For more information, contact Cindy Young, (937) 775-3232.

June 15, 1998

WRIGHT STATE OFFERS ADAPTIVE WORKSHOP
FOR BIOLOGY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Wright State University is holding a special "C.L.A.S.S." this summer for selected biology teachers and students. The workshop, Creating Laboratory Access for Science Students (C.L.A.S.S.), is designed to help teachers make laboratory science accessible for students with physical disabilities. It's part of a five-year Wright State research project, funded by a $585,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), to improve access to the biological sciences for students with disabilities.

Ten biology educators from schools and colleges in Ohio, Virginia and Vermont will spend two weeks at Wright State from June 15-26. During the first week they will broaden their knowledge of biology and their understanding of the diverse needs of students with disabilities. Often these students are discouraged from pursuing careers in science because laboratories are not designed to accommodate their needs and abilities. The teachers will also develop action plans for their own schools to make their science classes more accessible.

During the second week, six students from across the state in grades 7-12 will pair with the teachers to conduct biological experiments. Of the students, five are in wheelchairs with varying degrees of disability, and the sixth student is hearing impaired. The teachers will work individually with students to accommodate the lab, so the students can have the same opportunity to learn as others. The students will experience the discovery-based nature of biology labs, reinforcing the idea that science is accessible to them as a career. In addition to the lab work and discussions, swimming and field trips will also be available to the students.

"Through the establishment of a trained network of educators, we will impact how biological laboratories are taught to students with disabilities throughout the nation," said Michele G. Wheatly, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Wright State and project director. "We anticipate increased numbers of undergraduates will elect to take biology courses in college with the result that persons with disabilities will be increasingly represented in the biological sciences and associated professions."

As part of the project, Wright State will host the workshops each summer through 2001. The project will produce a source book to help teachers make their labs more accessible, develop adaptive laboratory manuals in biological sciences and train biology educators in grades seven through college in the use of the source book and the adaptive laboratory manuals. If the project is successful, the researchers hope to expand it into the natural and physical sciences.

Wright State has taken the lead in making its facilities accessible for students with physical disabilities. The WSU Department of Biological Sciences offers an adaptive biology laboratory designed to help students with disabilities conduct research and experiments. Wright State's reputation and programs in this area helped it obtain the NSF grant in 1997.

For more information on the C.L.A.S.S. workshop, the adaptive lab, or the NSF grant project, visit the C.L.A.S.S. website at http://biology.wrig ht.edu/labgrant/index.html, or contact Wheatly at (937) 775-2655 or by e-mail at mwheatly@wright.edu.

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