Disabled Students Navigating STEM will begin accepting applications from new students in January 2024 for Summer / Fall 2024.
Please email us at dsns@bellevuecollege.edu to put your name on our waitlist.
The Disabled Students Navigating STEM (DSNS) cohort program is part of the RISE Learning Institute at Bellevue College. DSNS is a cohort program that accelerates the growth of students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
This includes programs from our School of Business & Technology and Computer Science divisions, along with Math, Science, and Engineering. DMA students should apply!
The DSNS cohort program focuses on helping you identify, prepare for, and apply to experiential learning opportunities like internships and research experiences as a disabled student and ultimately professional in the field of STEM.
You will learn skills and make connections that will help you succeed as a STEM student and STEM professional. DSNS is a sibling program to Bellevue College’s STEM to Stern cohort program, and we often hold classes and events together.
In the first year of DSNS, you will take dedicated courses (alongside your chosen program of study) with other disabled STEM students starting with a Summer Orientation and then STEM 111 in Fall quarter. This will allow you time to meet other cohort members, learn more about the program and the college, and get started on your college and career journey!
During your first year, you will meet with your cohort once a week for a 2-credit academic credit course each quarter. This is a series of courses designed to support your academic and career pursuits in STEM, and will also focus on your disabled identity development in STEM. You will meet mentors, including disabled mentors, from companies such as Boeing, Microsoft, Puget Sound Energy, Fred Hutch, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And, you will have weekly facilitated meetings with your cohort members to problem-solve and support each other.
These courses are held on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:20 p.m. each (you can attend in person or via Zoom). The first course in the series is:
Fall Quarter – STEM 111 – STEM Cohort: Intersections of Disability
During Winter and Spring quarters, you will continue with a 2-credit course each quarter with the same cohort. These courses build upon each other and you will explore your strengths, build experiences and resumes, learn interview and application skills, and much, much more.
In the second year of the program you will take a one-credit course each quarter during fall, winter, and spring terms. These courses will help you identify and apply for internship and research opportunities, participate in project teams, and prepare your applications to begin a bachelor’s program or go directly to the workforce if that is your plan.
We share curriculum, events, and more with our sibling program, STEM to Stern.
Disabled mentors from the professional community will meet with small groups approximately once per month to answer questions and talk about being in STEM fields while having a disability. They can talk about interviewing, disclosing a disability on the job, and much more!
To get an idea about what you’ll be doing in DSNS, watch this video about our sibling program STEM to Stern: