DO-IT Staff Engage with Other NSF-Funded Projects
In June, Scott Bellman and I represented three projects in which DO-IT is engaged that are funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Human Resource Development—AccessSTEM, the RDE Collaborative Dissemination Project, and PEERs, all linked from www.uw.edu/doit. We listened to simulating presentations, engaged in lively discussions and learned about future directions of the NSF. I led a panel with a representative from each of the alliances funded by the Research in Disabilities Education program under HRD. Each project shared evidence-based activities in which they have engaged students with disabilities, including internships, think tanks focused on veterans with disabilities, online learning opportunities, mentor and peer support, academic coaching, and student learning communities. They shared their motivation for engaging students in the activity, components of the intervention, evidence of success, and lessons learned. It is expected that NSF support of activities such as these will increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and improve these fields with the talents and perspectives of individuals with disabilities.