An IDEA Seminar
Seminar Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Time: 11:00 am
Location: 67-3111 & Zoom
Talk Title: The Power of Stories in Building a More Inclusive STEM: The STEM With Disabilities Project
Zoom recording (available for 30 days)
Bio:
Samantha Fowler (she/her) is a passionate science communication specialist and disability justice advocate. She graduated as Valedictorian from University of Waterloo Faculty of Science in 2019 with a BSc Psychology, and from Laurentian University in 2020 with a MScCom. Samantha currently works as the Disability Inclusion Coordinator at University of Waterloo and is the Co-Founder of the STEM With Disabilities project. Samantha sits on the Board of Directors of Science Slam Canada and is a Judge Coordinator for the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada science book contest.
Abstract
As STEM organizations around the world seek to advance equity and inclusion within their communities, there is a need to center the lived experiences of those from equity-deserving groups. This is especially important for the disability community, where the saying “nothing about us without us” is used as a continuous call to action to follow the lead of disabled scientists and engineers. These fundamental ideas guide the visibility project, STEM With Disabilities, which leverages the power of storytelling to amplify marginalized voices and advocate for inclusive change throughout STEM fields.
Join Samantha Fowler, a trained science communication specialist, co-Founder of STEM With Disabilities, and the Disability Inclusion Coordinator at University of Waterloo, for a presentation on “The Power of Stories to Build a More Inclusive STEM”. This presentation will explore the creation of the STEM With Disabilities project, how the project advocates for change through storytelling, and the power of stories as qualitative data and tools to challenge dominant narratives and advance innovative inclusion.
