations are alternate formats, adaptive technology, and other adjustments for specific students once they are enrolled in a class. For examples of accommodations in science classes, consult the publications Working Together: Science Teachers and Students with Disabilities at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/working.teachers.html and The Winning Equation: Access + Attitude = Success in Math and Science at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/winmathsci.html.

Universal Design

The Center for Universal Design (http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/) defines universal design as "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." Applications of universal design include proactive steps to create an environment that is accessible to people with a wide range of characteristics, including disabilities, thereby minimizing the need for future accommodations. For example, if a science lab contains an adjustable-height workstation, an accommodation will not be needed for a future student who uses a wheelchair that is too high for standard-height workstations. This workstation may also be comfortable for a student who needs to remain seated because of a health impairment or someone who is very tall or short in stature. Universal design can be applied to:

• lab climate;
• physical access, usability, & safety;
• delivery methods;
• information resources;
• interaction;
• feedback;
• assessment; and
• plans for accommodations.

Making accommodations is reactive, whereas universal design is proactive. For more information about universal design of instruction, consult Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/equal_access_udi.html. For other applications of universal design in educational settings, consult Universal Design in Education: Principles, Practices, and Applications at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/ud_edu.html..

Accommodations

Following are examples of accommodations that might benefit a student with a disability.

• Use wheelchair-accessible labs and field sites.
• Talk to a student about special learning needs and accommodation alternatives.
• Provide a lab partner.
• Use plastic instead of glass.
• Allow extra time for set up and completion of lab work.
• Address safety procedures for students with a variety of sensory and mobility abilities.
• Use institutional resources for students with disabilities.

Typical science lab accommodations for students with specific disabilities include those in the following lists.

Blindness

• verbal descriptions of demonstrations and visual aids
• Braille text and raised line images
• Braille or tactile ruler, compass, angles, protractor
• Braille equipment labels, notches, staples, fabric paint, and Braille at regular increments on tactile ruler, glassware, syringe, beam balance, stove, other science equipment
• different textures (e.g., sand paper) to label areas on items

Low Vision

• verbal descriptions of demonstrations and visual aids
• preferential seating to assure visual access to demonstrations
• large-print, high-contrast instructions and illustrations
• raised line drawings or tactile models for illustrations
• large-print laboratory signs and equipment labels
• video camera, computer or TV monitor to enlarge microscope images
• hand-held magnifier, binoculars
• large-print calculator

Mobility Impairments

• wheelchair-accessible field site
• uncluttered lab; clear, wide aisles
• preferential seating to avoid physical barriers and assure visual access to demonstrations
• mirrors above the instructor giving a demonstration
• an enlarged screen
• wheelchair-accessible, adjustable-height work surface
• slip stop mat
• utility and equipment controls within easy reach from seated position
• electric stirrer, container filler
• support stand, beaker and object clamp; test tube rack
• handles on beakers, objects, and equipment
• surgical gloves to handle wet or slippery items
• modified procedures to use larger weights and volumes
• extended eyepieces so students who use wheelchairs can use microscopes
• flexible connections to electrical, water, and gas lines
• single-action lever controls in place of knobs
• alternate lab storage methods (e.g.,"Lazy Susan," storage cabinet on casters)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

• preferential seating to view demos and watch instructor captioning for video presentations
• written instructions prior to lab
• visual lab warning signals

Learning and Attention Disabilities

• combination of written, verbal, and pictorial instructions with scaffolding
• repeated demonstration of procedure and support practice
• frequent brief breaks
• preferential seating to avoid distractions and minimize extraneous stimuli
• scanning and speaking "pen"

Health Impairments

• avoid chemical materials to which student is allergic or provide alternate assignment
• flexible schedule and time allocation

Universal Design Considerations

Some of the accommodation suggestions listed above could be implemented within a lab now, anticipating that at some point a student with a disability may need access to the lab and that some changes may benefit all students. Here are some strategies that could be implemented in a science lab as a part of universal design efforts:

• Provide both written and verbal instructions.
• Give verbal and visual descriptions of demonstrations and visual aids.
• Use plastic instead of glass.
• Allow extra time for set up and completion of lab work.
• Address safety procedures for students with a variety of sensory and mobility abilities, including the provision of visual lab warning signals.
• Make laboratory signs and equipment labels in large print, with high contrast.
• Assure that field sites are wheelchair accessible.
• Maintain wide aisles and keep the lab uncluttered.
• Incorporate an adjustable height work surface for at least one workstation.
• Install a mirror above the location where demonstrations are typically given.
• Use lever controls instead of knobs.
• Install flexible connections to water, gas, and electricity.
• Buy lab products that can be used by students with a variety of abilities (e.g., plastic lab products instead of glass, tactile models, large-print diagrams, non-slip mats, support stands, beaker and object clamps, handles on beakers and equipment, surgical gloves to handle slippery items, video camera with computer or TV monitor to enlarge microscope image).
• Assure that utility and equipment controls are within easy reach from a standing or seated position.
• Provide surgical gloves for handling wet or slippery items.

Additional Resources

DO-IT has created a collection of videos that help math and science teachers make coursework accessible to students with disabilities. They include:

• Working Together: Science Teachers and Students with Disabilities
• The Winning Equation: Access + Attitude = Success in Math and Science
• Equal Access: Science and Students with Sensory Impairments

These titles, along with many other DO-IT videos, may be freely viewed at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/. A DVD with these titles can also be purchased from DO-IT; the order form is located at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Order/video.order.html. Permission is granted to reproduce DO-IT videos and publications for educational, noncommercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged.

About DO-IT

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs such as those in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education.

To order free publications or newsletters use the DO-IT Publications Order Form; to order videos and training materials use the Videos, Books and Comprehensive Training Materials Order Form.

For further information, to be placed on the DO-IT mailing list, or to request materials in an alternate format, contact:

Director: Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

DO-IT Funding and Partners

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under cooperative agreement # HRD-0227995. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Copyright © 2008, 2006, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational, noncommercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.

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Modified: May 7, 2008