Kristin Bennet
Mary Gates Leadership Scholar
Project
Providing Curricular-Based Professional Development in Identifying Accessibility Challenges in the Workplace and Building Communication and Support Skills for Disability in the Workplace
This work gives students the communication skills and emotional intelligence to navigate sensitive conversations surrounding disability by integrating assignments and lectures into the Chemical Engineering undergraduate Unit Operations lab courses. It educates students about federal and state employer responsibilities and employee rights, including what accommodations are and are not available to prepare them to work with, for, or become someone with a disability. We also created assignments to help students develop the skills to assess industrial or wet lab settings for accessibility and safety while challenging students with workplace scenarios to practice communicating and problem-solving with empathy. This project aims to encourage young engineers to become disability allies in the workplace, organically change the culture around disability equity, and promote more diversity in engineering.