PROMOTING A CONSORTIUM OF ACCESSIBLE GEOSCIENCE FIELD COURSES

The scholastic requirement of rigorous residential field-based learning experiences is often a cause for many students with physical disabilities to disregard the geosciences as a potential and viable career option. However, there are many field courses that are accessible, or can be slightly modified to accommodate students with various disabilities. An analysis of current field-based learning opportunities is being conducted as a means of identifying a potential network of accessible field courses for students interested in completing the requirements of geoscience undergraduate programs. This presentation will discuss a current study of residential field courses within geoscience training programs, as an introductory overview of objectives and instructional methods being used in these courses, and as a preliminary discussion of the degree of access and inclusion for these courses to accommodate students with physical disabilities. The goal of this study is to create a consortium among these programs to increase participation from students with physical disabilities in pathways to the geoscience workforce.