Some of the best engineering teams are distinguished by their diverse makeup — with diversity across countless dimensions. And in problem solving and design, the group dynamic can find crucial advantages in diversity of thought, experience and perspective. As such, Brad Duerstock would like to see more students with disabilities brought to the table in matters of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Duerstock (PhD ’99), an associate professor of engineering practice and director of the Institute for Accessible Science (IAS), co-edited the resource booklet “From College to Careers: Fostering Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in STEM” with Clark Shingledecker, a research professor of computer science and engineering at Wright State University. The booklet is based on Duerstock’s work with Susan Mendrysa, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The three-year project resulted in a veritable how-to on inclusion from multiple authors well-versed on the subject, including Cary Supalo, the director of Independence Science in Purdue’s Research Park. Supalo (Science and Liberal Arts ’99), is a renowned visually impaired scientist recognized this year with an Access Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.

A neuroscientist who uses a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury he suffered as a teenager in a diving accident, Duerstock often used creative and assistive technologies to engage in lab work on his way to a Purdue PhD. He’s hoping his knowledge can ease the path of other students with disabilities.

“In the pedagogy of science, you often mix chemicals, perform dissections and use a microscope,” Duerstock says. “A lot of people with physical disabilities, even with a natural interest in science, tend to veer away from these hands-on courses. That’s what we’re really trying to stop.”

Unique perspectives

In 2010, Duerstock and Mendrysa received a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Director’s Pathfinder Award, leading to the formation of the IAS in Purdue’s Discovery Park. That game changer in Duerstock’s own career led him to further explorations in the field of assistive technologies. He had previously earned grants from the National Science Foundation for his Access Scope project, a remote-controlled research light microscope for people with limited use of their arms and low vision.

From Duerstock’s perspective, encouraging students with disabilities in STEM pursuits is not just the right thing to do from a “touchy-feeling” standpoint. As natural problem solvers who have come up with unique ways to perform everyday activities, they bring pivotal insight to almost any issue.

“When you’re talking about biomedical research in particular,” Duerstock says of his own field, “these people have a point of view about neurological conditions or disabilities. These are challenging health conditions. Would you rather have a researcher who has only looked at a disease state from the outside, or would you like to have someone who is intimately familiar with a disease state?”

Referencing spinal cord injuries, Duerstock says that many people would think not being able to walk and missing out on activities would be the hardest things for quadriplegics to deal with. “When you talk to the actual people with the injuries, however, you learn the challenges are more day to day, which may include pressure sores and the regulation of chronic pain. These are things you may not realize if you don’t have this condition.”

Active participants

Since 2010, IAS has promoted inclusion and retention of students with disabilities in biomedical sciences. Practical laboratory experiences, assistive technology development and support services for students and educators have defined their programs, along with summer research fellowship programs for both undergraduate and graduate students.

That active participation in the labs is critical to higher scientific learning, Duerstock says. Too often, someone with a disability is relegated to the role of data collector, leaving them out of the hands-on discovery experiences. To that end, researchers like Duerstock are investigating and promoting everything from voice-controlled robotics to 3-D printing to make the scientific process more inclusive.

“The 3-D printing allows you to develop your own tools that could, for example, help someone with a tremor pour the contents of a beaker more easily,” says Duerstock, who points to options such as adding braille labels to lab equipment or adjusting computer software to speak measurements instead of just displaying numbers.

With academic appointments in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Industrial Engineering, Duerstock spends much of his semesters teaching students about assistive technologies. Even for established educators, learning the nuances of motivating students with disabilities and providing accessible lab spaces can prove to be eye-openers.

The cover of his resource booklet shows a college student with a visual impairment working in a lab as part of a Purdue summer research program. But whether the physical disabilities are obvious or invisible, Duerstock believes disabilities are challenges that can be overcome and should not be detrimental to landing a job in a STEM field.

To learn more, visit the Institute for Accessible Science website.