Develop Participant (student) individualized plans; Provide mentor training; Facilitate mentor/mentee collaborations; Provide guidance on accommodation needs and self-advocacy skills; Provide information and use on assistive technology; and/or Collaborate with a STEM area role model.

Pacific Alliance

for Supporting Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) in STEM Fields Partnership

Goals and Outcomes

The goal of the Pacific Alliance for Supporting Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) in STEM Fields Partnership (Pacific Alliance) is to increase the numbers of IWD in STEM postsecondary education programs and ultimately the STEM workforce in Hawai‘i.

Proposed outcomes are:

Increased graduation rates in degreed programs (associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees)

Increased rates of graduates (high school, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate) entering STEM employment

Evidence based, student-centered practices will be explored to address four categories of barriers to increasing STEM participation and progress in STEM fields: (1) disability (e.g., physical access and lack of academic and career accommodations); (2) self-empowerment/exploration (e.g., perceived lack of ability to succeed, and lack of awareness and opportunities in STEM); (3) academics (e.g., lack of basic academic skills, lack of academic supports, advising, and accommodations, and insufficient course content success in STEM courses); and (4) career/employment (e.g., physical, communication, and visual access to job responsibilities and lack of knowledge of work specific accommodations).

Goals and Benefits

Goal of Pacific Alliance:

To significantly increase the number of Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) in STEM postsecondary education programs and the STEM workforce in Hawai‘i.

Pacific Alliance Staff will support Disability Students Services Providers and STEM faculty at the University of Hawaii to enhance opportunities for students with disabilities to improve their grades, stay in college, and matriculate in STEM programs by:

Establishing a “Community of Practice” (COP) to:

Build basic academic skills in reading, mathematics, and writing via academic tutors;
Recruit and train tutors in STEM specific tutoring;
Develop Personalized Plans to address students with disabilities individualized STEM needs; and/or
Build internship program; and
Facilitate entry, if desired, into advanced degree programs.

Mentoring to:

Develop Participant (student) individualized plans;
Provide mentor training;
Facilitate mentor/mentee collaborations;
Provide guidance on accommodation needs and self-advocacy skills;
Provide information and use on assistive technology; and/or
Collaborate with a STEM area role model.

Facilitating Assistive Technology (AT) camps that:

Specifically relating AT to STEM fields.

Connecting students with disabilities with existing STEM programs to:

Learn about careers from employees in STEM careers;
Facilitate internship relationships; and
Pave the way for IWD in STEM programs to enter the STEM workforce.

Collaborating on a Career Fair.

Contact Dr. Kiriko Takahashi to connect and learn more: kiriko@hawaii.edu.

How the University of Hawai‘i will Benefit:

Increased enrollment of IWD from high schools on O‘ahu in STEM degree programs.
Increased graduation rates (associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) for STEM students with disabilities by 10% per year.
Increased employment rates of Alliance graduates, including those with associate degrees, into STEM employment by 5%.

Learn More

Abstract

View the abstract for the project: Pacific Alliance for Supporting Individuals with Disabilities in STEM Fields

Newsletters

Research and Workshop

Communities of Practice (COP)

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa / Kapiolani Community College

Leeward Community College

Honolulu Community College

Windward Community College

Pacific Rim Conference Presentations

Supporting Postsecondary Students with Disabilities through Critical Junctures in STEM (Slides, 2014)

Five Critical Concepts to Support the Transition of Students with Disabilities to College (Slides, 2014)

Pacific Alliance Internship for College Students (Poster, 2014)

Students with Disabilities in Transition: A Dialogue about Students with Disabilities in Hawai‘i Transitioning from High School to College or College to the Workforce (Flyer, 2012)

Preparing Students with Disabilities for Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM)—Pacific Alliance in O‘ahu High Schools (Poster, 2012)

Award Information

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HRD #09-29079. For information about the Pacific Alliance contact Dr. Kiriko Takahashi at kiriko@hawaii.edu or Dr. Hye Jin Park at parkhye@hawaii.edu.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.