Adapting Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory Instruction for a Legally Blind Student

Abstract

In this article, the strategies and techniques used to successfully teach advanced inorganic chemistry, in the lecture and laboratory, to a legally blind student are described. At Fairfield University, these separate courses, which have a physical chemistry corequisite or a prerequisite, are taught for junior and senior chemistry and biochemistry majors. A student earns a separate grade in each the lecture (three credits) and the laboratory course (two credits). An overview of the course topics is given, followed by general accommodations and specific approaches that were used. Student assistants were very helpful and provided extra support for the blind student. Student assistants were utilized for the laboratory course, problem sets, and exams. Specific examples and detailed explanations of approaches that were helpful to the legally blind student throughout the entire course are provided. The legally blind student benefited from extensive, verbal description of complexes, figures, and diagrams. In addition, the student benefited from tactile description of figures and models. The student assistants and extra office hours were essential for the blind student to succeed and excel in advanced inorganic chemistry. The approaches discussed in this paper are the product of immediate and continual feedback from the student over the course of the semester. The student would frequently comment after class that he followed the lesson or was confused, and the latter comment elicited experimentation with different approaches.

A review of transition metal‐based bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts

“…Overall speaking, through doping with foreign atoms and morphological variations (e.g., nanowire, ordered, and disordered core-shell structures), WO x are not only promising oxygen electrocatalysts but are also good support materials for other catalysts. [292] 4.3.3 | CeO x support CeO 2 or ceria, a rare-earth metal oxide with a fluorite cubic structure that is widely regarded as a type of "oxygen-tank," can undergo surface hydration and carbonation and can be easily reduced. CeO 2 has been intensively studied as a promoter for many catalyst systems due to the existence of Ce 4+ /Ce 3+ redox couples.…”

Design and Construction of a Low-Cost Arduino-Based pH Sensor for the Visually Impaired Using Universal pH Paper

“…Experimental exercises combined with the use of aiding equipment can be excellent tools during chemistry classes to facilitate the teaching−learning process. 1 Such an approach in turn facilitates student engagement and delivers meaningful knowledge in a natural manner.…”

“…It is in just such cases that every attempt should be made to translate observations into a language understandable to the visually impaired and to provide these students with a chemistry class experience that is comparable to that of their normal-sighted peers. 1,2 According to American Community Survey (ACS) 2017 data, in the United States, an estimate of around 58 thousand persons, aged 15−20, with a high school diploma or equivalent, reported a visual impairment. 3 The overall proportion of students with visual impairment willing to pursue a scientific career is significantly greater today than it was in the past, 4 and one consequence of this increasing number of university-ready secondary graduates is the now-standard use of assistive technologies in teaching.…”

QR Code Labels and Audio Commentaries for Commonly Used Chemistry Laboratory Apparatus: An Assisted Learning Experience for Visually Impaired Students

“…High school and undergraduate students with blindness or low vision are striving for knowledge. Various research reports present an assortment of chemistry learning modules for visually impaired students. − Yet, development of learning modules for visually impaired students continues to challenge high school and undergraduate chemistry teachers. , …”