Roadmaps and Rampways: Profiles of Students With Disabilities in Science, Mathematics,Engineering, and Technology
Listen to 34 young people who tell their stories. They are either blind or deaf, or they may get around in wheelchairs or have learning disabilities. But their disabilities do not define them, and have not stopped them from taking jobs as biologists, computer scientists, mechanical engineers, and aerospace scientists. Roadmaps and Rampways, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), chronicles 25 years of a remarkable era, with dramatic changes in the law, in attitudes, and in "assistive" technology that are transforming the lives of people with disabilities in the United States. The young people featured in the book all participated in a AAAS internship program known as ENTRY POINT!, which has served as a bridge into jobs in engineering and sciences in both the public and private sectors since 1996. Of the 350 students placed in ENTRY POINT! internships, 92 percent are either employed fulltime, or have gone on to graduate school in a technical field. Their stories are in marked contrast to the general population of people with disabilities, among whom only 25 percent have fulltime jobs. Core Themes & Content:
*Authentic Student Profiles: Features firsthand biographical accounts of students with physical, sensory, learning, and psychological disabilities successfully navigating STEM degrees.
*The "Rampway" Concept: Defines actionable institutional pathways and support systems that bridge the gap between high school, higher education, and technical careers.
*Systemic Barrier Analysis: Identifies and critiques the hidden structural, physical, and cultural obstacles within university laboratories and classrooms that restrict access.
*Self-Advocacy & Identity: Explores how underrepresented students develop self-efficacy, form mentor relationships, and learn to communicate their specific access needs in competitive academic environments.
*Strategic Accommodations: Highlights real-world examples of creative modifications, adaptive software, and assistive technologies engineered by or for students to excel in field and lab work.
*Institutional Blueprints: Provides university administrators, professors, and policymakers with concrete strategies to cultivate disability-friendly STEM pipelines and retention programs.
Written with Virginia Stern.