Engaging Students with Disabilities Through Robotics

Presented at Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference

The purpose of this presentation will be to provide information about the importance of engaging students with disabilities in after-school robotics programs. Students with disabilities (SWD) often lack skills to form relationships with other students and most educators do not know how to teach teamwork skills (Loughry, Ohland, & Woehr, 2013). More importantly, teamwork, social skills and soft skills are needed in the workplace (Phillips & Kaseroff, 2014). Students who participate in after-school activities have improved academic performance and psychosocial development (Durlak, Weissberg, & Pacan, 2010). Yet many students with disabilities do not participate in extracurricular activities. This presentation will highlight the popularity of robotics programs for SWD, the law and funding for SWD to participate in after-school activities, the researcher's experience coaching a team of students with autism, and how to start a robotics program at your school.