Below is a compilation of links to success stories from students and professionals working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
Student Stories
- Dr. Abraham Nemeth’s “Teaching Mathematics as a Blind Person”
- Dr. Nemeth is the developer of the mathematical Braille system, Nemeth Code. He speaks about his experience as a blind person learning mathematics.
"The premise of my presentation is that a blind person who is adequately trained in his field and who has mastered the skills of blindness can function as competently and as productively as anyone else as a mathematics teacher, and that his blindness need not be an obstacle in choosing that career, as it was in my case. My career was delayed at least five or six years because of the advice I received from my counselors, and I hope that my experience will be of benefit to other blind people who seek mathematics teaching as an honorable and achievable goal." -A. Nemeth
- Professor Harry G. Lang
- Professor Lang speaks of his experience as a deaf student learning science in this General Address presented at the Working Conference on Science for Students with Disabilities.
- Roadmaps & Rampways: Profiles of Students with Disabilities in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology
- Roadmaps & Rampways chronicles the journeys of three dozen students from childhood to higher education in science, engineering, or mathematics, and on through their early career decisions.
- New Career Paths for Students with Disabilities
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science launched a program called ENTRYPOINT! that places undergraduate and graduate students in paid summer internships in STEM fields.
Professional Stories
- Stephen Hawking
- One of the most well known physicists in the world shares his challenges with the mobility impairment of ALS and his successful academic career.
- Working Chemists with Disabilities
- Several chemists across the United States describe their experiences as scientists with disabilities, and their paths to success in chemistry [published by The American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemists with Disabilities].
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals in Science
- Gallaudet University, a liberal arts university for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington D.C., provides links to several deaf and hard of hearing scientists’ websites.
- Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij’s “To Sea with a Blind Scientist”
- Scientific research is not a career most people believe to be suitable for the blind, but such beliefs are changing. Dr. Vermeij is a nationally recognized marine biologist who conducts research and teaches students at the doctoral level.
- “Making a difference: Why people with disabilities feel at home working at the Shepherd Center” by Dan Sadowsky
- The Spring 2006 Newsletter from the Shepherd Center in Atlanta tells the stories of several of its employees with disabilities. Read more newsletters from the Shepherd Center
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0622885.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.