Beyond Compliance: Workplace Barriers, Access, and Inclusive Policies Impacting People with Disabilities in the STEM Workforce

国家科学院正在举办一次会议，讨论、审查和探讨与残疾人的STEM工作场所的无障碍和包容性有关的广泛问题，并强调他们在STEM劳动力中取得的成功。国家科学院高等教育和劳动力委员会正在与科学教育委员会合作，召集一个特别委员会来指导一套委托发表的论文和一次虚拟会议，会议包括演讲、小组讨论、分组讨论、互动会议、反思或其他参与模式，以期最好地传达信息，并尽可能地使人能够接触到信息。主题包括但不限于，使用资产方法来定义STEM中的残疾人；审查工作环境、政策和做法中的体制障碍；以及更好地了解STEM工作场所，包括所有类型的STEM研究环境中残疾人的经历。通过使用交叉视角审视STEM劳动力雇主和残疾人所经历的挑战和机会，所产生的产品有助于增进对限制残疾人在STEM中职业发展的系统性体制障碍的了解，以及有助于促进残疾人在STEM研究环境中工作的无障碍和包容做法和政策。虚拟会议讲习班旨在与身为残疾人和非残疾人的利益攸关方接触。任何残疾委员会成员或利益攸关方都可以接触到所有计划开展的活动，以确保将残疾人的生活经历包括在内。可查阅的会议记录和委托撰写的论文以及其他产品将向公众提供。讲习班的结果预计将为国家关于STEM工作场所的无障碍和包容性的研究议程提供信息，并向国家科学基金会通报提高STEM工作人员中残疾人地位的举措。一名外部评估员将加入项目团队，采用衡量标准来评估工作活动、会议和传播材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The National Academies are conducting a conference to address, examine and explore broad issues related to the accessibility and inclusivity of STEM workplaces for persons with disabilities, and highlighting their success in the STEM workforce. The National Academies’ Board on Higher Education and Workforce, in collaboration with the Board on Science Education, are convening an ad hoc committee to direct a set of commissioned papers and a virtual conference with presentations, panels, discussion breakouts, interactive sessions, reflections, or other modes of engagement, as determined to convey the information best and be as accessible as possible. Topics include, but are not limited to, using an asset approach to define the disabilities of persons in STEM; examining institutional barriers in work environments, policies and practices; and better understanding the experiences of persons with disabilities across STEM workplaces, including all types of STEM research settings. By using an intersectional lens to examine the challenges and opportunities experienced by STEM workforce employers, and by persons with disabilities, the products generated are contributing to advancing knowledge about systemic institutional barriers that limit the career advancement of persons with disabilities in STEM, as well as the access and inclusion practices and policies that contribute to advancing persons with disabilities working in STEM research settings. The virtual conference workshop is designed to engage with stakeholders who are persons with disabilities, and those who are not. All planned activities are accessible to any committee member or stakeholder with a disability to ensure that the lived experiences of persons with disabilities are included. Accessible conference proceedings and commissioned papers, and other products, will be made available to the public. Results from the workshop are expected to inform a national agenda for research about the accessibility and inclusivity of STEM workplaces, and to inform NSF about initiatives to advance persons with disabilities in the STEM workforce. An external evaluator will join the project team to employ metrics for assessment of the work activities, the conference and the dissemination materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.