CAREER: Bridging the Digital Accessibility Gap in STEM Using Multisensory Haptic Platforms

想想在看不见的情况下学习视觉科目，比如数学、工程或科学。突然之间，提供快速收集信息方式的图形、图表和图表不再有效。这是当今视障学生在课堂上面临的挑战，因为教育材料大多是以电子方式呈现的。目前，有视觉障碍的人“阅读”图形的方式是通过触摸，感觉纸上凸起的代表图像的点和图案。创建这些基于触摸的图形需要大量的时间和资源，并且输出会提供静态的硬拷贝图像。STEM受试者缺乏接触图形的机会是目前视力障碍者面临的最紧迫的挑战之一。鉴于这些残疾学生在STEM领域和专业领域的代表性较低，这是一个令人担忧的问题。该项目调查如何使用触摸屏等新的触摸技术来创建可以感觉、听到和看到的图形和模拟。使用现成的低成本系统，首席研究员将研究如何将视觉信息映射到触觉和声音。这项研究建立在以前的研究基础上，该研究侧重于以非可视化的方式表示图形的构建块(点、线和形状)。在这个项目中，研究人员将决定如何以非直观的方式表示更具挑战性的图形，如图表、曲线图和图表。然后，该项目将探索触摸反馈在互动模拟中的作用，互动模拟中的移动元素会随着用户的输入而改变，这使得非视觉访问具有挑战性。最后，这些项目将研究扩展到其他残疾学生，以了解触摸技术产生广泛影响所需的好处和变化。该项目涉及大约65名有视觉障碍的学生的小组和单学科设计，重点关注以下感兴趣的结果：学生的图形素养、任务评估的正确百分比、探索时间、响应时间、对图形特定区域的重复访问次数以及层之间的切换次数。这项工作与残疾人及其教师密切合作，试图弥合STEM目前的图形无障碍差距，并在技术使用和开发中提高对通用设计的认识。该职业计划是美国国家科学基金会(NSF)范围内的一项活动，旨在为那些通过杰出的研究、卓越的教育以及在其组织使命范围内整合教育和研究而体现教师学者作用的初级教师提供奖励。该项目得到了美国国家科学基金会发现研究预科-12(DRK-12)计划的支持。DRK-12旨在通过研究和开发创新的资源、模式和工具，显著提高K-12学前班学生和教师的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Consider learning visual subjects such as math, engineering, or science without being able to see. Suddenly, the graphs, charts, and diagrams that provide a quick way to gather information are no longer effective. This is a challenge that students with visual impairments face in classrooms today as educational materials are most often presented electronically. The current way that individuals with visual impairments "read" graphics is through touch, feeling raised dots and patterns on paper that represent images. Creating these touch-based graphics requires extensive time and resources, and the output provides a static, hard-copy image. Lack of access to graphics in STEM subjects is one of the most pressing challenges currently facing individuals with visual impairments. This is a concern given the low representation of students with these disabilities in STEM fields and professions.This project investigates how to use new touch technologies, like touchscreens, to create graphics and simulations that can be felt, heard, and seen. Using readily available, low-cost systems, the principal investigator will investigate how to map visual information to touch and sound. This research builds on prior research focused on representing the building blocks of graphics (points, lines, and shapes) nonvisually. In this project, the investigator will determine how to represent more challenging graphics such as charts, plots, and diagrams, nonvisually. The project will then explore the role of touch feedback in interactive simulations, which have moving elements that change with user input, making nonvisual access challenging. Finally, the projects extends the research to students with other disabilities, toward understanding the benefits and changes necessary for touch technologies to have broad impact. The project involves group and single-subject designs with approximately 65 students with visual impairments and focuses on the following outcomes of interest: students' graph literacy, percent correct on task assessments, time of exploration, response time, number of revisits to particular areas of the graphic, and number of switches between layers. Working closely with individuals with disabilities and their teachers, this work seeks to bridge the current graphical accessibility gap in STEM and raise awareness of universal design in technology use and development. The CAREER program is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-wide activity that offers awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. This project is supported by NSF's Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program. DRK-12 seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.