For more information, contact Cindy Young, (937) 775-3232.
July 8, 1999
WRIGHT STATE RESEARCH PREPARES STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES FOR LABORATORY SCIENCE CAREERS
If renowned physicist Stephen Hawking had been stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease before he entered college, chances are he would have chosen another career. His disability would have prevented him from taking the lab classes he needed that eventually led to his discoveries that have revolutionized the science of cosmology: the Big Bang theory for the origin of the universe and the existence of black holes.
A five-year research project at Wright State University is helping to ensure that future Stephen Hawkings will be able to participate in lab classes despite their disabilities, giving them the same freedom that others students have to pursue scientific careers. The project, funded by grants totaling $835,000 from the National Science Foundation, shows science educators how they can design lab activities to accommodate students with disabilities. Adaptations range from simple to complex. They incIude specially weighted microscopes for students in wheelchairs; virtual frog dissection; audio and videotapes of birds for students unable to ambulate to the biological preserve; and many others. The project is unique in several ways:
Once students have full access to science activities, they will be willing to pursue science careers. To do that, they must complete advanced college laboratory courses. Another component of the project seeks to get underrepresented students into research labs.
"If we want to get students with disabilities into careers in science, we've got to get them doing things other sciences majors do, like independent projects," says Michele G. Wheatly, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Wright State and project director.
Jeffrey Vernooy, director of the Office of Disability Services at Wright State and co-investigator on the project, recalls that in high school he had to learn chemistry one-on-one in the nurse's office. Despite his parents' pleas to school administrators for an elevator in the new high school building, the chemistry lab was placed on the second floor with no elevator access. His only lab experience was a single class period that consisted of a few demonstrations.
Though Vernooy was able to work in labs in college, he believes his life might have been different with better access to lab facilities in high school.
"I loved it when I got to do it," Vernooy says. With an earlier start, "I might have made that choice to go into the sciences."
Again this summer, 10 biology educators from schools and colleges in Ohio and several other states will spend two weeks on the Wright State campus from July 19-30. During the first week, the workshop, Creating Laboratory Access for Science Students (C.L.A.S.S.), will help teachers broaden their knowledge of science and their understanding of the diverse needs of students with disabilities.
During the second week, high school students from Ohio and other states will pair with the teachers to conduct biology and chemistry experiments. The program consists of activities combining fun and science. Students will keep a photo journal, visit the Dayton Art Institute, and go outdoors to collect fossils.
"We're going to use this as an opportunity to give these students some skills and some perspective on what life can hold for them," Wheatly says.
During their stay on campus, the high schoolers will meet Wright State students with disabilities to learn how they study and work on campus and what challenges they face in earning a degree. Bruce Traub, a 1998 WSU biological sciences graduate now studying for his master's degree at Xavier University, will return to campus this summer to help the younger students. An automobile accident shortly after graduating high school left Traub disabled, but it didn't stop him attaining his goal of a biology degree.
"I did face a lot of challenges, especially in the laboratory," Traub recalled. "The reason I chose biology for a major was simply because that was my major before I was involved in a car accident. I chose Wright State because of their excellent programs for the disabled. My hope is that this project will help make biology more of an option for young disabled students."
Wheatly sees a gradual change in attitude among educators and others who might have believed science careers were closed off to students with disabilities. Once people look past the disability and see the real person, anything is possible.
"Most people have a poor understanding of disability that is based on lack of prior experience," Wheatly says. "This workshop profoundly changes attitudes of both educators and students. Educators learn to appreciate that students with disabilities can do pretty much anything in the lab given appropriate accommodations. The students with disabilities learn that they can consider a career in science, especially if they enroll at Wright State!"
For more information on the C.L.A.S.S. workshop or the NSF grant project, contact Michele Wheatly at (937) 775-2655 or by e-mail. Information about the project is also on Wright State's Web site at: http://biology.wright.edu/labgrant/index.html.
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