Methods are fundamental to doing research and can directly impact who is included in scientific advances. Given accessibility research's increasing popularity and pervasive barriers to conducting and participating in research experienced by people with disabilities, it is critical to ask how methods are made accessible. Yet papers rarely describe their methods in detail. This paper reports on 17 interviews with accessibility experts about how they include both facilitators and participants with disabilities in popular user research methods. Our findings offer strategies for anticipating access needs while remaining flexible and responsive to unexpected access barriers. We emphasize the importance of considering accessibility at all stages of the research process, and contextualize access work in recent disability and accessibility literature. We explore how technology or processes could reflect a norm of accessibility. Finally, we discuss how various needs intersect and conflict and offer a practical structure for planning accessible research.
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Equipment Repositories for Accessibility: A Model for Improving Access in Field Science
People with disabilities have been historically underrepresented in scientific fields as a result of systemic barriers and a “leaky pipeline” through academia. This has been especially true in field science, where a lack of resources and limited access to adaptive equipment have made accommodating disabilities in field settings seem daunting. This paper introduces the Equipment Repositories for Accessibility (ERA) model as a blueprint for universities to implement and improve the accessibility of field research and field-based courses. It first provides an overview of the history of disability in science and how systemic barriers contribute to underrepresentation and reduced access to field science. It then outlines the steps for the establishment and long-term management of the ERA model as a means of overcoming these barriers and provides a brief overview of the types of adaptive equipment available for a diverse range of accessibility needs. The scientific community benefits from the inclusion of diverse individuals and addressing barriers to accessibility is a necessary step in creating a truly intersectional academic community, which acknowledges the deeply interconnected nature of disability with other identities including race, gender, and sexuality.
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- PAR ID:
- 10515097
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford Academic
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Integrative And Comparative Biology
- Volume:
- 63
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1540-7063
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 98 to 107
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- LTER-MSP equity MSP LTER - Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area (MSP) Urban Long Term Ecological Research Program (LTER) DEIJ disability disabilities Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Equipment Repositories for Accessibility (ERA) field research diversity and inclusion field equipment MSP LTER Q1.1 - Urban Contaminants
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Synopsis Equity and inclusivity in STEM research has become a larger topic of discussion in recent years; however, researchers and scientists with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses are often missing from these conversations. Further, while field research is a major research component for some STEM disciplines, it is unclear what accessibility barriers or accommodations exist across the field sciences. Field research can sometimes involve harsh environments, topography, and weather that present challenges to those with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. A large and coinciding obstacle standing in the way of field research accessibility is the ableism present across science and academia, resulting in and from a lack of prioritization of attention and funding from universities and institutions. Biological field stations have been shown to be valuable not only as infrastructure for field-based research, but also as providing resources toward the scientific education of students and scientific outreach initiatives for the general public. As such, biological field stations are perfectly positioned to reduce barriers in research inclusion and accessibility for students and scientists with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. The current work presents the results of a survey meant to inventory the presence or absence of accessible infrastructure across field stations, with responses spanning six countries and 24 US states. Our results highlight a number of accessibility deficits in areas such as accessible entrances, kitchens, and bathrooms. Our results suggest that (1) biological field stations have significant variability in accessibility with significant deficits, especially in non-public-facing buildings used primarily by staff and researchers, and (2) field stations would benefit from an increase in federal funding opportunities to expedite their progress toward compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. We propose potential solutions to field work infrastructure spanning a range of financial costs, with emphasis on the point that efforts toward accessibility do not require an “all-or-nothing” approach, and that any step toward accessibility will make field stations more inclusive. Additionally, we further suggest that federal funding sources, such as the NSF and NIH, as well as university leadership, should consider broadening diversity initiatives to promote the continuation of, and increased accessibility of, university-affiliated field stations.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad024
