In the ClassroomApproximately 3.8% of Americans are blind or low-vision (BLV). Of these 10 million people, only 1.3 million are working age and employed (1). Little data exist, to date, on the number of BLV people who are employed in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related professions, although only 2.7% of the STEM workforce reports a disability of any kind (2). Furthermore, data suggest that fewer than 300 people with any reported disability receive a Ph.D. in a STEM field annually (1, 3). The difficulty of providing a direct and independent laboratory experience to high school and college students with BLV is a major factor in this underrepresentation. As adapted and accessible technology becomes more widely available to students who are BLV, their retention in science courses and ultimately employment expectations in STEM-related fields may rise. Improved laboratory accessibility should significantly increase the self-efficacy of students as they perform laboratory tasks (4). Several new developments, both in accessibility tools and teaching techniques, are now available to facilitate this goal. Many of these advances were brought together for the first time by the National Federation of the Blind at the Jernigan Institute's 2007 Youth Slam (5).
To determine whether a suite of audible adaptive technologies would increase the hands-on participation of high school students with blindness or low vision in chemistry and physics courses, data were examined from a multi-year field study conducted with students in mainstream classrooms at secondary schools across the United States. The students worked with sighted laboratory partners. Four categories of data were analyzed with regard to levels of hands-on participation, including quantitative coding of video-recorded laboratory lessons, qualitative assessment of the same videos, student interviews, and teacher interviews. Evidence in support of the efficacy of the technologies to increase the students' hands-on participation during laboratory lessons was substantial. However, certain factors affected the quantitative interpretation of the data: students with usable low vision experienced similar levels of participation both with and without the adaptations, and students with little usable vision often required more time than did students with full vision to accomplish some laboratory tasks. Additional factors inherent to natural educational environments were also determined to have strong effects on student outcomes.
Chemistry laboratories ordinarily involve a number of visual observations and require qualitative and quantitative explanations of these observations. A student with blindness at Truman State University successfully completed the laboratory portion of the nonmajors liberal arts chemistry course with the assistance of a senior undergraduate chemistry education major, the guidance of a chemistry professor with blindness, and a variety of alternative laboratory methods. Volumes were measured using a notched syringe or the graduated cylinder pipet technique. Changes in color were measured by a Color Analysis Laboratory Sensor (CALS) and a Submersible Audio Light Sensor (SALS). Balance and Vernier probe measurements were recorded using Vernier data acquisition software (Logger Pro 3.6) and Job Access with Speech (JAWS) screen review software. This paper reports the impact of these alternative methods on the level of participation of the student with blindness for the following experiments: Density Determination, Flame Emissions Tests, Simulation of the Measurement of Hemoglobin in the Blood Using Spectrophotometry, the Investigation of Hydrates, the Study of Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life, and Titrations. The Solutions, the Soap-Making, and Paper Chromatography laboratories are not reported. All the laboratories except the Density laboratory are part of the Chemistry 100 curriculum at Truman State University ("CHEM 100", 2010).
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