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

该项目寻求资金支持，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。这将涵盖STEM主题。此外，盲童家长、教师和ISE场馆工作人员将被纳入加强整体方法的教育过程中。此外，学生在这项努力中还有一个效能感发展的因素。3-6年级的学生和高中生是主要的目标受众。前者之所以成为目标，是因为在这个时候，他们往往会屈服于挑战，对STEM失去兴趣。高中生将具有双重角色，他们将是年轻群体的导师，并将参加特殊教育课程，为他们在STEM主题的大专教育中做好准备。在全国范围内选择了六个场馆，为该项目提供了广泛的视角和广泛的影响。该项目的结果将为该国其他地区的类似努力提供教育模式。它将为尚未准备好容纳盲人和年轻人的ISE场馆提供指导。这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。这项工作的团队包括来自全国盲人联合会的盲人派；来自波士顿科学博物馆的联合派；来自马里兰大学的利·阿布茨；来自新墨西哥盲人学校的杰夫·基勒布鲁；前NASA工程师劳拉·博斯蒂克；化学博士候选人霍比·韦德勒；学生的导师里奇·弗洛雷斯；学生的导师埃里克·瓜里尔；来自俄亥俄州立大学的蒂凡尼·怀尔德是研究负责人；以及乔·海姆利希将负责项目评估。

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.