The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD) provides a venue for the dissemination of research and applications in STEM education (K-college) for students with varying disabilities. JSESD is a peer-reviewed journal that was first published in the early 1990’s. The journal was moved to an Open Access format (free to both readers and authors) in 2007, and more recently began publishing Inclusion in Science Learning a New Direction (ISLAND) conference proceedings. Reasons for the change to Open Access included production costs, wide-spread dissemination, publishing logistics, and accessibility. Open Access, however, does not inherently ensure equal access. Even when we succeed at removing financial and copyright barriers, others can remain- like access for readers/authors with disabilities. In 2021, JSESD teamed with Open@RIT with the goal of improving accessibility and readership of the journal for all. We will explore some of the challenges and successes that we have experienced with sustaining the journal and improving the accessibility of quality information about STEM education for students with disabilities.
Inclusion in Science Learning a New Direction, conference on disability and STEM