Establishing a National Clearinghouse for Teaching and Encouraging Blind and Low Vision Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: A Web Portal

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------This project is compiling all existing resources for teaching students who are blind and who have low vision in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and building a Web portal for general education teachers, teachers of blind and low vision students, parents, and students to easily access the collected information. To create the content that will be available on the Web portal, the project team is cataloguing, organizing, and making searchable information on resources and products currently available as well as information gathered from existing email listservs on the blind in STEM subjects. The Web portal is also providing areas for teachers, parents, and students to communicate non-visual techniques and experiences, an area for interviews of blind and visually impaired individuals who are successful in STEM studies and/or careers, and opportunities for students who are blind or visually impaired to interact with and shadow blind and visually impaired individuals who are successful in STEM studies and/or careers. Intellectual MeritAccording to a cross section of experts working with students who are blind and in STEM fields, innovative solutions to improving the participation of students who are blind or who have low vision are limited by a lack of coordinated activities and resources (Advisory Committee Meetings of the National Center for Blind Youth in Science, 2004). This project will bring all existing resources into a centralized clearinghouse in order to streamline the development of new related projects and to integrate existing materials into classroom instruction. The successful development and implementation of the clearinghouse model presents the best opportunity for sparking innovation and increasing the participation of individuals who are blind, or who have low vision, in STEM fields. Broader ImpactsBy providing an all-inclusive STEM resource relating to students who are blind, or who have visual impairments, barriers will be eroded leading to increased participation and pursuit of STEM studies and careers by students who are blind or who have visual impairments. The sharing of knowledge among teachers, parents, and students will cut down on the amount of duplication of effort that now takes place by teachers, parents, and students trying to find accessible means to study STEM subjects.