Webcast Details

This webcast will summarize some of the findings of a NSF funded research study (Grant No.1246492) that investigated the perceptions of GI Bill recipients with disabilities of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. College students with disabilities are vastly underrepresented in STEM fields despite being a valuable talent source.  The goal of this study was to study a specific population, GI Bill Recipients, to identify the underlying issues that impact recruitment, enrollment, participation, and retention of this population in higher education STEM programs and to recommend strategies to support their participation in STEM.  Data were collected through a statewide survey as well as follow-up qualitative interviews.  The presenters will review the quantitative and qualitative results of the study and make recommendations on further research to investigate the assets and barriers to STEM participation for GI Bill recipients with disabilities. 

Elizabeth Evans Getzel, MA, is the Director of the Center on Transition Innovations (CTI) at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research & Training Center. The CTI is the centralized portal for information and resources on transition for youth with disabilities.  She currently directs research and demonstration projects on STEM as a viable career choice for GI Bill recipients with disabilities and their dependents; supported education in postsecondary education for college students with disabilities; transition of youth with disabilities to postsecondary education or employment; collaborative career planning for college students with autism; use of a Fidelity Scale to evaluate School Based Supported Employment services; and Start on Success (employer based internship program) for youth with disabilities earning a regular diploma. She has authored or co-authored journal articles and book chapters on transition, career development, postsecondary education, and employment and is the co-editor of the book Going to College: Expanding Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

Dr. Seb Prohn is a Career and Education Associate at the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) and he serves as the project coordinator for VCU’s ACE-IT in College Program. He completed his doctoral degree from North Carolina State University’s Psychology in the Public Interests program. His research with individuals with intellectual disabilities has spanned topical areas such as transition, social inclusion, study abroad, and sexual health training. Since joining the RRTC’s Center on Transition Innovations, he has examined college participation for student veterans with disabilities and transition outcomes for high school graduates with disabilities. He actively assists students with accessing supports and services in college and in the community. Seb’s collaborative work is published in five peer reviewed journals and he has presented at more than 30 national and regional conferences.