Peer Review

Increasing the Representation of People with Disabilities in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

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Reviewed:: Mar 15, 2020 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This academic paper is designed to increase awareness of the need for high school students with disabilities to have access to post-secondary programming to increase the representation of people with disabiltiies in the areas of science, engineering and math. Specific details about the DO-IT program at the University of Washington were shared. The paper was published in 1994, the same year that the DO-IT program was launched. Links included at the bottom of the article reveal that the DO-IT Program has been sustained for 25 years.

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

This paper can be used to support research on participation in STEM by the disabled population. This research paper could also be used in teacher prep programs as a resource for an in-class discussion.

Technical Requirements:

None

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Increase awareness for post-secondary programming for students with disabilities
Comunicate aspects of a particular post-secondary transition to college program that included summer programming, mentoring, etc.
Outline a particular approach to increasing the number of students with disabilities entering the fields of science, engineering, and math

Target Student Population:

Teacher candidates and anyone responsible to develop STEM opportunities for the disabled, college upper division, graduate school, and professional.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Helpful to have some awareness of the history of people with disabilities and access to education

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

For its time, the article shares about a progressive approach to post-secondary transition programming to colleges/universities

The author identifies key ideas about increasign awareness for people with disabiltiies, university faculty, and professionals in science, engineering and math to have higher aspirations for people with disabilities

Focus on inclusion and access was and is very relevant for people with disabilities and post-secondary transition programs, as well as STEM education

Concerns:

All sources included in the references were from 1992 or prior. While it is not a current resource, there are links to the DO-IT website, which helps the reader know that the program has persisted for at least 25 years, and continues the mission to advance awareness and access for people with disabilities in fields where they had been underrepresented.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Helps situate ideas about inclusion, access, and post-secondary transition to college programs in time
Best used in a historical perspectives context, even though many of the ideas shared remain relevant today
Shared information about a program that has continues to exist to advance the same mission as was expressed in the article in the year of its inception

This material can be used in any teacher preparation program.

Concerns:

The stamp at the bottom of the article reveals that it hasn't been updated since 1998. Most current college students today were born after the article was published.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The article itself is well organized
It is a brief article and easy to navigate
The content is clearly and logically presented

Concerns:

The article would need to copied to download it, as there were no print or share buttons

Other Issues and Comments:: While the article is 25 years old at this point, the information continues to be relevant today. It was helpful that there was a link at the bottom to the author's homepage, so that the reader could see that the DO-IT program has continued to exist and advance its mission for people with disabilities.
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