We hear a lot of talk about diversity in STEM these days and about how we need to have more of it.

I couldn’t agree more.

Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in science and math fields, and we need to do more to include them. However…

…there exists another minority that is underrepresented in STEM. I’m talking about people with physical disabilities. (Those with other kinds of disabilities are affected by this exclusion as well, but for the purposes of this post, I will focus on physical disabilities.)

I have mild, although real and diagnosed, cerebral palsy (CP), which affects the coordination in my small muscles, as well as my walking. This has undoubtedly affected my performance in the biological research laboratory. To wit…

I was bullied repeatedly and ultimately fired from a job in an academic research lab where my CP would not allow me to put together small devices and manipulate tiny tubes in order to perform a crucial experiment. My CP also impeded my ability to prepare and isolate plasmid DNA. “We only have a year and a half left on our grant. Do you want a job in a year and a half?” I was told, proving that in some labs, the grants are infinitely more important than the employees.

I later had a position in a lab at a different institution in which I had to work with live mice. This work included restraining the mice and snipping off the ends of their tails with special scissors (yes, cruelty is the norm in some undertakings). Once again, my CP did not allow my hands to cooperate no matter how hard I tried, and I was fired from this job as well. My principal investigator cited my lack of dexterity as one of the main reasons for my dismissal.

I never worked in an industry lab. I took a few courses at the local community college which taught how to do cell culture, chromatography, and other procedures important to the industry. Although I did well on the exams, my lab performance was of concern to the instructor, who believed that I worked too slowly. And my instructor was right.

Is anyone willing to make a reasonable accommodation for a worker who needs to be more deliberate and careful in their work in order to do a good job?

If you have a physical disability and work in STEM, please let me hear from you. Are you being treated fairly?