Providing STEM camps for students with disabilities
The UNT Workplace Inclusion and Sustainable Employment program (UNTWISE) housed in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services in the College of Health and Public Service is collaborating with the College of Engineering and the Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco to offer three summer programs for students with disabilities. The 2019 Explore STEM! Summer Program, funded by the Texas Workforce Commission, will provide opportunities for students ages 14-22 to explore STEM activities and career possibilities.
A similar program last summer, led by UNT faculty Nandika D’Souza in engineering, Demetria Ennis-Cole in learning technologies and Linda Holloway in rehabilitation and health services, combined WISE’s expertise working with youth with disabilities and the engineering faculty’s experience in providing STEM education to introduce students with disabilities to chemistry, engineering and learning technology.
“The most important part is to focus on what the students can do and provide them with exposure in areas where they may not have no previous experience to open up opportunities for employment in high-demand occupations,” says Lucy Gafford, director of UNTWISE.
The team is researching ways to better serve students with disabilities in areas related to STEM. Two similar programs hosted at Discovery Park this year will be led by computer science and engineering faculty Robin Pottathuparambil and Stephanie Ludi. Pottathuparambil will lead a week focusing on computer engineering, and Ludi will lead a computer science camp with a special focus on students with visual impairments. A third Maker STEM Camp will be offered at the Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco. Students may register for the camps held in July and August and attend at no charge by working with their vocational rehabilitation counselor through Texas Workforce Solutions.