Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress International Special Education Conference Inclusion: Celebrating Diversity? 1st - 4th August 2005. Glasgow, Scotland

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A TRAINING CURRICULUM TO PREPARE SCIENCE
FACULTY TO WORK WITH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

By

Rebecca Keeley, BA
Dr. Charles Salzberg, PhD
Diane Craig Baum, MS, CRC
Elizabeth Price, MS, CRC
Juan Navarrete, BS

Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Higher Education (ASD) Project

Utah State University
Logan, Utah
U.S.A.

salzberg@cc.usu.edu

Introduction:

In a 2000 government study entitled Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities in Science and Engineering the National Science Foundation (2000) found a significant lack of women, minorities, and people with disabilities going into sciences and related fields.   Other studies, such as Sheryl Burgstahler’s (1994) Increasing the Representation of People with Disabilities in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics , also acknowledge the lack of people with disabilities going into the sciences; however, Burgstahler’s study focuses on students with disabilities and the sciences in middle school and high school.   Very little material is available addressing the needs of students with disabilities in lab and fieldwork in higher education. The Accommodating Students with Disabilities (ASD) Project examined this gap.

Who We Are:

The Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Project (The ASD Project) was intended to improve the quality of postsecondary education for students with disabilities through the development and dissemination of a replicable training program for instructors in higher education to better work with students with disabilities. The underlying principles of this program are as follows:

• Provide training sessions either through live workshops or computer-based format, keeping these sessions short and as interactive as possible.
• Explain the faculty member’s role and legal obligation.
• Reassure faculty that accommodations should not jeopardize the academic integrity of the course or program.
• Encourage cooperation between the student, the faculty member and the Disability Service Office (DSO).
• Whenever possible provide an opportunity for faculty to meet and interact with students with disabilities.
• Provide faculty with information regarding the process of accommodating students with disabilities and the relevant legal foundations for those policies.
• Offer materials that can be customized by the institution reflecting their institutional policies and procedures.

The Focus of the ASD Project’s Providing Access to Lab and Field Sciences:

The ASD Project focuses on introductory science courses because all students are required to take them.   Many faculty and students with disabilities appreciate support and guidance when exploring approaches to accommodation.

Communication and Collaboration is the Key:

Students with disabilities often need individually designed accommodations in lab and field sciences.   The purpose of these accommodations is to mitigate the impact of the student’s impairments.   Disability-related accommodations enable students to acquire and demonstrate mastery of the skills and knowledge required in a course.

Discussion and collaboration between the student, professor, and DSO counselor are essential in designing accommodations.   Each collaborator has an important role:

• Students with disabilities bring knowledge about their own limitations.
•   DSO counselors determine specific accommodations based on documentation of the student’s disability.
• Instructors determine the essential content and requirements of their courses.

Good communication and collaboration between all the people involved--the student, the professor, the lab instructor or graduate assistant, and the DSO counselor—serve as the lynchpin to provide access in lab and field science courses.

Indispensable Faculty Role—Essential Skills Concept:

            Faculty members have a critical role in the accommodation process.   The faculty member brings his/her knowledge of essential skills and course requirements to the discussion. Essential skills are the skills that the course is intended to teach. All students, regardless of the presence of a disability, should learn the same competencies at the same level.   Using their expertise, professors determine what is essential in a given course or program.    However, please note that professors’ judgments about essential skills should be defensible in light of the standards and programmatic considerations of their disciplines.  

Every program of study has a set of essential skills.   It is not appropriate to waive or dismiss activities that teach these skills.   In fact, to do so would compromise the integrity of the curriculum, undermine the concept of equal access, and put the student with disabilities at a disadvantage when compared to his/her peers.  

Three Strategies in Designing Accommodations:

The ASD Project’s Providing Access to Lab and Field Sciences was designed to generate an approach to accommodate students with disabilities in the sciences.   Because accommodations should be fitted to students on an individual basis, there are countless possible combinations of accommodations.   We suggest three strategies that underlie the design of individual accommodations: 1) adjust pedagogy, 2) modify equipment and environment, and 3) utilize technology.

1) Adjusting pedagogy means finding ways to tailor teaching so that students with disabilities can best access the information.     There are two ways to adjust pedagogy.   One is to design the instructional procedures from the outset so that they are as accessible as possible to all students.   This concept is known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL).   For example, a professor may use demonstrations or field trips in addition to lectures to teach the knowledge and skills.   Using such demonstrations may help all students but can be absolutely critical for students with disabilities. The second way is to design accommodations for individual students.   An example of an individual accommodation is to design a lab experience as a substitute for a field experience for a student who cannot access a field site because of a mobility impairment.   

2) Modifying equipment and environment is sometimes necessary to provide access to the equipment in lab and field settings.   For example, a student using a wheelchair needs an accessible lab station.   The instructor could use blocks to raise a table or could use an adjustable table.   Another example is adjusting seating arrangements so that a student who is deaf can clearly see the instructor, the sign language interpreter, and visual aids in the lab or classroom.

3) Utilizing technology refers to using computers and other devices to aid in the learning process.    Technology can make information and course activities accessible to students with disabilities when other methods are not feasible or are less functional.   For example, the instructor may need to allow field lectures to be recorded for those students who have trouble taking notes because of visual, motor, and learning disabilities.   Another example is using a “virtual” field trip for a student who cannot access the physical terrain of a field activity.

A Problem Solving Template to Determine Accommodations:

The remainder of this article presents a problem-solving template that can be used to determine accommodations within a collaborative process.   We will illustrate this template with a case scenario involving a student who uses a wheelchair and a professor who teaches biology.   Sample material from Providing Access to Lab and Field Science and other ASD curriculum will also be used.

Case Scenario:

Dr. Ogilvie teaches an introductory biology course and oversees graduate assistants who teach the course’s laboratory sections at a university.

 At the start of a new term, Craig, a student who uses a wheelchair, came to see Dr. Ogilvie during his office hours to discuss the various disability-related accommodations he would need for the introductory course and lab activities.   Craig had already been referred to the university’s Disability Service Office (DSO), and he had the DSO’s accommodation form to give to Dr. Ogilvie.   Craig would need accommodations designed for his motorized wheelchair and for his limited dexterity and fine motor control.

            Dr. Ogilvie looked over the accommodations recommended by the DSO counselor.   He agreed with the accommodations listed for the lecture portion of the course, such as a note taker for class and a private room for tests with a scribe and extended time.   However, Dr. Ogilvie had questions and concerns about reasonable and effective accommodations in the lab.

What might Dr. Ogilvie do to set up the appropriate accommodations for Craig in the lab?

Note:

This problem solving process and case story is not intended to be comprehensive, but is used as a tool and a process which can help disability service providers and faculty determine disability-related accommodations in science courses.  

A Collaborative Process for Determining Accommodations in Lab and/or Field Courses

I. Beginning questions:

1. What is the course?
2. What is the student’s disability-related limitations?

Summary of Answers:

In this case, Dr. Ogilvie teaches an introductory biology class with a lab component.   Craig has a mobility impairment and will need accommodations in the lab.

II. Specific questions about the course:

1. What are the learning activities?
2. What are the essential skills acquired through these activities?

Analysis:

Summary of Answers:

Dr. Ogilvie teaches a basic understanding of cell structures and living organisms, using traditional laboratory equipment and activities.   Knowledge of biology and the specific course activities are Dr. Ogilvie’s areas of expertise.   This is what he will likely contribute to the collaborative process of deciding accommodations.

III. Specific questions about the student’s disability-related limitations:

1. What are the possible issues related to the student’s limitations?

Analysis:

Summary of Answers:

Craig will need accommodations in the laboratory because of his limitations:

• In some older buildings, Craig’s wheelchair will present access problems in the lab, such as a lack of an accessible workstation and not enough aisle clearance.  
• Craig’s limitations in fine motor control will affect how he can handle the equipment and perform various procedures.

Craig would be expected to contribute his understanding of his own capabilities and limitations to the collaborative process of deciding accommodations.  

IV. General question about possible accommodations:

1. What are possible accommodations?

Analysis:

Summary of Answers:

By considering some answers to the previous questions, Dr. Ogilvie can work with Craig and his DSO counselor to find reasonable accommodations for Craig in the lab. The DSO counselor would be expected to suggest possible solutions to obstacles that Craig’s limitations will create.   The DSO counselor would contribute knowledge of accommodations and disability issues to the collaborative process.   Because of this area of expertise, the DSO counselor should orchestrate the steps to provide the decided accommodations. The Accommodation Table and the three strategies in the Science Unit can be used to help generate ideas for accommodations.

            Possible Accommodations for Craig:

• Craig will need an accessible workstation and wide aisle clearance for his motorized wheelchair.
•   He will need a student partner or lab aide to help him handle the equipment and perform the procedures.
• Note that Craig will need to direct the experiments, so it is clear that he is gaining the knowledge and meeting the essential skills of the lab.

V. Specific questions about accommodations:

1. Which of the possible accommodations identified are the best choices for this student in this specific lab?

Analysis:

Summary of Answers:

At Dr. Ogilvie’s university, the older science buildings are not accessible.   The DSO counselor provides an adjustable table that will accommodate Craig’s motorized wheelchair.   With the help of Craig, the DSO counselor and his graduate assistant, Dr. Ogilvie surveys his lab and makes necessary adjustments such as rearranging equipment and supplies so that Craig will have better access and mobility within the lab.

            Dr. Ogilvie is aware that a lab aide to work with Craig may be the best option because of Craig’s dexterity and fine motor limitations.   However, he doesn’t have the funding to pay for one. Since he always uses partnering in the lab, Dr. Ogilvie decides to partner Craig with another student.   The graduate assistant will help out as much as she can and will make sure Craig is a full contributor to the partnership.   The graduate assistant will give Craig and his partner appropriate time for the various lab activities.

            Dr. Ogilvie gives Craig the choice of using a virtual dissecting program or having a student partner perform the procedure.   Craig chooses having a student partner perform the procedure so that he is not singled out and will have the same experience as his classmates.   

Note:

This case story illustrates the process of determining individual disability–related accommodations.   However, to the extent that principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are used from the outset, some of Craig’s limitations may already have been dealt with.   For example, if all the lab tables were adjustable, the DSO counselor wouldn’t have had to provide a special table for Craig.   If all the students had the choice of using the virtual dissecting program of a frog, Craig wouldn’t have been singled out.

Conclusion:

Providing the right accommodations, especially in lab and fieldwork situations, can open the door for many students with disabilities to the full array of opportunities available at institutions of higher education.   Working within a collaborative process, students with disabilities, faculty members, graduate assistants, and disability service providers can usually identify appropriate and reasonable accommodations that provide equal access to education as well as the opportunity to pursue professions in the sciences. With appropriate accommodations, the world of science need not be closed to students with disabilities.  

References List:

Burgstahler, Sheryl. (1994) Increasing the Representation of People with Disabilities in Science, Engineering, and Mathematic. Retrieved April 9, 2003, from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Careers/representation.html

National Science Foundation. (2000) Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. Retrieved January 9, 2003, from http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf00327/start.htm

This work was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (PN-P333A020016).

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