PPD: A Multisensory Calculus Program for Students with Visual Impairments

9450166 Kress盲人和视障学生参与科学、工程和数学课程的一个主要障碍通常是无法获得高等科学和数学课程中可用的教学材料。纽约市立大学（CUNY）内的斯塔顿岛学院计算机科学系和巴鲁希学院视障学生计算机中心提议，通过开发和测试可供这些学生使用的教学材料，为盲人和视障学生提供一个平等的环境，让他们能够接受科学、工程和数学（SEM）的基础教育。本项目主要针对SEM的核心数学课程。微积分。它将使用当前最有效的音频和触觉技术来提供图形信息的访问。该项目还将探索目前正在开发的其他成熟技术。所开发的课件也将可供没有视觉障碍的学生使用；虽然该项目将为大学教育开发SEM材料，但其方法将同样适用于小学和中学。在这个为期三年的项目中，研究人员将开发面向大学一年级学生的微积分教学课件。在基础课程内容方面，研究人员将使用卡内基梅隆大学卡内基基金会资助下为SEM学生开发的一门成功的自定进度的微积分精通课程。盲人和视障学生无法接触到的基本前提材料将被特别开发的听觉和触觉材料所补充。在大多数情况下，与视觉障碍相关的教学问题是可以用现有技术解决的。装有光学识别软件和盲文打印机（或为不阅读盲文的人提供语音访问系统）的扫描仪可用于阅读传统的印刷或显示文本，并且为视力受损程度较轻的人提供放大显示屏。然而，科学和数学中使用的图形材料需要创新。研究人员建议使用音频触觉平板电脑，可以准备和编程，以显示所需的图形。巴鲁克视障人士计算机中心是为盲人准备触觉图形的领先设施。由该设施开发的触觉图形，结合新技术，NOMAD音频触觉平板电脑，将允许微积分学生追踪图形，并听到每个点的基本信息。这些技术和材料应该使有视觉障碍的学生能够直接阅读数学文本和图形，而不必与视力正常的读者接触。一个多感官工作站已经在斯塔顿岛大学的实验室里建立起来，使用的是由美国国家科学基金会设备拨款购买的NOMAD音频触觉平板电脑。音频触觉材料和软件开发将在纽约市立大学视障学生和盲人专业志愿者中进行测试。测试经验将为持续修订和进一步开发提供基础。最终评估将与教育考试服务中心合作进行。这些材料将分发给纽约州残疾人权益倡导办公室，供向美国各地的残疾人提供培训和教育福利的组织使用。＊＊＊

9450166 Kress A key barrier to participation in science, engineering, and mathematics curricula for blind and visually impaired students commonly has been access to usable instructional materials in higher science and mathematics courses. The Department of Computers Science of The College Staten Island and the Computer Center for the Visually Impaired of Barusch College, both within the City University of New York (CUNY), propose to provide an environment that will offer blind and visually impaired students equal accesses to basic education for science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM) by developing and testing instructional materials usable by these students. This project focuses on the core mathematics course for SEM,. the calculus. It will use the most effective current audio and tactile technology to provide access to graphical information. The project also will explore other technologies currently in development as they mature. The courseware to be developed will be usable as well by students without visual impairments; and although the project will develop materials for college education in SEM, the methodology will be equally appropriate for primary and secondary grades. In the proposed three year project, the investigators will develop courseware for teaching the calculus to first year college students. For the basic course content, the investigators will use a successful self paced mastery course in calculus developed for SEM students under a Carnegie Foundation grant at Carnegie Mellon University. The essential prerequisite materials that would otherwise be inaccessible to blind and visually impaired students will be supplemented by specially developed auditory and tactile materials. In most situations, the teaching problems associated with visual impairments are solvable with existing technology. Scanners with optical recognition software and Braille printers (or speech access systems for those who do not read Braille) can be used to read conventional printed or displayed text, and enlarged display screens are available for those with lesser degrees of visual impairment. Graphical materials used in science and mathematics, however, require innovations. The investigators propose using audio tactile tablets that can be prepared and programmed to present the needed graphics. The Baruch Computer Center for the Visually Impaired is a leading facility for preparation of tactile graphics for blind people. Tactile graphics developed by this facility, combined with new technology, the NOMAD audio tactile tablet, will permit student of the calculus to trace the graphics and to hear the essential information for each point spoken audibly. These technologies and materials should provide students with visual impairments the ability to read mathematical text and graphics directly without having to engage sighted readers. A multisensory workstations has been set up in a College of Staten Island laboratory with a NOMAD audio tactile tablet procured with funds from the NSF equipment grant. The audio tactile materials and software development will be tested h) 0*0*0* with students with visual impairments from CUNY and with blind professional volunteers. The test experience will provide the basis for continual revision and further development. The final evaluation will be conducted in cooperation with the Educational Testing Service. The material will be distributed to the New York State Office of Advocate for the disabled for use with organizations offering training and educational benefits to individuals with disabilities throughout the United States. ***