Accessibility Supports and Tools for Accessing STEM
Explore and discover crowd-sourced accommodations and accessibility tools that work for other people with disabilities in STEM.
We don’t always know what to ask for, where to start, or may just need validation that someone else uses that too.
Check out #labdaptations for accessible lab adaptations. This project is created by Katharine Hubert.
Accessible Environemnts
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“Being able to work, - either partially or entirely- remotely is hugely beneficial for me, for both safety and energy reasons. This is also something that everyone can benefit from: having remote work options can allow parents the opportunity to stay home with a sick child without having to sacrifice the work day; similarly, when inclement weather makes traveling to work too dangerous, remote work can allow people to still be productive.”
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“When I was first getting diagnosed, I was struggling with finding words and talking…when I had to give a presentation on research, people were super understanding about pre-recording research talks so I had time to read my notes and think and talk slower than situations requiring thinking on the fly. That was really important for times when I was clearly really inflamed in my brain before I started my medication.”
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The pandemic is not over! This is especially true for immunocompromised people who are at a higher risk for ever present COVID and other infections. Removing COVID protocols like masking, social distancing, and outdoor events means that you’re excluding some people who really want to come to your event.
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“Working with others in a lab - it’s normal to help each other out! Don’t be afraid to ask the people you work with for assistance if needed.”
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“Exams, especially qualifying exams for graduate school, are long and stressful events. Having the opportunity to stop the clock and leave the room for short periods of time can allow individuals with disabilities to take medication, use the washroom, get a drink, stretch, or take some deep breaths, allowing them to return to the room and their exam in a mental state that sets them up for success.”
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“Instead of leaving big projects to the last minute and completing them just before the deadline, try to break a project down into mini deadlines instead to keep yourself on track.
For example: I need to get this whole experiment by the end of the day. Break it down into mini experiments. How many steps do you have? Can you finish steps one and two in the morning, potentially do other steps another day?”
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“I bought a portable toilet and I bring it to remote locations and bring it with me in the car when I’m worried I’m not going to have access to a bathroom. As a person with Crohn’s Disease, bathrooms are quite important. It made it really challenging at the beginning of the pandemic, when traveling to research sites an hour or two hours away, and trying to find a COVID safe bathroom, let alone a bathroom. There’s different portable toilets or bags.”
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“I have a Livescribe pen that records what I write, and that's been extremely useful to me, because writing down things not only implants them in memory, but I also no longer have to take notes on the computer to send them out. I can just copy and paste.”
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There are often built in tools with virtual platforms to allow for live captioning during virtual meetings, events, and conferences.
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“I also see an ADHD coach (which I recognize is not accessible to everybody) - it would be really great if I didn’t have to pay for this. That’s about behavioral interventions. What are the things that you need to do, as opposed to the things you need to feel and think you need to? There’s been a lot of mechanically changing the way that I live my life and the way that I work.”
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“Find a mentor. One of the things that I now find very helpful is being part of this Disabled In Stem mentorship program (disabledinstem.wordpress.com). Having met someone else who’s a bit like you makes such a big difference.”
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“Therapy is yet another tool in your toolkit! CBT has been helpful for me, but my therapist and I collaboratively explore other techniques to support new issues (like my eating disorder) as they appear!”
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“Not everyone is able to sit for long periods of time, which can make classes, lectures, and seminars difficult. Having the option to work at a standing desk can make people more comfortable.”
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“Helpful for sleeping!”
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“Between disability and STEM, there can be a lot of appointments, assignments, deadlines, and meetings. Consider using an app to help keep track of things, and that can send notifications and reminders if needed.”
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“Reading large amounts of text can be difficult for individuals with low attention spans. Consider making use of accessibility features such as those that are available in Word. You can have text read aloud to you, or can have text presented word by word, or highlighted in such a way that you can keep track of your position.”
Accessible Tools
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“I was lucky that my university offered private study space to students registered with accessibility services. They had a floor with private offices for individual study. This was hard to get, because it required disclosure and navigating a difficult system, but having a safe space, without triggers or distractions, where I could cry from depression or fidget from anxiety, made a world of difference in my exam prep.”
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Accessible lab benches may include being able to adjust the height, having lab benches built at lower heights, and having the ability to roll under the lab bench with a wheelchair.
“All of my benches are at my height, so I can just roll under them.”
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Moveable cabinets can allow people who are using a wheelchair to access storage space.
“I also have cabinets where I can grab a handle and pull, and then the shelving comes down.”