Accessibility belongs in every classroom, especially in hands-on STEM learning. The Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled and our Instructional Materials Center (IMC) were thrilled to present last week at the recent Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council STEM Summit, sharing how accessible materials transform learning pathways for students across Iowa.
Our session, “Accessible Learning in Action,” featured co-presenter Abby Brown, a 5th-grade teacher at Durant Community School District and our former summer STEM teacher extern.
Bringing Accessibility Home to Durant
During the session, Abby shared practical classroom strategies from her summer externship to show how accessibility translates into daily instruction:
- Practical Classroom Strategies: Demonstrating real examples, adapted materials, and accessibility tools to integrate accessible formats into instruction.
- Supporting Diverse Learners: Showing how phenomena-based science approaches and multi-sensory adaptations better support students who are blind or print disabled.
- Statewide Services & Access: Explaining how educators can request accessible educational materials and how IMC workflows support timely classroom delivery.
The STEM Summit was a wonderful opportunity to build new statewide connections with dedicated educators and partners. Together, we are ensuring every Iowa student has equal access to STEM discovery.
