Conference: Employing Public Interest Technologies to Promote Access in Education and Employment for People who have Physical Disabilities

This workshop aims to address the persistent barriers to education and employment faced by individuals with physical disabilities. It will explore how research-intensive universities can leverage innovations in public interest technology (PIT), particularly biotechnology, to enhance the accessibility, affordability, and practical utility of technological innovations in educational and employment settings.

The project's significance lies in its potential to bridge the gap between technological advancements and real-world applications for people with disabilities. By bringing together experts from diverse fields, this project will contribute to the ongoing research in disability studies, biotechnology, and public policy. This project will ask and answer questions that shape design, safety, availability, and deployment of biotechnology, as well as associated social, ethical, and legal concerns.

It will support education and training of graduate students in addressing inequalities in education and work. This project will contribute to development of a diverse, globally competitive workforce. It will also foster partnerships among academics, industry, government, nonprofit, and other organizations.

The outcomes of this workshop have the potential to impact various fields, from engineering to social sciences, and may lead to significant advances in how we approach accessibility and inclusion in education and employment.

This project will organize and hold a workshop that examines how research-intensive universities can effectively use their expertise in PIT, specifically biotechnology development, to overcome barriers to education and employment for individuals with physical disabilities. The workshop will involve 25 invited experts (academics, professionals, and policy makers, including those with lived experience with mobility disabilities), fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge exchange.

This project will explore the design, safety, availability, and deployment of biotechnology, as well as associated social, ethical, and legal concerns in leveraging innovative technology to enhance employment and educational opportunities. In preparation for this workshop, the project team will host a preliminary data chat with eight individuals who have physical disabilities and lived experiences in education or employment access.

This experiential knowledge will inform the workshop structure, which will be organized around themes such as complex legal and regulatory landscapes, financial constraints, discrimination, practical implementation challenges, and information dissemination failures. Participants will discuss knowledge gaps, recent research, and innovations. Transcripts of the data chat and meetings will be disseminated via the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Findings will be disseminated through academic presentations, publications, policy briefs, and professional newsletter articles.

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.