WEBVTT 00:00:13.046 --> 00:00:14.586 When I was in high school, science was always one 00:00:14.586 --> 00:00:16.086 of my favorite classes. 00:00:16.086 --> 00:00:18.356 You know, I loved biology. 00:00:18.356 --> 00:00:21.646 I like equations and graphings, 00:00:21.646 --> 00:00:22.936 good with a calculator. 00:00:22.936 --> 00:00:26.076 I just like math like in general. 00:00:26.076 --> 00:00:30.086 I was hoping to pursue environmental science, 00:00:30.086 --> 00:00:31.056 or marine biology. 00:00:31.056 --> 00:00:32.776 I'm not sure. 00:00:32.776 --> 00:00:36.046 Science, technology, engineering and mathematics-- 00:00:36.046 --> 00:00:38.566 or STEM-- are burgeoning fields, 00:00:38.566 --> 00:00:41.256 filled with exciting new opportunities. 00:00:41.256 --> 00:00:43.736 Yet, although technology has opened up these fields 00:00:43.736 --> 00:00:47.586 for people with disabilities, inadequate academic preparation, 00:00:47.586 --> 00:00:51.206 paired with issues of access and acceptance, have prevented many 00:00:51.206 --> 00:00:53.286 from entering STEM careers. 00:00:53.286 --> 00:00:55.076 These cells start to get active 00:00:55.076 --> 00:00:56.926 and as the drug stays on they get more 00:00:56.926 --> 00:00:58.136 and more and more active. 00:00:58.836 --> 00:01:00.526 I think it's important to instill an interest 00:01:00.526 --> 00:01:02.606 in those areas in young children. 00:01:02.606 --> 00:01:06.246 If you wait until they're in junior high or high school, 00:01:06.246 --> 00:01:07.856 they don't have the basis for it 00:01:07.856 --> 00:01:10.626 and they don't have the natural love of it. 00:01:10.626 --> 00:01:11.946 That's why programs funded 00:01:11.946 --> 00:01:14.756 by the National Science Foundation encourage students 00:01:14.756 --> 00:01:17.296 with disabilities to pursue STEM fields 00:01:17.296 --> 00:01:21.326 and help teachers prepare these students for a future in STEM. 00:01:21.326 --> 00:01:23.696 Some of these programs are residential summer programs 00:01:23.696 --> 00:01:25.876 on college campuses. 00:01:25.876 --> 00:01:29.206 High school students participate in academic lectures and labs, 00:01:29.206 --> 00:01:31.496 live in residence halls, and practice skills 00:01:31.496 --> 00:01:33.206 that will help them become independent 00:01:33.206 --> 00:01:34.916 and successful in college. 00:01:34.916 --> 00:01:37.506 So the axons are just firing randomly 00:01:37.506 --> 00:01:39.056 by themselves? 00:01:39.056 --> 00:01:43.706 I think for any student, you're kind of skeptical 00:01:43.706 --> 00:01:44.706 about going to college. 00:01:44.706 --> 00:01:48.946 Like it seems like this huge deal and you're not sure 00:01:48.946 --> 00:01:51.936 if you can actually be successful in that. 00:01:51.936 --> 00:01:57.186 And so to kind of participate in a program with other students 00:01:57.186 --> 00:01:59.796 who also have disabilities, and you're kind 00:01:59.796 --> 00:02:02.306 of all learning this together. 00:02:02.306 --> 00:02:05.426 It was great because my confidence level just 00:02:05.426 --> 00:02:07.316 skyrocketed at that point. 00:02:07.316 --> 00:02:08.996 I've never stayed away from home. 00:02:08.996 --> 00:02:13.976 That's why it's, like a, a fear of like, you depend on somebody 00:02:13.976 --> 00:02:17.626 so much that it's scary just to like think about leaving, 00:02:17.626 --> 00:02:20.116 and then when you're actually here and you have to, 00:02:20.116 --> 00:02:21.336 like, do it on your own. 00:02:21.336 --> 00:02:22.706 But you're like, well, that's real life. 00:02:22.706 --> 00:02:25.036 I mean I can't live with my parents until I'm, 00:02:25.036 --> 00:02:27.206 like, 40 or something. 00:02:27.206 --> 00:02:30.096 Students like Kayla and Yomara benefit from practice 00:02:30.096 --> 00:02:32.216 in independent living and the value 00:02:32.216 --> 00:02:34.676 of academic exposure is immeasurable. 00:02:34.676 --> 00:02:36.536 In college prep programs, 00:02:36.536 --> 00:02:38.826 professors also introduce high school students 00:02:38.826 --> 00:02:40.526 to college level academics. 00:02:42.726 --> 00:02:45.226 In this workshop, we've had a group of six students 00:02:45.226 --> 00:02:48.416 with differing abilities, and we wanted them to get a sense 00:02:48.416 --> 00:02:50.006 of what neurobiology was like. 00:02:50.006 --> 00:02:52.336 These kids were fantastic. 00:02:52.336 --> 00:02:54.066 They wanted to know how things work, 00:02:54.066 --> 00:02:55.866 and so I think they got a lot out of it, 00:02:55.866 --> 00:02:59.686 and it was extremely satisfying for them and for us, I think. 00:02:59.686 --> 00:03:01.146 Oh look right here OK these guys? 00:03:01.146 --> 00:03:02.126 Take all the? 00:03:02.126 --> 00:03:05.786 We don't want students to be interested in science just 00:03:05.786 --> 00:03:08.756 because they could be a scientist or get involved. 00:03:08.756 --> 00:03:09.756 We also want people 00:03:09.756 --> 00:03:11.266 to appreciate the world around them. 00:03:11.266 --> 00:03:13.516 And once they appreciate the world around them, 00:03:13.516 --> 00:03:15.316 to appreciate the fact that they live in this world 00:03:15.316 --> 00:03:17.096 and they impact it and it impacts them. 00:03:17.096 --> 00:03:21.626 So, having science literacy is extremely important 00:03:21.626 --> 00:03:22.626 to our society. 00:03:22.626 --> 00:03:25.606 Educators can work with students 00:03:25.606 --> 00:03:27.526 to devise accommodations. 00:03:27.526 --> 00:03:32.776 Students with disabilities benefit from practice advocating for themselves, 00:03:32.776 --> 00:03:35.496 so that they can become experts on their abilities 00:03:35.496 --> 00:03:37.906 and on what accommodations work best for them. 00:03:39.386 --> 00:03:41.226 No because the earthquake first, 00:03:41.226 --> 00:03:43.186 right, and then tsunami... 00:03:43.186 --> 00:03:45.146 Megan Phan has Tourettes Syndrome, 00:03:45.146 --> 00:03:46.696 a neurological disorder 00:03:46.696 --> 00:03:50.606 that causes uncontrollable tics and vocalizations. 00:03:50.606 --> 00:03:53.586 Megan has learned to advocate for herself. 00:03:53.586 --> 00:03:55.636 What I do is I explain to the students -OH- 00:03:55.636 --> 00:03:56.786 before the class starts. 00:03:56.786 --> 00:03:58.466 Like, "Hey, guys, just a brief announcement. 00:03:58.466 --> 00:04:00.906 I have Tourettes" and then they'll, there's more 00:04:00.906 --> 00:04:04.036 of that -OH- awareness instead of just mystery. 00:04:04.036 --> 00:04:05.886 Just lay it out all on the table. 00:04:05.886 --> 00:04:08.166 And also, you know, ask the teacher if I can do that. 00:04:08.166 --> 00:04:11.196 It's not hard for me to just say, "Hey, this is what I need 00:04:11.196 --> 00:04:14.736 and hope you can help me and, you know, communicate." 00:04:16.736 --> 00:04:19.756 I guess being my own advocate is probably the best 00:04:19.756 --> 00:04:21.606 thing I ever did for myself. 00:04:21.606 --> 00:04:24.356 But it's also the biggest piece of advice I would give 00:04:24.356 --> 00:04:29.846 to other people in the same situation, because it's, 00:04:29.846 --> 00:04:33.576 like at first I was really shy about it and I didn't want 00:04:33.576 --> 00:04:37.236 to bring attention on myself, but I figured out later 00:04:37.236 --> 00:04:42.296 that I was a lot more successful if I got the things I needed, 00:04:42.296 --> 00:04:46.816 and that other people were not just willing to help me 00:04:46.816 --> 00:04:49.076 but usually they wanted to. 00:04:49.076 --> 00:04:53.176 And so I wasn't really inconveniencing anybody, 00:04:53.176 --> 00:04:57.366 I was actually just making the whole situation better. 00:04:57.366 --> 00:05:00.336 Alex MacKenzie is legally blind, yet she works 00:05:00.336 --> 00:05:05.496 at a very detailed job, making DNA libraries for sequencing. 00:05:05.496 --> 00:05:07.696 When I first started working I was always really 00:05:07.696 --> 00:05:11.626 worried, it's like, did I just miss a really important detail 00:05:11.626 --> 00:05:14.306 because I didn't see it? 00:05:14.306 --> 00:05:18.856 But just, as I gained more experience, 00:05:18.856 --> 00:05:20.656 I realized that that wasn't the case, 00:05:20.656 --> 00:05:23.736 and that if my experiments failed, most of the time it was 00:05:23.736 --> 00:05:25.726 for any of the other really common reasons 00:05:25.726 --> 00:05:27.196 that everybody's experiments fail. 00:05:27.196 --> 00:05:30.786 So I guess it was just I needed to build confidence. 00:05:30.786 --> 00:05:33.916 But part of that building confidence is figuring 00:05:33.916 --> 00:05:38.286 out how I'm making up for the fact that I can't see 00:05:38.286 --> 00:05:40.106 as well as somebody else. 00:05:40.106 --> 00:05:44.386 And so there's a lot of things in lab that I can do 00:05:44.386 --> 00:05:50.356 because I can compensate the not being able to see by being able 00:05:50.356 --> 00:05:54.336 to do it by feel, or by listening for certain details 00:05:54.336 --> 00:05:57.286 to confirm that I, like, have the right volume 00:05:57.286 --> 00:05:59.296 in the conical tube as opposed 00:05:59.296 --> 00:06:01.396 to watching the water level rise. 00:06:01.396 --> 00:06:04.846 Most of the population counts on their vision to do tasks, 00:06:04.846 --> 00:06:07.346 it's like their primary sense, 00:06:07.346 --> 00:06:10.146 but there's almost always a work-around 00:06:10.146 --> 00:06:12.816 as long as you keep trying. 00:06:13.816 --> 00:06:15.000 Is that good? 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:15.976 The earlier that students, including those 00:06:15.976 --> 00:06:19.886 with disabilities, are exposed to and encouraged to pursue math 00:06:19.886 --> 00:06:23.566 and science, the more successful and confident they will be. 00:06:23.566 --> 00:06:28.406 Academic preparedness is key for success in STEM careers. 00:06:28.406 --> 00:06:31.706 I feel really confident about it, and I feel that, like, 00:06:31.706 --> 00:06:34.546 if it's a math problem put in front of me that I can do it 00:06:34.546 --> 00:06:39.256 and that I, like, really enjoy it; and it's like really fun 00:06:39.256 --> 00:06:42.966 to me, sort of like solving puzzles or doing puzzles 00:06:42.966 --> 00:06:44.636 or playing games is for somebody, 00:06:44.636 --> 00:06:47.216 that's sort of what math is to me. 00:06:47.216 --> 00:06:48.796 How are you guys doing? 00:06:48.796 --> 00:06:51.566 Some programs give students the chance 00:06:51.566 --> 00:06:54.896 to visit working laboratories and meet scientists. 00:06:54.896 --> 00:06:58.046 The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute invited students 00:06:58.046 --> 00:07:00.476 to learn about global health issues. 00:07:00.476 --> 00:07:03.676 It's one thing to build a space physically 00:07:03.676 --> 00:07:07.016 that encourages all walks of life and all thoughts of mind 00:07:07.016 --> 00:07:10.106 to come in and get involved in research and science. 00:07:10.106 --> 00:07:13.306 It's another to have training opportunities that are engaging, 00:07:13.306 --> 00:07:15.396 inviting and encourage everybody 00:07:15.396 --> 00:07:17.336 to have a great time while they're learning. 00:07:17.336 --> 00:07:21.296 We have the type of program that not only had the right spaces 00:07:21.296 --> 00:07:24.186 so that two young women who are doing the program today are 00:07:24.186 --> 00:07:28.606 in wheelchairs are actually able to do microscopic investigations 00:07:28.606 --> 00:07:31.166 and interact with other students who are interested 00:07:31.166 --> 00:07:32.596 in futures in science. 00:07:32.596 --> 00:07:34.816 At the Research Institute, 00:07:34.816 --> 00:07:38.346 students get hands-on experience in state of the art laboratories 00:07:38.346 --> 00:07:40.566 that no high school could afford. 00:07:40.566 --> 00:07:43.546 Pairing students helps them learn to work as a team; 00:07:43.546 --> 00:07:45.926 together they draw on individual strengths. 00:07:45.926 --> 00:07:49.006 There are many programs around the area 00:07:49.006 --> 00:07:51.516 that will provide for different experiences 00:07:51.516 --> 00:07:54.466 that we maybe can't provide in the classroom 00:07:54.466 --> 00:07:58.626 and I the most important thing I think a teacher can do is 00:07:58.626 --> 00:08:02.096 to put their feelers out and try and access 00:08:02.096 --> 00:08:03.876 and utilize their community, 00:08:03.876 --> 00:08:08.356 because each community has a unique opportunity 00:08:08.356 --> 00:08:13.446 for our students to really dig in to learning about real life, 00:08:13.446 --> 00:08:15.186 because that's what that's what's going 00:08:15.186 --> 00:08:17.156 to serve them in the long term. 00:08:17.156 --> 00:08:19.346 It's not sitting down and doing a worksheet. 00:08:19.346 --> 00:08:22.876 It's really getting their hands dirty. 00:08:22.876 --> 00:08:24.996 Academic preparation lays the groundwork 00:08:24.996 --> 00:08:26.576 for STEM careers. 00:08:26.576 --> 00:08:28.506 For students with disabilities to perform 00:08:28.506 --> 00:08:30.356 on a level playing field, 00:08:30.356 --> 00:08:32.316 STEM learning environments must be designed 00:08:32.316 --> 00:08:33.716 to fully include them 00:08:33.716 --> 00:08:37.196 and reasonable accommodations need to be provided. 00:09:17.686 --> 00:09:20.036 Applying universal design principles 00:09:20.036 --> 00:09:22.916 in my classes helps all students. 00:09:22.916 --> 00:09:26.746 For example, for final exams, 00:09:26.746 --> 00:09:30.506 I know that some students are not very good at written exams, 00:09:30.506 --> 00:09:34.006 so I'll give them different options such as, 00:09:34.006 --> 00:09:36.006 a written exam would be one option, 00:09:36.006 --> 00:09:38.046 oral exam another option, 00:09:38.046 --> 00:09:40.446 special project would be a third option, 00:09:40.446 --> 00:09:44.826 and also class participation may be an option for a grade. 00:09:44.826 --> 00:09:48.946 And I found that this is a more fair way, a universal way, 00:09:48.946 --> 00:09:52.516 to get the knowledge that I'm trying to seek from students. 00:09:52.516 --> 00:09:53.996 Universal design takes 00:09:53.996 --> 00:09:56.936 into account different ways students learn and interact 00:09:56.936 --> 00:10:00.196 with others, the environment and technology. 00:10:00.196 --> 00:10:02.726 Its application to learning environments requires 00:10:02.726 --> 00:10:04.566 that teachers think about creative ways 00:10:04.566 --> 00:10:08.066 to design instruction so that all students learn. 00:10:08.066 --> 00:10:10.016 So how do you guys want to build this? 00:10:10.016 --> 00:10:11.226 It's important to consider 00:10:11.226 --> 00:10:13.536 that some students may have learning disabilities 00:10:13.536 --> 00:10:15.416 that are not readily apparent. 00:10:15.416 --> 00:10:18.416 For example, Zach Hagstrom has dysgraphia, 00:10:18.416 --> 00:10:20.526 which affects his ability to write. 00:10:21.526 --> 00:10:24.726 I use the computer, which I use the spell check a lot, 00:10:24.726 --> 00:10:27.956 and grammar, along with the Microsoft Word. 00:10:27.956 --> 00:10:31.476 Sometimes I use a tape recorder for in the classroom, 00:10:31.476 --> 00:10:36.786 because writing it down on paper would ruin the notes. 00:10:36.786 --> 00:10:39.626 I wouldn't be able to understand what I wrote down. 00:10:39.626 --> 00:10:42.176 So I have the tape recorder for that. 00:10:42.176 --> 00:10:45.416 And then I also, if the teachers allow it, 00:10:45.416 --> 00:10:47.896 they print me off copies of their notes. 00:10:47.896 --> 00:10:51.136 I really appreciate it when my students come to me 00:10:51.136 --> 00:10:54.976 at the beginning of the course, and they introduce themselves 00:10:54.976 --> 00:10:59.706 and they tell me what they need. 00:10:59.706 --> 00:11:07.416 I try and include written material, visual material, 00:11:07.416 --> 00:11:10.516 audio, talking and looking at things. 00:11:10.516 --> 00:11:14.836 Any time I can have something to, to put our hands on, 00:11:14.836 --> 00:11:17.426 I think that's helpful as well. 00:11:17.426 --> 00:11:20.696 OK Good job on your observations 00:11:20.696 --> 00:11:23.166 of the intertidal organisms today. 00:11:23.166 --> 00:11:27.946 I'd like to now give you, before you leave, our class notes 00:11:27.946 --> 00:11:30.776 from our discussion, so you have that to refer 00:11:30.776 --> 00:11:33.676 to when you're studying for Friday's exam. 00:11:33.676 --> 00:11:35.856 With full access to learning opportunities 00:11:35.856 --> 00:11:38.226 and solid academic preparation, 00:11:38.226 --> 00:11:41.466 students with disabilities are poised to succeed. 00:11:41.466 --> 00:11:44.656 But one final piece of the puzzle is acceptance. 00:11:44.656 --> 00:11:46.566 Negative attitudes have been identified 00:11:46.566 --> 00:11:49.366 as the single greatest barrier faced by individuals 00:11:49.366 --> 00:11:51.566 with disabilities who are pursuing a career 00:11:51.566 --> 00:11:53.106 in STEM fields. 00:11:53.106 --> 00:11:56.596 Educators, fellow students, employers, and co-workers 00:11:56.596 --> 00:11:58.666 who embrace the diversity that individuals 00:11:58.666 --> 00:12:01.136 with disabilities bring, find themselves working 00:12:01.136 --> 00:12:03.836 with gifted people whose abilities far outweigh 00:12:03.836 --> 00:12:04.586 their disabilities. 00:12:04.586 --> 00:12:06.726 Yeah, you thought this was going be easy 00:12:06.726 --> 00:12:08.956 didn't you? 00:12:08.956 --> 00:12:11.626 And we've realized that they're often smarter, 00:12:11.626 --> 00:12:15.646 have more stick-to-itiveness and more diligent, 00:12:15.646 --> 00:12:19.536 diligent about enduring problems than we can even imagine, 00:12:19.536 --> 00:12:22.176 and by providing outlets and pathways 00:12:22.176 --> 00:12:26.036 that simplify their inclusion in our community it's only going 00:12:26.036 --> 00:12:28.696 to enrich the biomedical workforce field. 00:12:28.696 --> 00:12:31.956 Academic preparation from an early age, 00:12:31.956 --> 00:12:34.796 self advocacy, universal design of learning 00:12:34.796 --> 00:12:37.896 and work environments, and acceptance by educators, 00:12:37.896 --> 00:12:41.776 employers and peers,it's a recipe for success in STEM 00:12:41.776 --> 00:12:43.496 for individuals with disabilities. 00:12:43.496 --> 00:12:47.656 The result: a more diverse group of talented people working 00:12:47.656 --> 00:12:51.306 in science, technology, engineering and mathematics 00:12:51.306 --> 00:12:54.506 and the enhancement of these fields with the unique abilities 00:12:54.506 --> 00:12:58.046 and perspectives of people with disabilities. 00:12:58.046 --> 00:13:00.526 I think the most important part 00:13:00.526 --> 00:13:04.406 of not being intimidated when you're entering the workforce 00:13:04.406 --> 00:13:07.916 as a disabled person is just to have confidence 00:13:07.916 --> 00:13:11.316 in your abilities, know your strengths and your weaknesses, 00:13:11.316 --> 00:13:15.116 because everybody has weaknesses. 00:13:15.116 --> 00:13:20.746 And just as long as you can find ways to get around those, 00:13:20.746 --> 00:13:24.426 even whether they are related to your disability or not, 00:13:24.426 --> 00:13:26.936 you'll be a stronger job candidate. 00:13:26.936 --> 00:13:29.426 So, I'm not sure if I want to help Mother Earth, 00:13:29.426 --> 00:13:34.266 or nature or children or adults or young girls, young women. 00:13:34.266 --> 00:13:37.316 But I do know that I want to help. 00:13:37.316 --> 00:13:39.136 And I like the environment. 00:13:39.136 --> 00:13:42.996 And, a lot, so we're living on it so why not? 00:13:42.996 --> 00:13:43.406 Right? 00:13:43.406 --> 00:13:47.946 I read this one book, I totally forget what it's called 00:13:47.946 --> 00:13:49.256 but it had, like, a motto. 00:13:49.256 --> 00:13:53.476 This girl would always say, "I'm a rock and nothing can move me." 00:13:53.476 --> 00:13:57.746 So, I was just like, "I'm a rock, nothing can move me." 00:13:57.746 --> 00:14:02.886 Not true, but it was just to make you feel better.