AccessISL

AccessISL supports efforts to develop a capacity-building model for making informal STEM learning (ISL) opportunities more welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities. The project will prepare the University of Washington for the submission of a larger accessible ISL grant as collaborators develop and test model interventions, more fully develop replication steps, and gain insights from both people with disabilities and practitioners. All stakeholders are encouraged to join this effort.

Learn More and Get Involved

• Learn More about the AccessISL Project
  Read about project goals, objectives, activities, leadership, and sponsorship.
• Join the Community of Practice
  Participate in discussions and learn of opportunities to promote the increased participation of people with disabilities in informal science education offerings, training programs, and careers.

Universal Design and Informal Learning 

• Read Equal Access: Universal Design of Informal Learning
  A checklist for making informal learning welcoming, accessible, and usable.
• Apply Facilitating Accessibility Reviews of Informal Science Education Facilities and Programs
  A resource to help you develop your own accessibility review of informal science education facilities and programs.
• Watch Virtual Access to Informal STEM Learning
  This video shares perspectives of AccessISL student interns during the 2021 NSF STEM for All Video Showcase.
• Review Q&As, Promising Practices, and Case Studies
  Explore the Knowledge Base for answers to specific questions and evidence-based practices.
• Read Proceedings from the AccessISL Capacity Building Institute
  Find resources and solutions to challenges regarding equitable access to ISL. Hear from stakeholders and find ways to work together to increase universal design, accessibility, and systemic change as it relates to informal STEM learning.

Universal Design and Higher Education 

• Learn Pedagogical and Content Design Practices that Support Accessibility and Inclusion in Museology Courses
  These guidelines were designed for faculty in museology and museum studies programs who seek to create accessible and inclusive learning environments and integrate accessibility topics within their curriculum.
• Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit
  Order this must-have book that has how-to instructions for applying UD to everything we do in higher education, and complements the 2015 book Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Learn more in this podcast episode of Trending in Education.
• Apply 20 Tips For Teaching an Accessible Online Course
  Use a checklist, watch a video, and/or complete a tutorial to begin making an online course accessible, usable, and inclusive.
• Watch the Video Quality Education Is Accessible
  Students with a variety of disabilities share strategies for making instruction more accessible to them.
• Read "The Development of Accessibility Recommendations for Online Learning Researchers" from the book Universal Design in Higher Education: Promising Practices
  Find suggestions, tips, and tools for accessibility within online learning research.

The AccessISL project is funded by the National Science Foundation (grant #DRL-1906147). Any questions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the federal government.