Student Fellow Spotlight: Nicole Garcia

Engineering with Access in Mind

Nicole Garcia is a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate at The University of Texas at Austin, pursuing the biomechanics track. Her academic interests center on rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology, with a focus on practical design solutions that reduce barriers for people with disabilities and chronic conditions.

That interest led her to the National Disability Center for Student Success, where she contributes to research focused on improving accessibility in higher education, particularly within STEM fields. Long term, Nicole hopes to apply her engineering training to develop systems that build access into design from the start rather than relying on retroactive fixes.

Why the Center

Nicole was drawn to the Center because of its focus on connecting disability research with practical application. What stood out to her was the Center’s emphasis on translating research findings into tools and guidance that institutions can actively use to improve access in STEM learning environments.

“To me, the Center is student-centered and action-oriented. Research doesn’t stop at publication. It turns into resources institutions can apply. As a newer Student Fellow, I’ve always felt included and heard from the beginning.”

As a Student Fellow, Nicole:

• Contributed to the development of a Campus Accessibility Spotlight: Expanding Disability Access in STEM
  by reviewing faculty interviews related to course structure, materials, assessment, and classroom practices
• Integrated student perspectives on classroom layout, material formats, testing experiences, and universal design strategies
• Organized themes around common barriers, institutional supports, faculty resources, and the role of disclosure and accommodations in shaping access
• Continues supporting research translation efforts that turn findings into clear, actionable resources for faculty and institutions

Nicole also describes the Center’s collaborative culture as a key part of her experience. She says:

“Meetings are flexible and accessible, with support for assistive technology, captioning, and multiple communication formats, allowing students to participate fully from the start.”

Learning Through Design and Community

Outside the classroom, Nicole’s understanding of accessibility has been shaped by hands-on design work and student community spaces.

As a member of UT’s ADAPT (Adapting Devices and Purposeful Toys for Children in Texas) student organization, she worked on modifying toys for pediatric physical therapy. Projects included switch-adapted toys, redesigned grips, and internal rewiring so children could activate toys independently. Through this work, Nicole saw how small design changes can significantly expand participation and autonomy.

She has also been active in the Disability Advocacy Student Coalition, where students share strategies for navigating academics, campus life, and future careers. Nicole often draws on her own experience using assistive technology in engineering courses to support peers and connect them with campus resources.

In an introductory biomedical engineering course, Nicole’s team examined lecture hall access for wheelchair users. They found that so-called accessible seating often required transferring into loose desk chairs placed at the front of the room, with no space for a wheelchair. In response, her team designed a 3D prototype for front-row seating with adjustable, swing-out tablet arms that allow wheelchair users to roll directly into place and use a stable work surface.

The project brought engineering principles together with real-world access considerations and highlighted how design decisions shape classroom participation.

Navigating STEM Courses Fully Online

Like last semester, Nicole continues to complete her coursework entirely online. While remote learning can reduce some physical barriers, STEM courses present distinct access challenges.

Engineering content is often highly visual and math-heavy, embedded in PDFs, graphs, and specialized software. Nicole relies on recorded lectures, posted slides, and course notes that she can convert into accessible formats using assistive technology. 

She communicates early with instructors about course structure, quiz windows, and alternative submission options when platforms are not accessible. That ongoing dialogue has been essential to navigating courses smoothly. Lab work adds another layer of complexity. When possible, Nicole and her team separate data collection from analysis and writing, allowing her to contribute remotely by analyzing data and drafting reports.

For group projects, her team establishes roles and timelines early, chooses accessible tools such as shared documents, and builds in regular check-ins. Plans remain flexible so tasks can shift if someone encounters a health or access barrier.

“Flexibility built into course design helps everyone,” Nicole shared. “Recorded lectures, alternative formats, and a welcoming tone around accommodation conversations make a real difference.”

Looking Ahead

Through her work at the Center, Nicole is learning how academic research can inform meaningful classroom change. She is especially interested in qualitative research methods, data analysis, and accessibility-focused user experience design for web and app development.

After graduation, Nicole hopes to continue working at the intersection of engineering, technology, and accessibility. She sees the Center as a place that helped clarify how technical skills and lived experience can come together to reduce everyday barriers.

When asked what advice she would offer students new to disability-focused work, Nicole points to the value of community.

“Listening to other disabled students matters. Lived experience is a form of expertise. Even small steps toward improved access can have a wider impact than you expect.”

For Nicole, the Center represents a space to learn, contribute, and help shape learning environments that work better for students across STEM.