The Next Generation Laboratory Interface for Students with Blindness or Low Vision in the Science Laboratory

Entry into science education for students with blindness or low vision can present economic and technological barriers to access. This manuscript discusses funding hands-on student experiences in middle school, high school, and post-secondary education. Further, the use of access technologies recently developed for science education is also presented. Partnerships between access technology companies that are committed to working together make access more possible than ever before. The shift from the Director Assisted Approach to independent data collection in a hands-on way to promote interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers is discussed

Revolution of multi-sensory science education approaches for students who are blind

Students who are blind or have low vision (BLV) have traditionally been under represented in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions. This under representation may be due to a lack of methodologies and access technologies available to foster hands-on science learning. This presentation will discuss multi-sensory approaches for teaching science in a hands-on way to students who are blind or visually impaired. These approaches may also be implemented with non-visually impaired students to increase student engagement in the learning process. Some of these approaches include text-to-speech laboratory instrumentation that speaks critical data points out loud to qualitative sonification outputs of Cartesian graphical representations that involves the use of a tone change to represent the slope of a line that shows a data trend. It is these technological approaches that are complimented with extra description of visual and non-ambiguous oral representations of mathematical expressions that provide scaffolding for all learners. One additional motivation for the inclusion of persons with various disabilities into the STEM workforce is their innate ability to problem solves to overcome their physical and/or cognitive limitations. It is this lifelong population of problem solvers that should be fully integrated into the STEM workforce. Educational research has shown that students learn best when they are able to engage in hands-on learning activities. My research with students with blindness or low vision has also illustrates this to be true for the majority of students with BLV

A Historical Perspective on the Revolution of Science Education for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired In the United States

The following was an invited presentation given by Dr. Cary A. Supalo to the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois annual state convention that was held in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, October 28, 2011. These remarks were slightly modified for the Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities. Cary A. Supalo What does the term Revolution mean? To some it can simply mean change. To others, it can mean drastic change, and still to others, revolution is no more than a descriptor for something else. In this context, I believe revolution refers to a time of significant change.1 What are the mechanisms of change? Sometimes change can occur through legislative action. When Public Law 94-142 in 1975 now known today as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or (IDEA) serves as a bill of rights for students with disabilities to receive an equal and barrier free education

Fostering an Inclusive STEM Workforce

The following keynote address was delivered by Dr. Cary A. Supalo at the 2015 Training Workforce and Development and diversity conference which is one of the divisions that is part of NIH’s general medical sciences. This conference was attended by over 500 program directors from all of the T32 sponsored projects in 2015. This presentation discussed the importance of a full inclusive STEM workforce that includes persons with disabilitie

Development of Accessible Laboratory Experiments for Students with Visual Impairments

The hands-on laboratory experiments are frequently what spark students’ interest in science. Students who are blind or have low vision (BLV) typically do not get the same experience while participating in hands-on experiences due to accessibility. Over the course of approximately 9 months, common chemistry laboratory experiments were adapted and field tested for use in a residential school for the blind. These adaptations most commonly used a SciVoice Talking LabQuest and associated sensors, as well as other tactile methods

An Examination of Accessible Hands-on Science Learning Experiences, Self-confidence in One’s Capacity to Function in the Sciences, and Motivation and Interest in Scientific Studies and Careers.

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the confidence that I need to decide on majoring in an area of science in college and then a career in science; 3) I feel that I have the skills needed to independently perform a lab activity in (on) ______; 4) I feel that I have the skills needed to independently start data collection during a lab activity in ______; 5) I feel that I have the skills needed to independently stop data collection on a lab activity in ______; 6) I was actively involved in data collection during the______ lab. The Likert survey findings are consistent with the notion that accessible science activities may foster the development of self-beliefs that one has the capacity to independently function in scientific domains, which may promote an inclination to consider scientific pursuits. Insufficient accessible science learning experiences may contribute to the underrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Providing accessible science learning activities may help to increase both the number of individuals who have disabilities and diversity in the STEM fields

Students with Blindness Explore Chemistry at ‘Camp Can Do’

Students with blindness or low vision are often discouraged from full participation in laboratory science classes due to the inadequacy of current methodological approaches and the lack of sophisticated adaptive technologies. Consequently, these students rarely go on to pursue advanced studies and employment in the sciences. In response to his own frustrations as a scientist with blindness, Supalo conceived, co-founded, and managed the Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB) project for his doctoral research in chemistry. Numerous multisensory tools, technologies, and methodologies for teaching the sciences to students with visual impairments were developed and evaluated by the ILAB team. In 2009 and 2010, these hands-on adaptations were used by students with blindness and low vision from throughout the Caribbean during a chemistry workshop at a one-week summer camp held on the island of Tobago. Led by Supalo during the first-ever Camp Can Do in 2009 and Wohlers during 2010, the chemistry workshop successfully introduced the students to some basic chemical reactions and the most current adaptive technologies available for the laboratory sciences. For many of the students, Camp Can Do represented the first real opportunity to learn about science and technology with a hands-on approach