Empowering Innovation: How Scientists with Disabilities are Transforming Research Accessibility

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The route to Lost Lake was steep and unpaved, bordered by jagged rocks and depressions.

A cohort of scientists and students cautiously navigated the terrain, utilizing canes or assistance to guide their way. For participants unable to complete the ascent, a drone showcased the lake — slender and azure — from above.

The excursion aimed to demonstrate the obstacles faced by researchers with disabilities — and how these challenges can be addressed.

“Just because you can’t do things the same way as others doesn’t imply you can’t achieve it,” expressed Anita Marshall, a geologist from the University of Florida heading the trip. The group comprised scientists with visual, auditory, and mobility impairments.

Marshall’s organization facilitated the trip to the lake along the San Andreas Fault, just outside San Bernardino. Her organization — the International Association for Geoscience Diversity — along with others, is striving to enhance accessibility to field and laboratory work, ensuring those with disabilities feel included and engaged.

Taormina Lepore, a paleontologist from Western Michigan University who participated in the expedition, noted that scientists often prefer a singular, conventional approach to accomplishing tasks.

At Lost Lake, everyone was afforded a view — even if they were unable to reach the site physically.

“It really revolves around empathy, as much as it pertains to science,” stated Lepore, who investigates science pedagogy.

Individuals with disabilities constitute roughly 3% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, based on 2021 statistics from the National Science Foundation.

Researchers with disabilities express this statistic is partly due to laboratories, classrooms, and field locations not being built with their needs in mind. Mark Leddy, who previously oversaw disability-focused grants for the National Science Foundation, mentioned that students and faculty are still being told that lab work or research may not be done safely.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, enacted in 1990, specifies fundamental requirements for new buildings and laboratories, including ramps and wheelchair-friendly pathways.

However, adapting older laboratories can be a complex and protracted endeavor.

Alyssa Paparella is pursuing her doctorate in biology at Baylor College of Medicine and has established an online community for scientists with disabilities. She pointed out that a science facility at one of her former institutions lacked automatic buttons for door operation.

“What does that suggest about the individuals you desire to work in these laboratories?” she remarked. “That’s the entrance they can’t even access.”

Leddy articulated that researchers with disabilities bring immense value due to their unique life experiences. They are continually devising inventive solutions to navigate life’s barriers — a problem-solving capability that is vital in a lab environment.

“If they feel unwelcome, if they lack access, how can they contribute their talents?” Leddy questioned.

Venu Varanasi, a biomaterials engineer at the University of Texas at Arlington with low vision, prints signs using high-contrast color pairs and motivates his students to keep workspaces and surfaces tidy so he can maneuver the lab more readily.

He noted that these alterations also minimize the potential for accidents among non-disabled students.

“When you recognize that a person has a disability, you see an opportunity, not a challenge,” he shared.

At Purdue University in Indiana, engineering professor Brad Duerstock assisted in designing an accessible biomedical laboratory years ago with backing from the university and a grant from the National Institutes of Health, by eliminating cabinets under sinks and fume hoods for easier access by wheelchairs.

The expense associated with enhancing a lab’s accessibility varies based on the extent of modifications, Duerstock stated. Some institutions allocate budgets for upgrades while scientific organizations may provide grants.

During the geology field trip in California, the group examined the lake carved into the landscape by the San Andreas Fault, where the friction of two tectonic plates can trigger earthquakes.

The group comprised rock enthusiasts at various stages of their careers. A few were students, while others were professors eager to explore nature within a trustworthy group that would look after them.

Jennifer Piatek, a professor from Central Connecticut State University who uses a wheelchair, witnessed the lake through drone footage and utilized a pocket lens to scrutinize rocks collected by other participants.

She remarked that it was gratifying to be part of a community that considered her needs. For instance, the bus parked in a flatter area to facilitate her disembarkation.

One can gather a great deal of knowledge from visuals and maps, “but truly, you need to be present in the environment,” stated Piatek, whose research focuses on planetary geology.

Lepore, who identifies as neurodivergent and has low vision, scanned rocks utilizing an artificial intelligence application that vocalized their color and shape.

“Nature is not innately accessible,” she explained. “Nature simply lacks ramps and the amenities we may wish for. Nonetheless, there are numerous alternative approaches and ways for us as geoscientists to create truly inclusive experiences.”

Bushra Hussaini employs insights gained from the field trips to assist interns and volunteers with disabilities at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, where she works. She emphasized that the encouraging community of geologists motivates her to return. “We learn from one another and support each other,” she noted.

Prior to departing, Marshall encouraged participants to request assistance or a shoulder to lean on if necessary. She and other members of the organization have been organizing field trips annually as an extension of the Geological Society of America’s yearly conference.

During her doctoral studies, Marshall would attend field excursions with her classmates, only to remain behind in the van, feeling disheartened because the planners had not considered her disabilities.

She aspires to create a different experience for the forthcoming generation of scientists.

“The entire purpose of these brief day excursions is to sow that seed of possibility,” Marshall remarked, “that there exists another path forward.”

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AP video journalist Eugene Garcia contributed to this report.

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