Catalyzing the Unique Abilities of Students with Disabilities

The Disability Unity Community Convocation session titled "Catalyzing the Unique Abilities of Students with Disabilities" featured a diverse set of panelists with expertise in inclusion of STEM students with disabilities in undergraduate education.

Christy Oslund is Coordinator of Student Disability Services at Michigan Tech. Jennifer Wall is Communications Manager Career Plus Program Advisor at Michigan Tech. Ted Conway is Professor & Head, Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology.

They were interviewed by Bill Byers, Past President of AIChE and a member of AIChE’s ChemE’s with Disabilities Taskforce. 

They discussed what key modifications to instruction methods make teaching accessible to students with disabilities and what key modifications in assessing student outcomes are appropriate for students with disabilities. They also discussed how schools can foster an environment where students with disabilities can thrive academically and socially from an administrative and/or cultural perspective, and how they measure progress in inclusion of students with disabilities.

The session was jointly sponsored by AIChE’s Education Division and generously supported by the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good Campaign.