A study by UF researchers will develop a program to help students with learning disabilities achieve academic success in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
The study will match 50 undergraduate students registered with the UF Disability Resource Center to a mentorship team dedicated to help the students develop personally and professionally. Researchers aim to implement the project this Fall.
UF received an $846,000 National Science Foundation grant for this project, according to a news release.
“Being potentially a student with a disability in a STEM field is a feat within itself,” said Jim Gorske, director of the UF Disability Resource Center and an investigator in the study. “The neatest thing is just the ability to help broaden the support to students with disabilities.”
The support team, which includes a Disability Resource Center counselor and STEM faculty member, will work with the students to improve their time management skills and help them communicate their needs to others.
Luis Zayas, a 19-year-old UF biology sophomore who was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention-deficit disorder, said learning disabilities make it harder to get into STEM fields. But with hard work, people with learning disabilities can do the same things as those who do not have them, he said.
