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

该项目寻求财政支持，以建立一个通过博物馆和科学中心等非正式场所介绍和教育盲人青年的国家模式。这将包括STEM主题大幅。此外，盲童的家长、教师和伊势场馆工作人员将被纳入教育过程，以加强整体方法。此外，在这一奋进中，学生的效能感发展也是一个因素。3-6年级的学生和高中生是主要的目标受众。前者是有针对性的，因为这是他们经常屈服于挑战并逐渐失去对STEM的兴趣的时候。高中生将扮演双重角色，他们将成为年轻群体的导师，并将参加特殊教育课程，为他们在STEM主题方面的中学后教育做好准备。在全国范围内选择了六个地点，为该项目提供广泛的视角和扩大的影响。该项目的结果将为全国其他地区的类似努力提供一个教育模式。它将为尚未准备好容纳盲人和青年的伊势场地提供指导。它将为家长和教师提供新的视角，如何为盲人学生提供STEM科目的教育。这项奋进的团队包括来自全国盲人联合会的盲人PI;来自波士顿科学博物馆的联合PI;来自马里兰州大学的Leigh Abts;来自新墨西哥州盲人学校的Jeff Killebrew;前NASA工程师Laura Bostick; Hoby Wedler博士。化学候选人里奇弗洛雷斯，学生的导师;埃里克吉利，学生的导师;蒂芙尼野生从俄亥俄州州立大学是研究的领导;和乔海姆利希将做项目评估。

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.