The intent of Project LABSS was to develop a chemistry laboratory curriculum that encourages under-represented groups of individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to participate fully in chemistry courses. The modifications to the experimental procedures resulted in all students performing identical chemical exercises. In order to produce laboratory exercises that can be quickly, safely, and inexpensively reproduced at a wide variety of institutions, the experiments used materials purchased from popular retail outlets (supermarkets) whenever possible. The modified laboratory curriculum covers the same chemical principles that are commonly included in a first year chemistry course. Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) integrated the modified curriculum into its chemistry program and serves as a national model for other institutions of higher education in meeting the needs of students with disabilities.

Conclusions

Project LABSS was developed by a team of AUM personnel consisting of physical

sciences faculty and disability service providers from the Center for Special Services. This

partnership grew from years of working together to accommodate students with disabilities in

chemistry courses and laid the groundwork for this collaborative project.

The LABSS project resulted in the following:

1. Improved access to chemistry laboratories for students with physical disabilities

2. Increased numbers of personnel in rural school settings trained in LABSS methods and

career opportunities for students with disabilities

3. Implemented the LABSS curriculum at AUM and distributed the LABSS model to over

75 schools.

Purposes

The mission of project LABSS was to improve employment possibilities for individuals with disabilities through equal access to educational laboratory settings. By the development of a chemistry laboratory curriculum which minimizes hazards, the performance of individuals with disabilities was enhanced and competitive work place skills were developed for career fields where individuals with disabilities were under-represented. The modified curriculum covers the same chemical principles that are commonly included in a first year chemistry course using noncorrosive materials purchased from popular retail outlets.

The first two years of project LABSS focused on the development of 24 modified experiments, evaluation of experiments, and refinement of experimental procedures. The evaluation of the experiments was conducted by high school and college students with disabilities and a complete evaluation was conducted by college students in a rural setting (Navajo Community College, Tsaile, Arizona). At the end of the second year, a fully illustrated laboratory manual was published and available for dissemination (see Appendix IV for a copy of the LABSS manual).

The third year of project LABSS focused on dissemination of project activities and products. A project coordinator was hired to arrange a Career Day in the Sciences and a Summer Institute where secondary and postsecondary personnel were trained to use the LABSS materials and the employment opportunities available for students with disabilities considering science and technology career fields. Project staff made presentations at national disability and chemistry meetings while the LABSS manual was advertised for free distribution.

Clientele

The LABSS project targeted college students and minority students with disabilities as the primary beneficiaries of the LABSS curriculum. During the evaluation phases, eight (8) students with varying physical disabilities assessed the experimental procedures and made recommendations to project staff. These eight students were also invited to serve on the LABSS Advisory Board.

The LABSS Career Day in the Sciences encouraged approximately 360 students with and without disabilities to consider vocations in science career fields. Eighty-two percent (82%) of those enrolled in the Career Day belonged to a minority group. The Summer Institute enrolled 23 participants from postsecondary and secondary education, vocational rehabilitation, and counseling fields with three participants having documented disabilities.

Project LABSS' outreach to rural high schools, postsecondary institutions, and other institutions of higher education was a major accomplishment. It is estimated that over 1000 service providers, teachers, and science faculty attended presentations and workshops regarding LABSS. Additionally, over 75 written requests for LABSS materials have been collected and manuals distributed.

Sponsorship and Collaboration

Project LABSS was developed by faculty in the physical sciences, advocates for persons with disabilities, and students with disabilities. This unique combination of personnel led to an improved curriculum and instructional experience for the students and has set the standard for others to follow.

AUM housed the LABSS project where office, classroom, laboratory, and meeting space was offered to personnel for project activities. The project LABSS Advisory Board was composed of special educators, secondary and postsecondary personnel, and consumers. This group of collaborators worked closely with project staff, advised on project activities, and assisted in the implementation of the LABSS curriculum.

Contexts

Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) was home to the LABSS project. AUM is a metropolitan four year university with an enrollment around 6,000. The partnership of the Physical Sciences Department and the CSS grew from years of working together to accommodate

students with disabilities in physical sciences courses. What makes project LABSS special is that the physical sciences faculty developed the idea to modify the entire approach to teaching chemistry laboratories and initiated contact with CSS.

The collaboration of faculty and service providers led to a strong team and two years of exploratory studies prior to the federally funded program. Local high school students with disabilities and several ALTM students with disabilities worked with the LABSS team during the design and development of the curriculum.

Project Activities

As mentioned earlier, the primary objective of project LABSS was to devise a sufficient number of chemistry experiments to establish a permanent first academic year chemistry laboratory curriculum using the already described philosophy. These courses enabled students with physical disabilities and minority disabled students to perform the same experimental procedures as the general student enrollment under safe conditions. After completion of the first two years of the project, staff disseminated details of the model to appropriate target groups. Particular efforts were made to inform secondary teachers and counselors in school systems with a high percentage of minority disabled students about the range of technical careers accessible to students with disabilities. The following table summarizes the primary objectives relevant to project LABSS.

Table 1

Primary Objectives of Project LABSS

YEAR OBJECTIVE RESPONDENT(S)

I Develop 16 modified chemistry experiments Teggins & Mahaffy

I Evaluate the 16 experiments Students, Ad. Bd.

I Convene advisory board McDaniel & Wolfe

I Evaluate Year I Tooley

2 Develop final 8 experiments Teggins & Mahaffy

2 Evaluate the 8 experiments Students, Ad. Bd.

2 Publish LABSS manual Teggins & Mahaffy

2 Hire LABSS Project Coordinator Project Staff

2 Evaluate Year 2 Sharma

2 Convene Advisory Board McDaniel & Wolfe

3 Implement and evaluate Career Day Bigelow, McDaniel, & Wolfe

3 Disseminate LABSS via presentations and articles Project Staff

3 Implement and evaluate Summer Institute Mahaffy, Bigelow & Wolfe

3 Conduct on-site training of school personnel Bigelow & Richardson

3 Convene Advisory Board Bigelow & Wolfe

3 Evaluate Year 3 Singh

Many individuals contributed to the success of project LABSS. They are listed by category with additional descriptions found in Appendix 1.

Principle Project Staff

Dr. John Teggins, Project Co-Director, Department of Physical Sciences

Originator of modified experiments

Dr. Chris Mahaffy, Principle Scientist, Department of Physical Sciences

Originator of modified experiments

Dr. Nancy McDaniel, Project Co-Director, Center for Special Services

Project administrator

Ms. Gerri Wolfe, Project Investigator, Center for Special Services

Staff supervisor

Support Staff

Mr. Reed Bigelow, Project Coordinator, Center for Special Services

Developed and implemented Career Day in the Sciences and the Summer Institute

Mr. Randall Richardson, Laboratory Manager, Department of Physical Sciences

Evaluated experiments and managed all LABSS laboratories

Consultants

Mr. Jimmie Adams, Principal, Advisory Board Coordinator

Lanier high School, Montgomery, Alabama

Dr. Kamala Sharma, Faculty, Department of Math and Sciences, Outside Evaluator

Navajo Community College, Tsaile, Arizona

Dr. Surjit Singh, Professor of Chemistry, Outside Evaluator

State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

Dr. David Tooley, Teacher, Outside Evaluator

Chinle High School, Navajo Nation, Arizona

A list of participating Student Assistants and Advisory Board members is included in Appendix 1. The first two years (1994-95 - 1995-96) of project LABSS focused on experiment design, evaluation, and manual development. Year three emphasized dissemination of the project model and materials. These activities included presentations, journal articles, and symposiums. A detailed list is included in Appendix II.

Evaluation Activities

Project LABSS utilized a process - outcome evaluation methodology. At the end of Year One, all project personnel (this includes the principal investigators, project investigators, project consultant, student assistant, and project secretary) were required to submit a written narrative assessment of Year One activities to the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board was then required to meet, discuss these activities, and provide a written evaluation to project personnel. This evaluation reported that 100% of the members strongly agreed that the experimental procedures were clear, concise and easy to follow. Additionally, 75% of the members either agreed or strongly agreed with expanding the LABSS philosophy of experimentation to the high schools. Appendix III contains a complete Advisory Board evaluation report.

Students with disabilities also participated in the evaluation of the experimental procedures. Participating students assessed the experiments by completing comprehensive evaluation forms. Students were asked to complete the experiment(s) and rate each on a 25 items of manipulation. The rating scale was a Likert type measuring performance difficulty, I = No difficulty, 2=slight difficulty, 3=Moderate difficulty, 4=Severe difficulty, and 5=Impossible to perform. Any response bearring a rating of 3, 4, or 5 required a description of the problems encountered. Responses from the students were compiled and incorporated into the design of the experimental procedures. These evaluation methods continued through Year Two.

Outside evaluators were hired for each project year to provide an unbiased assessment of all project activities. The evaluators provided a written assessment of project activities to include a) an evaluation of project materials, b) interviews with select participants, c) interviews with program staff, and d) a summation of the evaluation measures. The evaluations reports were favorable and provided recommendations for model improvement and implementation. Appendix III contains a detailed copy of the evaluation reports.

The Career Day in the Sciences was a major activity sponsored by project LABSS. The Career Day was a day long event which brought high school students with and without disabilities from rural areas of central Alabama to the AUM campus and exposed these students to science and science-related careers. Three hundred and sixty (360) students, 82% minority, attended the

event that demonstrated the importance of an education that depends heavily on the inclusion of science courses. The Day consisted of demonstrations, exhibits, presentations, and hands-on chemistry experiences. All students, teachers, and staff assessed the effectiveness of the program on a Likert-scale evaluation form.

The student respondents rated the overall effectiveness of the program as good to excellent with an average rating of 73%. A small percentage, 9%, rated the program as satisfactory in providing science-related career information. The instructors and project staff also had a high rating with 100% reporting the Career Day's effectiveness as good to excellent. Overall it can be inferred from the data that the Career day in the sciences was successful in its goal to provide science career information to the students. A more detailed report is included in Appendix 111.

The last major activity of project LABSS was the Summer Institute. The Institute's goal was to train high school and college instructors on the career and science opportunities for students with disabilities. An overview of disabilities, classroom accommodations, and science careers began the two day workshop, followed by an in-depth review of project LABSS and experiments. Participants earned a certificate of completion, continuing education hours, and a LABSS starter kit which included materials to perform three of the LABSS experiments. Of the 23 participants, 85% were from the secondary education system, 10% the postsecondary system, and 5% vocational counseling professionals. Almost 20% of the participants represented a minority group.

Dr. Surjit Singh, Professor of Chemistry at New York University, evaluated the Summer institute from a third party's perspective (see Appendix 111). He reported that 100% of the participants successfully performed the LABSS experiments without difficulty and concluded that the program was successful in its goal to train education personnel regarding the philosophy of Project LABSS. The participants also either strongly agreed or agreed (93%) that the Institute was effective and each would incorporate the LABSS methodologies into their classrooms.

Model-Building Accomplishments

The completed LABSS model offers an entire academic year of general chemistry laboratory procedures that is accessible to all students including those with disabilities. Although the experiments have been modified to remove hazards such as strong acids, boiling liquids, or toxic chemicals, the chemical principles illustrated remain the same as those taught by traditional chemistry laboratory curriculums. By removing the above mentioned hazards, it becomes possible to conduct a general chemistry laboratory on folding tables using inexpensive materials obtained from retail suppliers rather than from chemical supply houses. With the use of four easily made adapters, the height of these folding tables can be adjusted to accommodate students who use wheelchairs. Breakable glassware can be replaced with plastic materials to reduce the risk of breakage. Experiment manuals are available in alternate formats for users with disabilities.

The uniqueness of this model is that it relies upon inexpensive, commonly available materials to demonstrate chemical principles. One notable outcome from the LABSS project was the reduction in chemical waste disposal costs. For many educational institutions, the cost of waste removal and then the continued fees for waste dump management can be quite costly. The chemicals used in the LABSS model are non-toxic and can be disposed easily by pouring down a sink drain.

An additional benefit to the LABSS model is that it can incorporate into nearly any general chemistry curriculum because it relies heavily on commonly available, inexpensive materials (sugar, table salt, coffee filter paper) rather than costly laboratory-grade chemicals. The Project LABSS curriculum is especially applicable to school systems in rural settings, where funds and equipment are limited. Simple, temporary modifications to folding tables provide accessible workstations for all students and laboratories can be set up in any available classroom. This adaptability was tested at a rural college, Navajo Community College in Tsaile, Arizona. The Project LABSS chemistry students occupied a standard classroom and used standard laboratory glassware and folding tables to perform three of the LABSS experiments. The students conducting the experiments were able to complete their tasks with little difficulty, although they had no prior experience in chemistry.

Many educators from various postsecondary institutions have requested the Project LABSS experiment manual. As many as five institutions have provided feedback that part or all of the LABSS curriculum is in use at their school. Specifically, the University of New York at Buffalo is using the entire modified curriculum for one section of its general chemistry courses. The LABSS model lends itself easily to replication because it is very inexpensive to implement and to operate. Also, the curriculum can be separated into individual experiments thus allowing for gradual or partial implementation. The experiment manuals cost less than $20.00 to purchase-, sufficient materials for an entire class to perform the entire curriculum of experiments can be obtained from a grocery store for less than $3.00 per person per quarter; four adapters for a folding table can be made for less than $10.00 per set. In addition, the using institution will save significant amounts on hazardous materials disposal fees as all wastes from the experiments are non-toxic and can be poured down the drain, rather than being sent to a waste disposal facility.

The Project LABSS experiment manual has been adopted for all general chemistry 1, 11, and III classes at Auburn University at Montgomery. The university is committed to using this model for at least the next five years and will probably continue long beyond that date. Dr. John Teggins, Project Co-Director, is the head of the Physical Sciences Department and the contact person for the LABSS continuation (see Appendix I for contact information).

Project LABSS is a novel approach to accommodating students with disabilities in physical science laboratories. Traditional accommodations rely on the student to adapt to the demands of the curriculum. LABSS, on the other hand, adapts the curriculum to meet the needs of the students. AUM will continue to practice and disseminate the LABSS model. It is certain that the numbers of institutions adopting the LABSS model will increase, thus promoting access to science careers for students with disabilities.