This conference, featuring experts in disability education, focuses on 21^st century interventions that invite broader participation from disabled learners, and make Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and workplaces more accessible and inclusive to this highly under-represented minority population.

For the first time, the 9th annual Inclusion in Science, Learning a New Direction, Conference (ISLAND) on disability will be hosted by Princeton University. Students with disabilities are substantially under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) – fields that underpin the workplaces of what Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum coins the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals calls for the inclusion of blind learners in dignified education and work by 2030. Realizing this goal requires overcoming perceived stereotypes and misconceptions about the skills of disabled learners. Come learn about innovative research that seeks to integrate persons with disabilities into STEM, from researchers and practitioners whose study span the field from enrichment programs to research in access technology for STEM education and industry. Network with these 21^st century innovators who are promoting inclusion and equity in STEM opportunities.

The conference will be held at Bowen Hall on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, September 15, 2018. The conference begins at 6:30 PM. on Friday, September 14 with a reception, followed by a keynote address from 7:30 – 8:30 PM by Michael Hingson, who is himself totally blind. He will tell the story of how he used blindness skills and his training as a scientist to survive the World Trade Center tragedy in 2001, and helped many others get out as well. The Friday event will conclude by 9:00 PM then continue on the morning of Saturday, September 15 with a continental breakfast at 8:30 AM, concluding by 5:30 PM.

Registration required:   register online under ISLAND 2018 or on-site at Bowen Hall. The $30 registration fee includes evening snacks, breakfast and lunch.

Date, Time, Location:

Friday, September 14, 2018
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
* keynote speaker Michael Hingson from 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM followed by book signing, books available for purchase. 
Bowen Hall Auditorium (Prospect Ave.), Princeton University

Saturday, September 15, 2018
8:30 AM – 5:30 PM 
Bowen Hall Auditorium (Prospect Ave.), Princeton University

Conference Schedule
Conference Schedule (with text to speech technology)

Photos from event: