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

-该项目正在汇编所有现有的盲人和低视力学生在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的教学资源，并为普通教育教师、盲人和低视力学生的教师、家长和学生建立一个Web门户网站，以便方便地访问所收集的信息。为了创建将在网络门户上提供的内容，项目组正在编目、组织和提供关于当前可用的资源和产品的可搜索信息，以及从现有的STEM主题盲人电子邮件列表服务器收集的信息。该门户网站还为教师、家长和学生提供了交流非视觉技术和经验的区域，提供了采访在STEM学习和/或职业中取得成功的盲人和视障人士的区域，并为盲人或视障学生提供了与在STEM学习和/或职业中取得成功的盲人和视障个人进行互动和影子的机会。智力价值根据在STEM领域与盲人学生一起工作的专家的横截面，由于缺乏协调的活动和资源，改善盲人或视力低下学生参与的创新解决方案受到限制(国家盲人青年科学中心咨询委员会会议，2004年)。该项目将把所有现有资源纳入一个中央信息交换中心，以便简化新的相关项目的开发，并将现有材料纳入课堂教学。信息交换所模式的成功开发和实施为激发创新和增加盲人或低视力人士在STEM领域的参与提供了最佳机会。更广泛的影响通过提供与盲人或视力障碍学生相关的全方位STEM资源，障碍将被削弱，导致盲人或视力障碍学生更多地参与和追求STEM学习和职业。教师、家长和学生之间的知识共享将减少教师、家长和学生现在试图找到学习STEM科目的可行方法的重复工作量。

------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.