STEAM for Students with Additional Needs

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STEAM programs often require a delicate balance of managing hazards, risks, and multi-faceted individual learning strategies for your students and their needs. Another dimension requiring attention from a safety awareness perspective is programming for students with additional. 

More students are identified with an IEP or a medical diagnosis requiring accommodations or modifications to align with their academic needs than ever before in our classrooms. Providing equitable access to STEAM education for these students is required under multiple regulations, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Let us explore some relevant aspects of programming for students with additional needs related to STEAM disciplines. 

To increase related and support learning, there is an emphasis on hands-on learning in Science, STEAM, CTE, Fab Lab, and Makerspaces. However, this emphasis increases potential safety hazards. Extra attention is needed for students with additional needs in laboratories due to safety concerns. As a reminder, the hazards and risks include Physical, Chemical, and Biological concerns.

Having a thorough understanding of these exceptional students and their additional needs is important to make properly informed decisions about their programming, particularly by identifying risks and hazards specific to their situation.  

The most common additional needs among students found in schools are the following*:

*This is not an exhaustive listing*

It is critical to ensure that students with disabilities are not presumed to be ‘unsafe.’  They should feel empowered by using institutional resources to safely meet their laboratory learning potential. All students deserve the opportunity to learn.

Focal Points Regarding Students with Additional Needs in STEAM Programs

The ADA recognizes that while the content of the coursework and the requisite skills that must be developed can’t change, how those with disabilities show themselves can change the approach to meet their needs. Schools must provide effective communication. This includes an overview of the programs and services they offer. Effective communication ensures that individuals with disabilities can access the necessary aids. 

The most often referenced laboratory procedural manual, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, states that: “laboratory personnel realize that the welfare and safety of each individual depends on clearly defined attitudes of teamwork and personal responsibility and that laboratory safety is not simply a matter of materials and equipment but also processes and behaviors.” Having students with additional needs is a reality in school systems today, and educators and administrators are required to maintain safety standards while providing equitable access to all learners, which is not always a simple task.

Universal Design for STEAM Labs

Universal Design constructs can be applied to STEAM Labs for the following aspects of programming and infrastructure:  Lab climate; Physical access, usability, and safety; Delivery methods; Informational resources; Interaction; Feedback; Assessment; and Plans for accommodations. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that accommodates all learners’ needs and abilities. The framework eliminates unnecessary hurdles in the learning process proactively.

This means developing a flexible learning environment in which information is presented in multiple ways, an environment where students engage in learning in various ways, and students are provided options when demonstrating their learning.  UDL is similar to universal instructional design and universal design for instruction since all three advocate for accessible and inclusive instructional approaches that meet the needs and abilities of all learners and incorporate elements that provide students with options based on perception, expression, and comprehension while meeting their individual learning goals. 

Educators need to plan for the future and make every attempt to provide inclusive and individualized programs using a thoughtful approach to being future-ready and aligned with the learners.      

Accommodations and Modifications in your STEAM Laboratory

Accommodations DO NOT reduce learning/curriculum expectations. When a change in learning/curriculum/assessment activity lowers the expectations for student learning, it is considered a modification. Understanding these differences and applying them as needed to suit your individual diverse learners is not always easy in STEAM environments. 

Typical accommodations may include students having extended time to complete tasks, having material read to them, completing an oral assessment, reading materials, preferential seating, recording lessons, and using assistive technology or other strategies. When planning for demonstrations or hands-on activities for students, ensure that you complete an appropriate hazard analysis and risk assessment based on safer practices and procedures. Dr. Sheryl Burstahler states, ‘Making accommodations is reactive, whereas universal design is proactive.’    

The following are examples of accommodations that might benefit a student with a disability. (DOIT)

• Wheelchair-accessible labs and field sites.
• Talk to a student about special learning needs and accommodation alternatives.
• Provide a lab partner.
• Use of plastic instead of glass.
• Extra time is needed to set up and complete the lab work.
• Address safety procedures for students with a variety of sensory and mobility abilities.
• Institutional resources for students with disabilities.

Typical science lab accommodations for students with specific disabilities include those in the following lists and need to involve approved, safer professional practices for all the students in the room. There are other strategies that are used worldwide in classrooms and lab environments, and these must align with the needs of each individual learner. Please review these commonly used approaches for your own awareness and understanding:

Blindness

• Verbal descriptions of demonstrations and visual aids
• Braille text and raised-line images
• Tactile Braille ruler, compass, angles, protractor
• Equipment labels, notches, staples, fabric paint that use Braille at regular increments on the tactile ruler, glassware, syringe, beam balance, stove, and other science equipment
• Different textures (e.g., sandpaper) to label areas on items

Low Vision

• Verbal descriptions of demonstrations and visual aids
• Preferential seating to ensure visual access to demonstrations
• Large print, high-contrast instructions, illustrations, calculator, laboratory signs, and equipment labels
• Raised-line drawings or tactile models for illustrations
• Video camera, computer, or TV monitor to enlarge microscope images
• Hand-held magnifier, binoculars

Mobility Impairments

• Wheelchair-accessible field site, adjustable-height work surface
• Uncluttered lab; clear, wide aisles
• Assigned seating to avoid physical barriers and assure visual access to demonstrations
• Mirrors above the instructor giving a demonstration
• Enlarged screen
• Non-slip mat
• Utility and equipment controls within easy reach from a seated position
• Electric stirrer, container filler
• Support stand, beaker, and object clamp; test tube rack
• Handles on beakers, objects, and equipment
• Surgical gloves to handle wet or slippery items
• Modified procedures to use larger weights and volumes
• Extended eyepieces so students who use wheelchairs can use microscopes
• Flexible connections to electrical, water, and gas lines
• Single-action lever controls in place of knobs
• Alternate lab storage methods (e.g.,” Lazy Susan,” storage cabinet on casters)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

• Seating to view demos and watch instructor captioning for video presentations
• Written instructions before the lab
• Visual lab warning signals

Learning and Attention Disabilities

• Combination of written, verbal, and pictorial instructions with scaffolding
• Repeated demonstration of procedure and support practice
• Frequent, brief breaks
• Preferential seating to avoid distractions and minimize extraneous stimuli
• Scanning and speaking “pen”

Health Impairments

• Avoid chemical materials to which the student is allergic or provide an alternate assignment.
• Flexible schedule and time allocation

Ensure Your STEAM Lab is Equitable

This is where reasonable program modification and accommodation are implemented in the laboratory. Identifying appropriate student accommodations requires evaluating the individual learner, the course material, and the specific laboratory space to identify the best options in an individualized assessment and hazard analysis/risk assessment before conducting laboratory activities. 

Students deserve individualized solutions that align with their additional needs. Making accommodations for a student in a wheelchair is for that student only, as a student with a visual or hearing impairment will not benefit from those accommodations. 

There is No One Size Fits All Approach

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for special education in STEAM labs. Ensure that you conduct the hazard analysis and risk assessment from the perspective of the student. For example, if you have a student in a wheelchair, consider the impact of working on the benchtop as potentially being at eye level. 

Policies and procedures of an institution drive both the culture of accessibility and safety. Due to the myriad of potential hazards and resulting risks, it is more complicated to be inclusive within the laboratory setting than in any other space. The process of creating an accommodation in a lab requires specialized expertise and resources to complete safely.

Considering that the same hazards and risks that exist inherently in laboratories, including: Glue Guns; Equipment / Machinery; Power Tools; Spills & Splashes; Projectiles are the leading causes of accidental injury in the STEAM programs and correspond to resulting cuts, burns, scrapes, slips, trips and falls, and electrical shock and fume inhalation. As mentioned, these hazards and risks can be more significant for students with additional needs and when performing the hazard analysis and risk assessment, these considerations from the student perspective are even more important from a safety aspect. 

Safety Considerations and Strategies for Students with Additional Needs

Additionally, some strategies are used to help mitigate the hazards and risks and provide students with personalized access to the wonders of STEAM education. Many educators and specialists agree that certain strategies benefit students, their colleagues, and the instructor. 

The strategies listed here are not an exhaustive listing of the possible methods or practices you can use to help your students succeed and safety in the laboratory. Making these modifications to your program or accommodation to your facilities assists learners in meeting their curricular and social objectives and minimizes potential obstructions for them. Students with disabilities face access challenges to typical science labs in precollege and postsecondary settings. Access barriers may prevent students from gaining knowledge, demonstrating knowledge, and fully participating in lab activities.

Utilizing Proper Scale in STEAM labs

Many lab experiments are done at the microscale for various reasons, including minimizing the environmental impact, using fewer chemicals, and saving budget dollars on repurchase costs. This strategy, known as ‘Proper Scale,’ is also beneficial for minimizing the risk of exposure through the use of smaller volumes of chemicals to students. 

Understanding that this strategy is not useful for all students is the first step in making appropriate programming changes. Since the use of microscale equipment could be useful for most students, the same activity may need to be implemented at a larger scale for a person with impaired vision or an inability to grasp the smaller glassware who cannot conduct the procedure at the microscale.

Collaborative Strategies for Understanding Capabilities

A student with additional needs may have to experiment differently than others in the lab to be safer. This collaborative strategy involves planning and understanding student capabilities. Often, using a TA (EA) or assistant is needed to complete the lab activity or investigation with the student. Modifying the established safer procedure specific to your student’s individualized needs requires a separate AAA Hazard Analysis/Risk Assessment and specific safety action considerations. 

Remember that the safety actions resulting from the analysis must be from the student perspective and incorporate your learner’s unique needs identified on the IEP. There are many creative methodologies for ensuring that students participate and are engaged in their learning. Educators are known for integrating classmates, pairing students in groups, and providing multiple roles in the activity to provide an inclusive environment for all learners. 

Future Ready Strategies, Planning for STEAM Emergencies

As a future-ready strategy, make sure that you plan for an emergency on behalf of the students with additional needs since they may require special considerations and may even need some extra assistance in the event of a real emergency situation. 

When there is a possibility of fire, revise the emergency response plan for a student with visual impairment. This student may need to practice the route to the closest escape in a non-emergency situation multiple times and/or have a designated assistant during emergencies. 

Time of travel for students with additional needs must be a determining factor and a real consideration for safety planning. These students might take longer to reach the eyewash/shower unit, fire extinguisher, or exit, so consider their path and proximity to the unit. The shorter the distance, the better – and always ensure that there are no obstructions such as backpacks in the path towards safety equipment or exits. Having students with additional needs seated in areas near the front of the room, near an exit, or near emergency engineering controls is an option that should be used as a better professional safety practice.

Balancing Equity in STEAM Programming

Having students with additional needs in your STEAM programs is very commonplace in school. Involve teachers and administrators in meeting their needs in tandem with safer practices using some of these strategies and others, which provide the necessary student engagement and the foundation for learning and success. 

The support exists from the national, state, and local level to make learning accessible for all students, and while there will be challenges that may involve furniture or doorway remodeling, adjustments to the lesson planning and additional people in the laboratory to ensure student achievement and success, these are attainable. Providing a safer STEAM program is the responsibility of all educational stakeholders working towards inspiring the innovations of tomorrow by supporting ALL of our students, including those with additional needs. 

STEAM & Disability References:

• Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• INCLUDING K–12 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN STEM EDUCATION AND PLANNING FOR INCLUSION  
• DOIT Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology
• Cornell University ‘Universal Design for Learning
• Tennessee Department of Education
• Florida Department of Education 
• Prudent Practices in the Laboratory 

Read more Safer Science, Safer STEAM, Safer STEM, Safer Lab Articles Here.