SEAPD-STEM builds on the success of the Alabama Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM (AASD-STEM), an NSF-funded collaboration between Auburn University, Auburn University Montgomery, Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, and Southern Union State Community College. Over the past seven years, AASD-STEM has provided academic and social support for over 200 students with disabilities in STEM majors through peer and faculty mentoring, research internships, group meetings, annual conferences, and student support organizations. SEAPD-STEM will increase the reach of AASD-STEM by adding an additional 16 institutions to the program, for a total of 21 participating colleges and universities in six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and Washington, D.C. The goals of SEAPD-STEM are the following: (1) Increase the quality and quantity of persons with disabilities completing associate, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in STEM disciplines and entering the STEM workforce, especially among minorities, veterans, and women, (2) Increase the quality and quantity of post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty with disabilities in STEM fields, (3) Improve academic performance of students with disabilities in secondary level science and mathematics courses, (4) Enhance communication and collaboration among post-secondary institutions, industry, government, national labs, and community in addressing the education of students with disabilities in STEM discipline, and (5) Assess our activities to understand what works to support the matriculation and retention of STEM students with disabilities in science followed by broad dissemination through workshops, conference presentations, webinars, and peer-reviewed publications. SEAPD-STEM is funded under NSF award numbers 1649344, 1649236, 1649276, and 1649285.
Mathematics, Science, Engineering
Auburn University, Alabama State Univ, Tuskegee Univ
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES)
Related Content for South East Alliance for Persons with Disabilities in STEM
Discussion from the 2017 STEM for All Video Showcase (17 posts)
Marcelo Worsley
Facilitator Assistant Professor
May 15, 2017 | 04:23 p.m.
Can you share some important lessons or ideas that emerged through the work? I imagine that you had to overcome a number of challenges in the initial implementation and project scaling. I'd appreciate if you could share more details about some these challenges and strategies that you used to overcome them.
Overtoun Jenda
Lead Presenter Assistant Provost and Professor
May 16, 2017 | 07:33 a.m.
The scaling has gone much smoother than anticipated. The biggest lesson learned is that it is very complicated and time consuming to get IRBs approved across campuses.
2
Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available
Found helpful:
Lauren Amos
Beverly DeVore-Wedding
Marcelo Worsley
Facilitator Assistant Professor
May 16, 2017 | 02:46 p.m.
IRB approvals can be quite complicated across campuses.
Having this support available to students with disabilities is a huge advantage for the partnering institutions, it will be great to see more institutions join in this partnership.
Are you finding that individual laboratories/organizations are starting to become more aware of issues of accessibility, either in the research that they conduct, or in terms of the design of STEM-related research/work facilities?
I wondered something similar. Have you seen any institutional impacts that have surprised you, or 'ripple effects' from your work that you weren't expecting?
Overtoun Jenda
Lead Presenter Assistant Provost and Professor
May 21, 2017 | 09:05 p.m.
Yes more labs/organizations are beocming aware. What is not clear is whether smaller organizations make this a priority area in both hiring and research. We are reaching out to more organizations and so this is work in progress. Note that outstanding work in research and teaching is being done in universal design and assistive technologies. What has surprised us is that Offices of Accessibility on our campuses focus mostly on accomodation as required by law. Our program has therefore enabled our universities to provide social and academic interventions for these students to succeed in STEM majors. This in return has resulted in more students registering at Offices of Accessiblity.
Thanks, Overtoun. That sounds like a very productive outcome.
Michael Lach
Facilitator Director of STEM Policy and Strategic Initiatives
May 16, 2017 | 10:14 p.m.
I love the person's comments in the video about receiving "drive" to keep working on her coursework and learning. What are the sorts of interventions that you are providing that give students this drive? Seems like super important work--congrats and thank you!
Overtoun Jenda
Lead Presenter Assistant Provost and Professor
May 21, 2017 | 08:21 p.m.
Great question!! Sorry for delay in writing back. I was on the road and had limited access to email. Faculty would like to claim that they provide the drive :-). Yes they do but the drive also comes from students networking regularly with peers with the same conditions that they have, and who have succeeded in those courses. It is amazing to see.
Our NSF INCLUDES Mississippi Alliance for Women in Computing is providing opportunities for students with disabilities (both male and female) in computing. Please let me know how we may join your Alliance.
Overtoun Jenda
Lead Presenter Assistant Provost and Professor
May 21, 2017 | 07:58 p.m.
That is wonderful news. Yes you are most welcome. Sorry I was on the road and on lockdown, and just came back. I will write you directly tomorrow (Monday) evening to talk about how to join. I think I can find your email address online. Cheers, Overtoun
Lauren Amos
Facilitator Associate Director
May 18, 2017 | 07:15 p.m.
It's exciting to see how the number of participating institutions has grown since your work began in Alabama (particularly as many of my family members earned degrees at Tuskegee). As you've expanded, what institutional characteristics suggest a college or university will make for a good collaborator? I'd imagine that certain mechanisms and supports must be in place and championed by key faculty to ensure that students with disabilities will have access to the services they need to thrive. I'm just wondering what you've found to be the key drivers for success.
Mohammed Qazi
Co-Presenter Professor
May 18, 2017 | 10:44 p.m.
Identifying faculty who are willing to commit to serve as strong mentors to students with disabilities by providing continuous academic and social support (e.g. tutoring and peer-to-peer mentoring). This is critical, I believe.
1
Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available
Great work, gentlemen. I'm interested in what you are doing to enhance students' social capital and continuing support after they move away from the program.
Overtoun Jenda
Lead Presenter Assistant Provost and Professor
May 21, 2017 | 07:47 p.m.
Thanks Christopher. Sorry for delay writing back. I was on the road. We keep in touch with the students and we invite some to come and talk about their experiences to our current students and our monthly meetings and annual conferences. Our goal is to develop a newsletter after the next annual conference now that we have a critical mass.
Marcelo Worsley
Assistant Professor
Can you share some important lessons or ideas that emerged through the work? I imagine that you had to overcome a number of challenges in the initial implementation and project scaling. I'd appreciate if you could share more details about some these challenges and strategies that you used to overcome them.
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
The scaling has gone much smoother than anticipated. The biggest lesson learned is that it is very complicated and time consuming to get IRBs approved across campuses.
Lauren Amos
Beverly DeVore-Wedding
Marcelo Worsley
Assistant Professor
IRB approvals can be quite complicated across campuses.
Having this support available to students with disabilities is a huge advantage for the partnering institutions, it will be great to see more institutions join in this partnership.
Are you finding that individual laboratories/organizations are starting to become more aware of issues of accessibility, either in the research that they conduct, or in terms of the design of STEM-related research/work facilities?
Debra Bernstein
I wondered something similar. Have you seen any institutional impacts that have surprised you, or 'ripple effects' from your work that you weren't expecting?
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
Yes more labs/organizations are beocming aware. What is not clear is whether smaller organizations make this a priority area in both hiring and research. We are reaching out to more organizations and so this is work in progress. Note that outstanding work in research and teaching is being done in universal design and assistive technologies. What has surprised us is that Offices of Accessibility on our campuses focus mostly on accomodation as required by law. Our program has therefore enabled our universities to provide social and academic interventions for these students to succeed in STEM majors. This in return has resulted in more students registering at Offices of Accessiblity.
Debra Bernstein
Thanks, Overtoun. That sounds like a very productive outcome.
Michael Lach
Director of STEM Policy and Strategic Initiatives
I love the person's comments in the video about receiving "drive" to keep working on her coursework and learning. What are the sorts of interventions that you are providing that give students this drive? Seems like super important work--congrats and thank you!
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
Great question!! Sorry for delay in writing back. I was on the road and had limited access to email. Faculty would like to claim that they provide the drive :-). Yes they do but the drive also comes from students networking regularly with peers with the same conditions that they have, and who have succeeded in those courses. It is amazing to see.
Sarah Lee
Our NSF INCLUDES Mississippi Alliance for Women in Computing is providing opportunities for students with disabilities (both male and female) in computing. Please let me know how we may join your Alliance.
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
That is wonderful news. Yes you are most welcome. Sorry I was on the road and on lockdown, and just came back. I will write you directly tomorrow (Monday) evening to talk about how to join. I think I can find your email address online. Cheers, Overtoun
Lauren Amos
Associate Director
It's exciting to see how the number of participating institutions has grown since your work began in Alabama (particularly as many of my family members earned degrees at Tuskegee). As you've expanded, what institutional characteristics suggest a college or university will make for a good collaborator? I'd imagine that certain mechanisms and supports must be in place and championed by key faculty to ensure that students with disabilities will have access to the services they need to thrive. I'm just wondering what you've found to be the key drivers for success.
Mohammed Qazi
Professor
Identifying faculty who are willing to commit to serve as strong mentors to students with disabilities by providing continuous academic and social support (e.g. tutoring and peer-to-peer mentoring). This is critical, I believe.
Lauren Amos
Richard Ladner
Wonderful project. Great that you got INCLUDES funding to expand.
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
Thank you. It is indeed exciting to see so many faculty in the region get together to make a difference.
Christopher Atchison
Great work, gentlemen. I'm interested in what you are doing to enhance students' social capital and continuing support after they move away from the program.
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
Thanks Christopher. Sorry for delay writing back. I was on the road. We keep in touch with the students and we invite some to come and talk about their experiences to our current students and our monthly meetings and annual conferences. Our goal is to develop a newsletter after the next annual conference now that we have a critical mass.
Overtoun Jenda
Assistant Provost and Professor
Please consider coming ... SAVE the DATE ...
2017 AASD-STEM/SEAPD-STEM INCLUDES Annual Conference August 25-26, 2017 at Auburn University Registration Deadline: Monday, July 10, 2017Further posting is closed as the event has ended.