Virginia Tech, where she also serves as Director of the Center for Research in SEAD Education at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT). Her research interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, design education, communication studies, identity theory and reflective practice. Projects supported by the National Science Foundation include exploring disciplines as cultures, liberatory maker spaces, and a RED grant to increase pathways in ECE for the professional formation of engineers.Dr. Denise Rutledge Simmons P.E., Virginia Tech Denise R. Simmons, Ph.D., PE, LEED-AP, is an assistant professor in the Myers-Lawson School of Con- struction and in the Department of Civil & Environmental
earlier versions. Furthermore, we look at ways it canbe used to broaden the participation of people with disabilities in engineering organizations toimprove upon this overlooked dimension of diversity.IntroductionWulf (1998) wrote that the engineering “profession is diminished and impoverished by a lack ofdiversity. It doesn’t take a genius to see that in a world whose commerce is globalized,engineering designs must reflect the culture and taboos of a diverse customer base.” Thebusiness case for diversity is clear in Wulf’s statement; including people from all walks of life inthe engineering of products means better designs that address all the needs and constraints thatcome from differences in social identity.While Wulf’s statement has been