By Laurel White
A new research project led by two School of Education faculty members seeks to increase understanding of the experiences of disabled graduate students and faculty in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
The project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will focus on graduate students and faculty studying and teaching physics.
Allison Lombardi, a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, and Carlyn Mueller, an assistant professor in the same department, are leading the project along with Graham Rifenbark, a research scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, and colleagues at the University of Connecticut and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
The project was funded by an NSF initiative aimed at increasing understanding of barriers and solutions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in STEM professions, education workplaces, and training settings.
Lombardi says the driving goal of the project is to identify barriers and solutions that disabled people experience in physics communities, with an eye on ways to increase representation of disabled scholars in physics careers and address workplace inequities for adults representing a range of disabilities.
“Individuals with disabilities are underrepresented and continue to experience marginalization and barriers to accessing STEM careers,” Lombardi says. “This is often due to ableist structural and attitudinal barriers.”
Mueller says the three-year project will help increase engagement, academic career retention, and career advancement for a population of people who will enrich the STEM professional community across the country.
“The lack of full inclusion of people with disabilities in the STEM workforce is a missed opportunity to realize the full potential and talent of the entire U.S. population,” Mueller says.
The project aims to focus on informal spaces not necessarily covered by coursework or workplace accommodations, including professional conferences. Mueller points out that a wealth of academic mentoring and networking happens in those spaces.
Broadly, Lombardi’s research focuses on the transition from adolescence to adulthood, with a particular focus on college and career readiness and higher education experiences of disabled students.
Mueller’s research centers on disability identity development in school contexts, including development of disability community in special education, disability representation in curriculum, and intersectionality of race and disability identity.
The new project, which is currently recruiting participants from across the country, will include qualitative and quantitative data collection. Erin Scanlon, assistant professor of physics at the University of Connecticut, and Emily Tarconish, assistant professor of special education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, are co-principal investigators on the project.
This study is currently recruiting participants. Please contact Allison Lombardi at alombardi2@wisc.edu or Carlyn Mueller at comueller@wisc.edu for more information.