This past Spring, the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) partnered with MSU College of Natural Science and STEM+ Education at State for three workshops that centered around building disability awareness and advancing STEM education. This was a three-part workshop series with the first being held in February 2024 and the remaining two being held in in March 2024.
The first workshop—Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution—took place on February 1, 2024. Attendees viewed the Crip Camp documentary that tells the story of how disabled people, who became close friends at Camp Jened, led the movement to force the United States government to enact disability rights legislation. Following the film screening, a panel discussion was held. The panel was comprised of MSU leaders in disability advocacy, Mike Hudson, RCPD Director, Tracy Leahy, ADA Coordinator, and Virginia Martz, RCPD Ability Access Specialist.
The second workshop—Creating Inclusive Spaces for Students with Autism—took place on March 12, 2024. This was a virtual workshop with guest speaker, Dr. Brad Cox, Associate Professor in the College of Education. Dr. Cox is also Founder of the nonprofit organization, College Autism Network (CAN). This workshop explored factors that shape college experiences and outcomes for student populations with disabilities, specifically those on the autism spectrum. To read more about Dr. Cox and his initiatives, read this story that MSUToday published.
The final workshop in this series—Learning Narratives from Students with Disabilities in STEM Classrooms—was held on March 29, 2024. This workshop was led by a panel of two undergraduate and two graduate students who shared their experiences of disability within STEM classrooms. Attendees were both virtual and in-person.