In the Classroom
A Project To Make the Laboratory More Accessible to Students with Disabilities Suzanne K. Lunsford* Department of Chemistry, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435; *
[email protected] Mary Ellen Bargerhuff Department of Teacher Education, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435
In today’s society there is an appreciation and importance of cultural diversity in our workplace. There is a need for collaboration among different cultures, nationalities, and populations to solve many scientific problems in the world. Although our society has begun to embrace diversity, the process to expand outreach to populations with physical and learning disabilities has been sluggish. There are many efforts to encourage women and minorities into science but efforts to encourage students with physical or learning disabilities are far less common (1). The current shortage of science educators and researchers intensifies the need to encourage all students to consider careers in science (2). According to a United States Department of Education report, there are more than six million students with disabilities in grades K–12 (3). This is a tremendous untapped source of potential scientists. However, current graduation rates for these students hover around 50% (3). Clearly, students with disabilities face tremendous challenges to having their educational needs met. Lack of knowledge about disability, a dearth of teacher training in the area of modifications and accommodations, insufficient collaboration between general and special educators, and persistent attitudinal barriers are only some of the factors contributing to dismal outcomes for students with disabilities (4). Removing barriers that prevent students with disabilities from reaching their full potential as chemists or scientists is vitally important. If we are to increase the numbers of students entering into science careers, we must build our pool of qualified science teachers who are capable of and willing to serve all students, including those with disabilities. This project was developed to meet the forces of change affecting education and is directed towards stimulating creativity, innovation, and change to contribute to the advancement of science to foster a scientifically literate population. Project CLASS (Creating Laboratory Access for Science Students) uses collaborative professional development workshops to teach educators how to fully involve middle school, high school, and college students with physical disabilities in the scientific endeavor. Project CLASS has the philosophy that most students with physical or learning disabilities can participate fully in the scientific endeavor and was developed to accommodate the needs of these students.
for pedestrian and wheelchair traffic. WSU ranks in the top 25 colleges and universities in the United States in terms of the proportion of students who attend with a diagnosed disability; the Office of Disability Services (ODS) provides assistance to approximately 500 students out of an approximate student body of 16,000 members. In addition as many as 200 members of the student body, faculty, and staff have disabilities but do not require support services from ODS. Due to the large population of students with disabilities enrolled in science classes, the faculty had to learn how to make adaptations to lab equipment and how to modify course materials for students with disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy to visual and hearing impairments and learning disabilities. The CLASS project is a collaborative effort among faculty and staff in the departments of Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Physics, Mathematics, and Teacher Education and the Office of Disability Services. Faculty and staff realized that what they had learned about serving the educational needs of students with disabilities could be of benefit to other educators at the K–12 level. The CLASS project staff believes it is essential to make science accessible to students with disabilities early in their education to encourage them to pursue science as a career. The project has expanded over 8 years with 5 summer workshops for science and special educators who teach grades 7–12. Over 44 educators and 22 students with physical or learning disabilities have participated in the CLASS project. Educator participants are recruited from professional conferences held by the American Chemical Society, the National Science Teachers Association, the National Association of Biology Teachers, and the Geological Society of America. Lasting one to two weeks, the summer workshops focus on laboratory and field access, universal design, and individual accommodations, delivered within the framework of inquirybased science. Teachers interact one-on-one and in small groups with students, who have a variety of disabilities, as they plan, teach, and assess a variety of science lessons in multiple fields. Followup opportunities include mini-grants and “take-home” assignments where teachers implement their new skills in their own classrooms.
Background
The CLASS project team is a diverse group of individuals sharing the same philosophy and goals with respect to persons with disabilities. Weekly team meetings throughout the calendar year provide the forum for planning, implementing, and evaluating past, current, and future endeavors that are aimed at fulfilling the CLASS mission:
Wright State University (WSU) has always had a strong commitment to serving the needs of persons with disabilities. The campus is architecturally barrier-free and accessible, including a climate-controlled underground tunnel system
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Procedures
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In the Classroom Individuals with physical disabilities, given appropriate accommodations, can participate fully in the scientific method. The CLASS project aspires to achieve excellence in the laboratory and field science education of students with disabilities. To systemically reform science education of students with disabilities, intense efforts must be focused at all educational levels in an attempt to enhance training of future teachers as well as changing the culture of science. Consistent with National Science Education Standards, initiatives focus on: inclusion, technology, inquiry, and innovation. Further, universal accessibility (presenting material using multiple modalities and employing multiple learning strategies) benefits all students, including those with undiagnosed disabilities and those without disabilities who possess different learning styles.
The most essential avenue by which the CLASS team addresses its mission is through the CLASS summer workshop. The CLASS workshop requires approximately a twoweek commitment, depending on the format chosen for any particular summer. The CLASS project pays for travel, room, and board on the WSU campus, provides a monetary stipend, and offers the option of earning graduate credit. During the first week the educators (maximum of 10) focus on disability awareness and sensitivity. Teachers learn about various physical and associated learning disabilities, as well as adaptive technology and sound teaching techniques reflecting National Science Education Standards. Lab and field exercises are introduced and participants brainstorm appropriate accommodations for diverse student needs. During the second week, middle and high school students, each of whom has a physical or learning disability, join the teacher participants for a one-week residential science camp. Student participants come to the CLASS project on the recommendation of teachers, parents, and administrators. In choosing students, the CLASS team tries to balance a number of diversity issues, but primarily addresses the need for a range of differing abilities that will give the adult participants a solid grounding in planning accommodations and modifications. Students with visual and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, and other severe physical or communication disabilities have all participated successfully in the CLASS science camp. During the student week of the workshop, educators are paired one-on-one with a different student for each of the labs. Together, student and teacher engage in hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory and field exercises. The educators constantly monitor their student to identify possible problems. The students teach the educators how to best meet their individual learning needs for each lab or field exercise. Chemistry topics covered during the CLASS workshop lab experiences include physical properties, chemical properties, the periodic table, balancing chemical reactions, acids and bases, and water monitoring. The labs familiarize the disability students with basic chemistry while enabling the science educator to become familiar with adaptations for future use with disabled students. Interactive materials are developed to meet students’ needs. For example an exercise using hex nuts was developed to help visually impaired or blind students learn to balance chemical reactions. Varying sizes of 408
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hex nuts represented different types of atoms. The hex nuts are placed on a double balance pan to teach the concept of balancing chemical reactions. Students with visual impairments also have access to a Braille periodic table and Braille lesson plans that were developed with the help of the Office of Disability Services. Adaptive plastic equipment, rather than glass, including beakers, graduated cylinders, pipets, and pump bottles for acids and bases are needed to aid disability students involved in the experimental process (5–9). After each activity, adult participants meet with CLASS science and special education faculty for a debriefing session on the inclusionary aspects of the lesson. By the end of the second week, educators have had an opportunity to work individually with up to ten different students, each of whom has a unique set of strengths and needs. Based on their learning over this two-week experience, educators develop a detailed action plan specific to their home school. The action plans require analysis of present conditions and specific steps the teachers will take to bring about the desired change and include a plan for evaluating their progress. Each participant presents his or her action plan to the rest of the CLASS team and receives feedback. After participating in the summer workshop science educators were eligible to apply for a $5000 mini-grant to enhance their science program utilizing inclusive settings. Seven mini-grants have been awarded and over 700 students with disabilities have been educated through these minigrants. These funds have provided adaptive equipment to modify the curriculum to an inquiry-based mode. An outstanding project created by the mini-grant was the development of an accessible garden and pond center at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. This garden and pond center has made science inclusive for all students in this school district and has allowed the students with physical disabilities and students in wheelchairs to conduct water and soil testing in a real-world setting. Summary WSU faculty has a long history of working with a population of students with disabilities. The CLASS project is one example of how this knowledge and experience translated into growth opportunity for K–12 educators as well. CLASS project presurvey results found that 90% of participants had little or no formal preparation in how to teach students with disabilities. Postsurveys showed a marked increase in the educators’ willingness to teach students with disabilities in inclusive science classes. Participants also reported an increased confidence level in the area of modifying and adapting lab equipment and activities to meet individual student needs. This is encouraging news for students with disabilities, who are three times more likely to pass standardized tests when they are appropriately included in science laboratories and classrooms (3). In this time of heightened accountability for educational outcomes, students with disabilities often pose particular challenges to school districts. Yet the potential of these youngsters is great. Projects such as CLASS can help teachers foster that potential by showing them how to facilitate effective science instruction for all students. The end result may very well be an increase in people with disabilities who choose science as a career.
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In the Classroom
Acknowledgment WSU gratefully acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation, grant DUE 0089396. Literature Cited 1. Lagowski, J. J. J. Chem. Educ. 1981, 58, 203. 2. Cawley, J.; Hayden, S.; Cade, E.; Kroczynski, S. B. Exceptional Children 2002, 68, 423.
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3. Hemphill, Carla. Learning Together: Lessons in Inclusive Education. New York City Advocacy, 2003. 4. Cawley, J.; Parmar, R. Exceptional Children 1993, 59, 518. 5. Brindle, I. D.; Miller, J. M.; Richardson, M. F.; Balenovich, W.; Benkel, M.; Biernacki, T. J. Chem. Educ. 1981, 58, 232. 6. Pence, L. E.; Workman, H.; Riecke, P. J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 295. 7. Ratliff, J. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 710. 8. Flair, M.; Setzer, W. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 795. 9. Tombaugh, D. J. Chem. Educ. 1981, 58, 222.
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