The Team

Emma, a woman with brown hair and a shoulder brace, sits next to her service dog. The dog is a black lab wearing a blue harness.

[Image Description]: Emma, a woman with brown hair and a shoulder brace, sits next to her service dog, Marlowe. Marlowe is a black lab wearing a blue service harness.

Emma Collington

STEM WITH DISABILITIES Lead
 

Emma Collington (she/her) is a PhD candidate in molecular genetics at the University of Waterloo. She studies mitochondrial metabolism in anaerobic eukaryotes, with a particular interest in parasitic helminths. Emma has a genetic connective tissue disease caused by mutations in collagen and fibrillin, which results in her joints, organs, and blood vessels being too elastic. When not studying or sleeping, Emma is involved in her local disability community and volunteers with the program that trained her own service dog, Marlowe.

To read Emma’s full story, visit STEM With Disabilities.

A headshot of Samantha smiling at the camera. She is experimenting with a curly hair routine (which is somewhat working) and is wearing a black blouse and brown pants and a multi-tiered silver necklace. She is sitting on the floor with a coffee mug.

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION]: A headshot of Samantha smiling at the camera. She is experimenting with a curly hair routine (which is somewhat working) and is wearing a black blouse and brown pants and a multi-tiered silver necklace. She is sitting on the floor with a coffee mug.

Samantha Fowler

STEM WITH DISABILITIES LEAD
 

Samantha (she/her) is a science communication specialist currently living with chronic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, and bulimia nervosa. She navigated being a student with disabilities at University of Waterloo, graduating Valedictorian with a BSc in 2019, and Laurentian University, graduating with a MScCom in 2020. She currently works at University of Waterloo as the Disability Inclusion Coordinator and is a lead for the STEM With Disabilities project.

To read Samantha’s full story, visit STEM With Disabilities.

 

What is STEM With Disabilities?

The Ontario Summit for Students with Disabilities is hosted by STEM With Disabilities, a visibility project for scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. The project leads, Emma Collington and Samantha Fowler, are an Ontario postsecondary student and alumni (respectively) who are passionate about removing barriers, building community, and supporting Ontario institutions in advancing campus accessibility.

Why is STEM With Disabilities running the Summit?

Emma is a current PhD student with a disability, and Samantha navigated an undergraduate and Master’s degree with disabilities. The Summit is something they wish they had during their earlier degrees. They also hope that the post-Summit report will be impactful as a tool to amplify student voices and advance necessary changes.

I’m not in STEM…can I still attend?

Yes, the Ontario Summit for Students with Disabilities is open to students in all fields of study. We want to build a community of postsecondary students with disabilities without the exclusion of different disciplines.