On Saturday, June 20th, our own Dr. Lindsey Morris OTD, OTR/L participated in an event at the Carnegie Science Center called "Scientists Like Me”, which spotlights Autistic, Neurodiverse, and Disabled STEM professionals. Representation is crucial for encouraging young people to envision themselves in STEM roles and a diversity of perspectives and experiences leads to innovation. Uplifting disabled and neurodivergent role models challenges biases, counters systemic ableism, and helps create a more accessible STEM ecosystem.
As part of this annual event, the museum invites local STEM professionals from these populations to join us on-site. Their goal is to provide an opportunity for our visitors to meet & chat with role models who may differ from the "traditional" image of who is (or can be) successful in a STEM career. This event seeks to bring attention to systemic barriers facing these populations in pursuit of education/careers; to highlight their contributions, successes and unique perspectives; and to increase representation and public education on the importance of making STEM inclusive, diverse, and equitable.
Dr. Morris highlighted how mainstream consumer technology can serve as assistive technology (AT) to support participation for persons with disabilities by sharing examples from our Accessible Smart Tech Research Lab projects and her personal experiences using mainstream tech as AT for education and work to pursue a career in STEM with ADHD.