Accessibility and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in STEM Higher Education: Synthesis of Research on Computing, Physics, and Engineering
Conference
McKie, MH, Lunn, SJ. (2025). Accessibility and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in STEM Higher Education: Synthesis of Research on Computing, Physics, and Engineering
. 10.1109/FIE63693.2025.11328548
McKie, MH, Lunn, SJ. (2025). Accessibility and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in STEM Higher Education: Synthesis of Research on Computing, Physics, and Engineering
. 10.1109/FIE63693.2025.11328548
This research full-paper examines how accessibility and accommodations are defined and implemented across Computing, Engineering, and Physics in higher education. Students with disabilities face unique challenges related to course content, lab access, instructional methods, and assistive technology, which can hinder their success in STEM fields. To explore how disciplines support these students, we conducted a scoping literature review of 386 papers, narrowing to n=29 based on inclusion criteria. Our analysis identified three dominant framings of accessibility: (1) Technical Accessibility, emphasizing learning technologies and assistive tools; (2) Physical and Sensory Accessibility, focusing on inclusive design in spaces and labs; and (3) Pedagogical Accessibility, highlighting inclusive instructional strategies. While all three fields recognize the importance of accessibility, computing and Engineering tend to prioritize technical solutions, whereas Physics often emphasizes physical access and curricular changes. These disciplinary differences suggest that accessibility efforts are shaped more by fieldspecific demands than by a unified framework. By understanding how accessibility and accommodations are conceptualized across disciplines, educator and institution can adopt targeted strategies to support students with disabilities and create a more inclusive learning environment in STEM.
