The STEM Access Community of Practice was created in 2026 in response to a growing need for shared guidance, practical strategies, and professional connection around accessibility in STEM education. While many accessibility resources address general digital content, STEM courses often present more complex challenges, including equations, graphs, diagrams, lab materials, simulations, technical notation, and discipline-specific workflows.

The community began through conversations among accessibility leaders, educators, researchers, and advocates who recognized that no single institution or individual had all the answers. STEM accessibility requires collaboration across roles and disciplines, including faculty, instructional designers, disability services professionals, accessibility specialists, researchers, technologists, and students.

The founding leadership team included Dawn Dunaway of The University of Alabama,  Sara Shunkwiler of Johns Hopkins University, Lisette Torres-Gerald of TERC and Sines of Disability, and Daniel Reinholz of San Diego State University and Sines of Disability. Together, they helped shape the community as a place where members could ask questions, share resources, discuss emerging practices, and support one another in making STEM learning environments more accessible.

The STEM Access Community of Practice was designed to be practical, collaborative, and welcoming. From the beginning, its purpose has been to bring people together around real accessibility challenges in STEM, especially those that do not have simple or one-size-fits-all solutions. The community continues to grow as a space for shared learning, collective problem-solving, and ongoing improvement in accessible STEM education.