ADVANCE Partnership: AccessADVANCE

AccessADVANCE is an NSF ADVANCE Partnership project that is designed to increase the participation and advancement of individuals who identify as women with disabilities in academic science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Female faculty with disabilities in STEM fields is an understudied and often invisible population. Issues related to this population are particularly important to address because any faculty member may at some point in their career become disabled, permanently, or temporarily.

To create truly inclusive and equitable academic workplaces, it is imperative to systematically address issues impacting faculty with disabilities. The AccessADVANCE project will facilitate systemic changes within postsecondary STEM departments, NSF ADVANCE and NSF INCLUDES projects, and other organizations such that those with disabilities in academic positions feel welcome, are fully included, and can achieve success.

AcccessADVANCE will (1) engage a nationwide online community of practice and (2) provide on-site capacity-building institutes. The purpose of this engagement is to develop systemic change strategies for postsecondary STEM departments and other organizations that make them more welcoming to and inclusive of female faculty with disabilities. Participants in these activities will help create resources that can be used to improve the climate and culture experienced by female faculty with disabilities in academic departments and relevant organizations.

The project will also encourage engagement of female faculty with disabilities and their allies in the ARC Network and the INCLUDES National Network. Importantly, the project will provide ongoing technical assistance to collaborators to help make changes to their policies, practices, and resources. Finally, the project will develop widely available online resources related to institutional practices to increase the success and advancement of women with disabilities in academic STEM careers.

The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate.

ADVANCE "Partnership" awards provide support for the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies to academic, non-profit institution of higher education and non-academic, non-profit organizations.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.