The ICMM launches an exhibition on science and disability: "Let no barrier cause us to lose talent"

Image

The Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC), through its Equity Committee, has just launched its latest outreach exhibition, this time focusing on the profiles of scientists living with disabilities. The exhibition, inaugurated on the occasion of December 3rd, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, aims for these role models to "serve as a reflection for building a safer and more accessible environment, where no barrier cause us to lose talent," says Silvia Gallego, coordinator of the Committee.

The exhibition, written in Spanish and English, consists of eleven profiles of contemporary scientists with different specialties and diverse realities. It includes people who are deaf, have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), paraplegia, or blindness. Life examples that inspire at surprising levels.

For instance, the exhibition highlights the profile of molecular biologist Carol W. Greider, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009. She lives with dyslexia, which caused her to receive poor grades in school and has made her an activist for the inclusion of this community.

Another prominent profile is that of physicist and electrical engineer John A. Fleming, born in 1849 with hearing loss that worsened over time. In the final years of his life, the scientist created a microphone connected to headphones. Among other recognitions, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and knighted in the Order of the British Empire for his services to science and industry.

The exhibition also features Spanish biochemist Jesús M. Vázquez Cobos, director of the Cardiovascular Proteomics Laboratory at the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC-CSIC) and a research professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). This researcher developed acquired deafness due to viral encephalitis at the age of seven, and his story has become a reference for many people.

A Team Effort 

The exhibition was created collaboratively by all members of the ICMM Equity Committee, who researched the proposed profiles to showcase the diversity of real-life experiences. For the final design, illustrator Ángela Cano was hired to create the posters.

The exhibition, which will be on display in the ICMM hall until the end of the year, is free to visit. It is also available for free loan to other educational, cultural, or research centers.