Women’s History Month: Women in STEM
This is a special post written by Charles Warren, Curriculum Developer at Triangle. Charlie is also a member of Triangle’s Racial Equity Committee (REC) and Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF). As part of our commitment to the work of the REC and DJTF, we will be sharing more information with you on subjects related to racial equity and disability justice. This post continues our series dedicated to calling attention to the contributions of people with disabilities to American history.
Happy Women’s History Month!
Women with disabilities are an underrepresented group in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields due to systemic barriers to education, recruitment, and retention. It is important for people of all backgrounds to contribute to scientific research, technological development, engineering solutions, and mathematical discoveries so that the needs of all community members are most effectively met. In other words, the minds and voices of people with disabilities in STEM fields are critical to creating a world that is accessible.
As a teacher, I frequently observe the power of example to unlock personal potential, especially for students with disabilities. Stories of people with shared characteristics succeeding in their chosen field opens the door to the possibility, “Maybe I can do that too.”
In response to the persistent lack of opportunities for people with disabilities to explore and develop STEM skills, Triangle, Inc. has developed educational programming in workforce technology. We believe that more exposure to these types of opportunities will help ensure that the technologies that touch our everyday lives will be built with the knowledge and participation of innovators with disabilities.
Three such innovators, women with disabilities in STEM fields, will be speaking at the Museum of Science Boston for a panel discussion titled Time Reconsidered: Aging and Disability on March 21st. Panelists include Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (who has been featured on our blog – click here to check it out), Hailee Yoshizaki-Gibbons, and Dr. Alison Kafer, PhD. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the experiences of women with disabilities in STEM, and the important research and writing done by each panelist. Virtual livestream tickets are available for free. Click here to learn more!
