Math and Mathematica 9 for Blind Students and Blind Users

Natalie Williams

Homebound Tutor & Volunteer 
Utica City School District

Introduction

NYS Certified Biology and Chemistry Teacher
11 years as a classroom teacher in the Bronx, New York
Utica City School District Homebound Tutor and as a volunteer - preparing braille versions of teacher handouts, readings and sometimes books.

Has been working with teenage refugees who are blind to bring them basic educational materials

Outline

The goal of this talk is to generate interest in solving the currently archaic process of helping students who are blind

Background and Context

Navigation - Orientation and Mobility

Basic Education - Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

Future Directions - Call to Action

Conclusion

Background

Utica, NY

12,000 immigrants in a city of 100,000

Blind students whom I prepare documents for had never been educated before arriving in America
Cultural and Economic factors will impact their education and future life.

School district will meet the challenge of teaching them using current and limited technologies

Student Profiles

Three refugees from the Sudan; one from Burma.

Three in high school, one in elementary, there are many others

The ninth grader is set to take Algebra 1 this year.

Current Method

The method that I have used to produce the braille documents is to type over the content or to scan it into Adobe Acrobat Reader 11, convert into MicroSoft Word, then import the file into Duxberry, and emboss onto Braille paper using an Enabling Technologies Romeo Brailler.

Navigation

Current Tools

Orientation

A Braille Compass is the most reliable daily tool for a blind person to know where they are in the world

Mobility

White Canes are still the best current “technology” to help a blind person navigate

Basic Education

Reading - Braille

Braille is a tactile system of displaying groups of raised dots that represent the alphabet

Users read this information by running their finger over lines of these dots

Computers and other devices can be hooked to refreshable Braille displays

Basic Education

Writing - Brailling

Still most Brailling is done by volunteers who manually press a stylus into paper using a guide and conversion sheet

There are also Braille notetakers that use an alternative keyboard

There are Braille embossers, but they are often prohibitively expensive

Basic Education

Arithmetic

Calculator

Yes, blind students are taught math using the abicus

There are talking calculators, but again they are prohibitively expensive

Nemeth Code

There are also systems for doing math by Braille, one famous system is called the Nemeth code

Future Directions

What can be done?

Let’s Discuss!

Some Inspiration

“Do not doubt that a small group of people can change the world.
It is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Meade

“The things in what we call ‘life’ were all made by people who were no smarter than you.
When you realize that you can make things yourself; and can change things to reflect your liking; then … you will never look at the world in the same way again.” - Steve Jobs

Some Ideas

Dreaming of a way to use refreshable braille boards and tablets (' without monitors')

3 D sensing (accelerometers - like on the iPhone) to give direction and velocity to blind users - for orientation and mobility

GPS & sensors - so as not to bump into things

A GPS' cane' - with OnStar with directions

Voice Command settings and audio output for everyday devices

Google Glass like device which informs the wearer of what is around you