Full-Scale Development: National Center for Blind Youth in Science

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This project seeks financial support to build a national model for introducing and educating blind youth via informal venues such as museums and science centers. This will encompass STEM subjects writ large. Further, parents of blind children, teachers, and ISE venue personnel will be incorporated into the educational process enhancing the holistic approach. Additionally, there is an element of efficacy development in this endeavor for the students.Students in grades 3-6 and high school students are the main target audiences. The former are targeted as this is the time when they often succumb to the challenges and fade away from an interest in STEM. The high school students will have a dual role in that they will be tutors for the younger group and will take special education courses to prepare them for postsecondary education in STEM topics. Six venues spanning the nation have been chosen to provide a broad spectrum of perspective and broadening impacts for the project.The results of this project will yield an education model for similar endeavors in other parts of the country. It will provide guidance for ISE venues not yet prepared to accommodate blind people and youth. It will give new perspective to parents and teachers on how to provide education in STEM subjects to blind students. The team of this endeavor includes the PI, who is blind, from the National Federation of the Blind; the co-PI from the Museum of Science in Boston; Leigh Abts from the University of Maryland; Jeff Killebrew from the New Mexico School for the Blind; Laura Bostick former NASA engineer; Hoby Wedler, Ph.D. candidate in chemistry; Richie Flores, Mentor for the students; Eric Guillary, Mentorfor the students; Tiffany Wild from Ohio State University is the research lead; and Joe Heimlich will do the project evaluation.