RDE-FRI: Independent Laboratory Access for Blind and Low Vision High Shool Students in the Mainstream Science Classroom

RDE-FRI项目：在主流科学课堂上为盲人和低视力高中生提供独立实验室，是一个为期36个月、价值30万美元的项目，由残疾教育研究（RDE）项目的重点研究倡议（FRI）项目资助。该项目的主要目标是将之前由rde资助的盲人独立实验室访问（ILAB）团队（HRD-0435656）创建的盲人和低视力（BLV）学生的低成本工具和教学技术纳入主流高中科学教室，以便BLV学生能够独立进行科学实验室实验。项目团队正在实地测试现有设备，新创建的工具和量身定制的科学课程，大约有10名BLV高中学生和他们的老师。研究小组由一位经验丰富的nsf资助的化学家领导，包括一对盲人教师和学生化学家，一位nsf资助的化学教育专家和一位高技能的评估员。这个项目团队曾在之前的ILAB项目中合作过，他们正在测试一个假设，即在主流物理科学实验室中使用这些已经开发好的工具会增加BLV高中学生的自我效能感、信心和对科学的兴趣。由于该项目的大多数学生都在高中三年级和四年级，项目团队能够跟踪学生向大学STEM领域的过渡。该团队正在利用其他NSF资助项目和行业合作伙伴的资源，包括两个(2)rde资助项目（HRD-0533182.; HRD-0533185），一个(1)NSF国家科学与工程中心（DMR-0425880）， Vernier软件与技术和GH有限责任公司。该项目解决了RDE-FRI跟踪目标的三个(3)：为残疾学生构建可以快速开发并有效部署在教育环境中的工具；通过在教育环境中使用技术，为残疾人士在STEM方面的教育增加价值；并调查针对STEM领域残疾人士的有效教学方法和实践。该项目包括一项形成性和总结性项目评价计划以及一项传播计划，其中包括在科学家、化学家和化学教育工作者的国家专业会议上作介绍；网站资料，以及计划在同行评审的专业期刊上发表的文章。传播计划还包括利用国家科学数字图书馆（NSDL）化学途径项目、全国盲人联合会和rde资助的中西部地区联盟的资源。

The project RDE-FRI: Independent Laboratory Access for Blind and Low Vision High School Students in the Mainstream Science Classroom, is a 36-month, $300,000 dollar award funded by the Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program's Focused Research Initiatives (FRI) track. The primary goal of this project is to incorporate low-cost tools and instructional techniques for blind and low vision (BLV) students, previously created by the RDE-funded Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB) team (HRD-0435656), into mainstream high school science classrooms so that BLV students can independently conduct science laboratory experiments. The project team is field testing existing devices, newly created tools and tailored science curricula with approximately ten (10) BLV high school students and their teachers. The research team is lead by a well-experienced NSF-funded chemist and includes a pair of faculty and student chemists who are blind, an NSF-funded expert in chemistry education, and a highly skilled evaluator. This project team, which has worked together on the previous ILAB project, is testing the hypothesis that the use of these already-developed tools in mainstream physical science labs will increase BLV high school students' self-efficacy, confidence and interest in science. Since most students in the project are in their junior and senior years of high school the project team is able to track student transitions into college STEM fields. The team is leveraging resources with other NSF-funded projects and industry partners, including two (2) RDE-funded projects (HRD-0533182.; HRD-0533185), one (1) NSF National Science and Engineering Center (DMR-0425880), Vernier Software and Technology, and GH, LLC. The project addresses three (3) of the RDE-FRI track goals: To build tools for students with disabilities that can be quickly developed and effectively deployed in the educational environment; to add value to the education of persons with disabilities in STEM by implementing the use of technologies in educational environments; and to investigate effective instructional methods and practices for people with disabilities in STEM. The project includes a formative and summative project evaluation plan as well as a dissemination plan that includes presentations at national professional meetings of scientists, chemists and chemical educators; website materials, as well as planned articles in peer-reviewed professional journals. The dissemination plan also includes leveraging resources with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Chemistry Pathways project, the National Federation of the Blind, and the RDE-funded MIDWEST Regional Alliance.