WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:02.800 --> 00:00:05.880 [Music] 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:12.300 Engineers design, create and innovate. 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:15.910 From airplanes and cars to robots and electronics, 00:00:15.910 --> 00:00:19.230 engineers design products we use every day. 00:00:19.230 --> 00:00:22.099 There’s a great demand for skilled engineers 00:00:22.099 --> 00:00:27.099 with a strong academic background and work experience. 00:00:27.099 --> 00:00:30.149 Increasing the participation of people with disabilities in engineering 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:31.970 can help to meet this demand. 00:00:31.970 --> 00:00:36.510 People with disabilities are problem solvers 00:00:36.510 --> 00:00:39.129 and engineering is about solving problems 00:00:39.129 --> 00:00:40.670 and improving quality of life 00:00:40.670 --> 00:00:46.120 and designing environments and structures and devices to help people. 00:00:46.120 --> 00:00:50.019 And we’re experts at that because we do it every day in our lives. 00:00:50.019 --> 00:00:54.170 A lot of society isn't really built 00:00:54.170 --> 00:00:58.429 to be accessible for a blind person so, throughout my life, 00:00:58.429 --> 00:01:02.920 I either talk to role models about how they have solved a problem 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:05.250 or I have to figure it out myself. 00:01:05.250 --> 00:01:07.970 I think that the problem-solving fits really naturally 00:01:07.970 --> 00:01:09.660 into an engineering discipline. 00:01:09.660 --> 00:01:13.440 So, just increasing, when you're thinking about putting together 00:01:13.440 --> 00:01:17.010 the best possible team to work on an engineering problem, 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:19.659 you want as many different ideas coming to the table as possible. 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:21.660 You will find a lot of individuals 00:01:21.660 --> 00:01:26.960 with varying levels of dis-Ability think differently about solving problems 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:28.540 because they have to 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:31.700 and just by inserting that into the conversation, 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:34.920 inserting that into the way that you practice engineering, 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:36.460 it's going to change the game. 00:01:36.460 --> 00:01:37.690 It's a game changer 00:01:37.690 --> 00:01:40.920 and we need that type of game changing attitude in the U.S. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.950 to meet those innovation challenges that we're going to face. 00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:48.030 It's important for people with disabilities 00:01:48.030 --> 00:01:53.110 to go into engineering fields because they've experienced problems themselves 00:01:53.110 --> 00:01:57.280 and they probably have ideas on how to fix that and what to do. 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.450 Human ability varies across a wide spectrum 00:02:00.450 --> 00:02:03.890 including individuals with visual impairments, 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:07.390 hearing impairments, learning disabilities, 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:11.200 autism spectrum disorders, attention deficits, 00:02:11.200 --> 00:02:12.910 and mobility impairments. 00:02:12.910 --> 00:02:16.140 I have a physical disability, 00:02:16.140 --> 00:02:17.140 I ride a wheelchair. 00:02:17.140 --> 00:02:22.569 I have high functioning autism spectrum disorder. 00:02:22.569 --> 00:02:26.020 I'm profoundly deaf. 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:28.820 I grew up with two hearing aids 00:02:28.820 --> 00:02:35.340 and then last year, when I was 17, I got a cochlear implant on my right side 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:38.530 because I wasn't hearing anything through my right ear. 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:41.050 Yes, I'm in a wheelchair 00:02:41.050 --> 00:02:45.590 but being in a wheelchair shouldn't have any impact whatsoever 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:48.100 on my ability to do my job. 00:02:48.100 --> 00:02:52.170 So, in that sense, I'm just the same as everybody else 00:02:52.170 --> 00:02:56.260 so I don't think I should have any sort of, 00:02:56.260 --> 00:02:58.800 I don't think I should be treated any different. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:00.890 I mean, there's a job that has to be done. 00:03:00.890 --> 00:03:02.819 Yes I have an engineering background and 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:05.870 I can do it just as successfully as anyone else. 00:03:05.870 --> 00:03:09.620 I think one of the challenges for individuals with disabilities 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:11.630 is low expectations. 00:03:11.630 --> 00:03:16.230 We all have different levels of ability but often, I think, people make assumptions 00:03:16.230 --> 00:03:18.260 based upon whether you move a certain way 00:03:18.260 --> 00:03:23.450 or if you use assistive technology during your daily life. 00:03:23.450 --> 00:03:28.140 I don't meet enough engineers with disabilities. 00:03:28.140 --> 00:03:33.620 For example, on my campus, I am usually the one person that people go to, 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:35.730 “Oh we need your feedback about this. 00:03:35.730 --> 00:03:37.190 Is it accessible?” 00:03:37.190 --> 00:03:41.650 I think that people with disabilities still have to make a concerted effort 00:03:41.650 --> 00:03:44.970 to find role models who are engineers. 00:03:44.970 --> 00:03:48.459 Assistive technology and reasonable accommodations 00:03:48.459 --> 00:03:51.480 can make it possible for individuals with disabilities 00:03:51.480 --> 00:03:56.340 to successfully pursue education and careers in engineering. 00:03:56.340 --> 00:04:00.640 I was able to get more time on examinations, 00:04:00.640 --> 00:04:05.709 which was extremely helpful. 00:04:05.709 --> 00:04:07.910 Which gave me time to think on a problem, 00:04:07.910 --> 00:04:13.250 not be compressed in a very short time span to complete a problem, 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:18.739 have a very low distraction environment. 00:04:18.739 --> 00:04:20.870 I was in a room all by myself. 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:26.699 In school I use an interpreter, a sign language interpreter, 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:30.349 and also have a note taker for each of my classes 00:04:30.349 --> 00:04:32.439 whenever I request one. 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:34.770 So a talking calculator 00:04:34.770 --> 00:04:37.379 it's a great tool not just for someone with a visual impairment 00:04:37.379 --> 00:04:42.779 but for someone with dyscalculia who has trouble flipping numbers around. 00:04:42.779 --> 00:04:48.820 I was even able to attend a machine shop class, 00:04:48.820 --> 00:04:54.650 working with a lathe and end mill, non-computer controlled, hand controlled, 00:04:54.650 --> 00:04:58.090 largely because the faculty who taught that class 00:04:58.090 --> 00:05:04.979 were open-minded and really allowed me to dictate my limits. 00:05:04.979 --> 00:05:09.630 Instructors can make their classes accessible to all students 00:05:09.630 --> 00:05:14.550 by applying universal design, designing their classes and lessons 00:05:14.550 --> 00:05:18.159 so all students have equal access to the information. 00:05:18.159 --> 00:05:22.400 Captioning on videos, 00:05:22.400 --> 00:05:28.610 not only is that great for students who might have hearing loss or are deaf, 00:05:28.610 --> 00:05:32.270 but students who are not native speakers of English 00:05:32.270 --> 00:05:34.379 often use the captions when they are watching a video 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:37.039 so you know that's a great example of universal design 00:05:37.039 --> 00:05:39.539 that's benefiting all kinds of people. 00:05:39.539 --> 00:05:43.009 So for a student with a learning disability 00:05:43.009 --> 00:05:44.009 in reading for example, 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:47.900 if they have the opportunity to gain the information 00:05:47.900 --> 00:05:51.580 from an engineering design perspective instead of just reading a textbook, 00:05:51.580 --> 00:05:52.580 they're going to excel more 00:05:52.580 --> 00:05:55.559 and they're going to feel more successful in that area. 00:05:55.559 --> 00:05:58.990 Many of the new educational techniques 00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:01.039 that incorporate active learning 00:06:01.039 --> 00:06:05.659 and involving many different types of educational material 00:06:05.659 --> 00:06:07.830 really not only help individuals with disabilities, 00:06:07.830 --> 00:06:09.900 but all students. 00:06:09.900 --> 00:06:13.930 Each year as you teach a class you can introduce some of these changes, 00:06:13.930 --> 00:06:16.499 hear how students respond, and over time, 00:06:16.499 --> 00:06:18.369 create a more accessible environment 00:06:18.369 --> 00:06:23.110 within your department and in your classroom. 00:06:23.110 --> 00:06:27.099 Many engineering assignments involve group projects, 00:06:27.099 --> 00:06:30.589 and faculty can encourage classmates to be welcoming. 00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:35.930 I think traditionally people with disabilities are sometimes marginalized 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:36.930 to, 00:06:36.930 --> 00:06:42.849 for example, write the lab report rather than pouring liquids or using machinery 00:06:42.849 --> 00:06:48.039 and that's where asserting one's self can really come in handy to say, “No, 00:06:48.039 --> 00:06:53.119 it's just as important for me to learn how to use the shop equipment as you,” 00:06:53.119 --> 00:06:59.169 and so I might need to touch the equipment or be instructed on how to use it, 00:06:59.169 --> 00:07:04.110 but I still need to take part in that process. 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:06.930 I don't want a group member to make an assumption 00:07:06.930 --> 00:07:10.419 about what I may or may not be able to do 00:07:10.419 --> 00:07:13.819 or in what ways that I could use some help 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:17.979 so I have to be able to communicate my skills and say 00:07:17.979 --> 00:07:20.889 “Well, this is what I can offer the group, 00:07:20.889 --> 00:07:24.050 and here, maybe formatting the PowerPoint slides, 00:07:24.050 --> 00:07:25.139 maybe that’s something 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:27.309 that someone else in the group could do. 00:07:27.309 --> 00:07:28.319 The key there 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:30.759 is to make sure that every team member has a role. 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:32.569 And I suggest the first thing t hey should do 00:07:32.569 --> 00:07:34.569 is ask the student with a disability 00:07:34.569 --> 00:07:37.059 how they'd like to contribute to the group work 00:07:37.059 --> 00:07:38.860 and often they'll come up with something 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:40.749 that maybe the faculty member or other students 00:07:40.749 --> 00:07:42.809 wouldn't have even thought of. 00:07:42.809 --> 00:07:46.589 Many of our new tools that we use on an everyday basis 00:07:46.589 --> 00:07:51.199 such as CNC machines which are computer numerically controlled machines 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.960 where we use them for mills and lathes and drills, 00:07:54.960 --> 00:07:57.219 a lot of them are controlled by computers now 00:07:57.219 --> 00:07:59.409 and so that actually increases access 00:07:59.409 --> 00:08:01.749 and makes it so that more people can easily build 00:08:01.749 --> 00:08:03.860 the products that they're wanting to create. 00:08:32.420 --> 00:08:33.820 These are great students. 00:08:33.820 --> 00:08:36.050 They have a lot to offer. 00:08:36.050 --> 00:08:38.900 You will learn as much from them as they learn from you, 00:08:38.900 --> 00:08:42.430 if not more. 00:08:42.430 --> 00:08:45.200 And just the more you work with them, 00:08:45.300 --> 00:08:47.120 it just really moves the field forward 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.000 in ways that you are not going to expect.