Disability Leaders: Transforming STEAM Education

K-12 STEAM education

Central LA East LA South LA South Bay West LA Long Beach

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Despite significant contributions to STEAM fields, disability leaders and their innovations remain largely absent from educational curricula. This creates a critical representation gap that affects all students, particularly those with disabilities who rarely see themselves reflected in their studies. First, students with disabilities lack role models in STEAM subjects, contributing to their underrepresentation in these career paths. Second, all students miss learning about how disability has driven innovation throughout history. By failing to include disability perspectives, schools miss opportunities to teach how diverse thinking solves complex problems and how accessibility needs have sparked groundbreaking innovations that benefit everyone. Our initiative addresses this educational inequity by integrating disability history and leaders into STEAM curriculum, creating more inclusive and historically accurate education.

This project will introduce disability history and the contributions of disability leaders in STEAM fields to Los Angeles classrooms through a comprehensive, ready-to-implement educational framework. The LA2050 grant will serve as the catalyst to launch this initiative, bridging a critical representation gap in K-12 education.
This-Ability has developed a startup guide to providing turnkey resources including grade-appropriate curricula successfully implemented in other states. The materials feature a curated collection of books, stories, and multimedia resources highlighting disabled innovators whose contributions in society. Each resource comes paired with engaging classroom activities designed to integrate seamlessly into existing lesson plans while meeting state educational standards.
With the LA2050 grant, we will:
1) Pilot our program in 5-10 schools, providing teacher training and materials
2) Create professional development workshops to help educators understand disability as a cultural identity
3) Develop a digital resource hub for disability-inclusive STEAM lessons
4) Establish a mentorship program connecting students with disabled professionals
5) Collect data on program effectiveness to support district-wide expansion

Students with disabilities will see themselves represented in curriculum and envision careers in STEAM fields, increasing their participation in society. All students will develop a deeper understanding of disability as a form of diversity that drives innovation rather than limitation. Teachers across the county will confidently incorporate disability history and perspectives into their lessons, creating classrooms where disability is celebrated alongside other cultural identities. Los Angeles will experience a cultural shift as a new generation grows up understanding disability through the lens of contribution and innovation. This will lead to more accessible spaces, inclusive hiring practices, and reduced stigma. Local businesses will increasingly recognize the value of disability perspectives in problem-solving and design. The ripple effects will extend beyond education as LA becomes known for its disability-inclusive culture, attracting diverse talent and fostering innovation.