STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting its STEAM Career Showcase for Students with Disabilities on Tuesday, October 13, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Now in its 13th year, the showcase is built around a simple, concrete idea: pairing students in grades 6–12 with role models who have disabilities and thriving careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. These professionals share their personal journeys and the strategies they've used to succeed, so students can apply those same lessons to their own interests and future paths. It's a direct response to the fact that people with disabilities remain far fewer in STEAM fields than their peers.

The morning starts with a welcome and a keynote from Dr. Louis Vaught of The University of Tulsa, followed by a Q&A. From there, the event opens into an opportunity fair with exhibitors and a panel discussion. That panel brings together Trusha Patel from Campbell University, Lacey Roy from UNC-Chapel Hill, and Victoria Covell, an accessibility advocate and RIT graduate. Between the keynote and the fair, there's a good mix of hearing a single story and then talking with a group of people working across different areas of the field.

Accessibility is built into the day rather than added as an afterthought. ASL interpretation and live captions run through the welcome, the keynote, and the panel, and those three parts are livestreamed on the Museum's YouTube channel for anyone who can't make it in person. The Museum of Natural Sciences itself is an active research institution that supports Prairie Ridge Ecostation, a 45-acre outdoor facility in west Raleigh, and a satellite site in Whiteville. This year's showcase is sponsored by SAVVAS Learning Company with additional support from The Bresler Family.

It's free for learners in grades 6–12, but registration is required and closes Friday, October 9. The Museum is at 11 and 121 W. Jones St., downtown Raleigh, NC 27601.