Exploring Inclusive Learning Interactions for Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

Advances in mechanical and electrical engineering and an evolving workforce have prompted education systems in the United States to incorporate technology as both a subject of learning and a pedagogical tool. The rising workforce must be literate in the use, maintenance, and creation of technologies as more labor and service jobs become automated. People without access to this education find themselves at a severe disadvantage. The issue is further compounded for individuals with intellectual disabilities who are underemployed and who are unlikely to pursue or receive education beyond the secondary level. I assert this shift to digital literacy introduces new barriers to learning and employment stemming from the accessibility of new technologies themselves. My dissertations presents three-and-a-half years of research exploring the issue of accessible and inclusive technology education through the lens of 3D printing. I have studied the practices of teaching 3D printing in both mainstream and special education, formal and informal environments, and at many age and education levels. I have explored the applications of 3D printing in these same spaces and identified discrepancies in access to this technology. My contributions from this body of work include (1) a deep understanding the role of technology in education for persons with disabilities, both as a subject and a medium of learning, and (2) recommendations and best practices for 3D printing with an emphasis on improving access to 3D printing and how this technology can benefit persons with disabilities. By unpacking the learning experiences surrounding 3D printing, I hope to draw attention to the larger problem of accessible technology education for students with disabilities. Three-dimensional printing is one example of an ever-growing trend in developing technologies that each subsequent generation of students must master in order to have a chance at seeking and gaining employment. I believe technologists must work in concert with educators and students of all abilities to ensure the accessibility of both the content and the pedagogical instruments being used to bring these students into a new age of digital education and employment.