Project Goals and Benefits
Goal—To significantly increase the number of Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) in STEM postsecondary education programs and the STEM workforce in Hawai‘i.
Pacific Alliance Staff will support Disability Students Services Providers and STEM faculty at the University of Hawaii to enhance opportunities for students with disabilities to improve their grades, stay in college, and matriculate in STEM programs by:
- Establishing a “Community of Practice” (COP) to:
- Build basic academic skills in reading, mathematics, and writing via academic tutors;
- Recruit and train tutors in STEM specific tutoring;
- Develop Personalized Plans to address students with disabilities individualized STEM needs; and/or
- Build internship program; and
- Facilitate entry, if desired, into advanced degree programs.
- Mentoring:
- Develop Participant (student) individualized plans;
- Provide mentor training;
- Facilitate mentor/mentee collaborations;
- Provide guidance on accommodation needs and self-advocacy skills;
- Provide information and use on assistive technology; and/or
- Collaborate with a STEM area role model.
- Facilitating Assistive Technology (AT) camps specifically relating AT to STEM fields.
- Connecting students with disabilities with existing STEM programs to:
- Learn about careers from employees in STEM careers;
- Facilitate internship relationships; and
- Pave the way for IWD in STEM programs to enter the STEM workforce.
- Collaborating on a Career Fair.
How the University of Hawai‘i will Benefit:
- Increased enrollment of IWD from high schools on O‘ahu in STEM degree programs.
- Increased graduation rates (associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees) for STEM students with disabilities by 10% per year.
- Increased employment rates of Alliance graduates, including those with associate degrees, into STEM employment by 5%.
