Resources for Supporting Students with and without Disabilities in Your Physics Courses

TL;DR

This paper reviews literature, proposes a design framework, and offers resources to help physics instructors support students with disabilities, aiming to improve accessibility and inclusivity in STEM education.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive design framework and resource list specifically tailored for physics educators to enhance support for students with disabilities.

Findings

Increased enrollment of students with disabilities in STEM fields.

Faculty often unprepared to support diverse learners.

Resources can improve accessibility and support in physics courses.

Abstract

Students with disabilities are enrolling in postsecondary education in increasing numbers and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at steady rates since the early 1990s. Specifically, in 2014, the National Center on Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) found that 10.5% of students enrolled in science and engineering degree programs identified with a disability. However, postsecondary faculty have been shown to be unprepared to support students with disabilities in their classes and popular, research-based introductory physics curricula do not adequately plan for variations in learners' needs, abilities, and interests. The purpose of this paper is to provide resources that instructors can use in their classes to promote accessibility and support all learners. In this paper we: 1) provide a brief review of the literature related to supporting students with disabilities in the context of physics; 2) describe a design framework intended to encourage development of curricula that support all learners; and 3) provide a list of resources that physics instructors can use to increase support for students with disabilities.