ERN2025 Student in STEMM with Disabilities Workday
April 4th & 5th, 2025
Approximately 22 to 30 individuals attended each segment of the ERN Working Group–These included students from the Entry Point! program, professionals who have been associated with the Project on Science Technology and Disability, and individuals who were referred by current or former working group participants.
Event Segments:
Pre-Working Group networking – Held the evening before the Working Group Day, this event featured Vasana Maneeratana an Entry Point! alum. She shared her education journey and her experience as an individual with a disability, describing her time as a NASA intern and her subsequent awards and travels abroad leading to a professional career as a Process Engineer at Intel Corporation.
A combined Working Group luncheon was held with the Societies Working Group which encouraged members of both groups to interact, reflect on the day’s topics and share their unique perspectives.
The results of these “community conversations” drive potential agendas for future collaboration and research in exploring a broader support and advocacy system for STEMM students with disabilities as they navigate their individual paths.
Discussion topics were consistent throughout the gathering over the last five-years. These included:
- Classroom and Research accommodations
- Relationships with faculty and disability service staff
- Social inclusion and feelings of isolation
- Disability disclosure
- Persistent stereotypes towards those with visible disabilities
- Role models/mentoring
During the 2025 meeting, the Working Group Advisory Committee had suggested a theme of hope and building community as a response to the sense of anxiety prevailing due to an unsustainable political climate. Following discussions consistent with former ERN Meetings, there was a stronger emphasis on the desire to keep this community together beyond the daylong event. There were four suggested pathways forward:
- Gather and share data from this and previous gatherings.
- Foster an ongoing mode of communication within this group.
- Bi-annual or quarterly ‘community cafes’ held virtually.
- Establish an asynchronous discussion board.
- Build community by inviting former and new participants.
- Hold an event/session for all ERN registrants to increase disability awareness across the broader cohort.