Career Exploration Lab: 3D Printing and STEM Engagement for High School Students with Visual Impairments and their Educators

The STEM Career Exploration Lab (CEL) program is conducting across the United States a series of summer camps for high school students with Blindness / Visual Impairment (B/VI) to stimulate their interest in STEM fields and STEM careers. We use astronomy and assistive technologies, including 3D printing and 3D printed tactile models, to bolster students' STEM skills. The program is based on a pilot program in which student summer camps were hosted by several state organizations over several years, including the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, to serve those students. These camps, called CELs, include hands-on activities, such as assembling and using desktop 3D printers, using tactile 3D printed models, other tactile materials, and sound and kinesthetic activities to teach astronomy, along with career-oriented interactions with STEM professionals with B/VI, and field trips to local businesses that afford insights into possible STEM careers.