Tools Enabling a Student Who Is Blind in a Liberal Arts Chemistry Laboratory Course

Abstract

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).

Adaptation of Chemistry Experiments for Middle School Blind or Visually Impaired Students

“…The girls’ initial impression was that the laboratory is spacious and free of obstacles, with the workstation located in the center of the room. Blind students have a wide range of spatial awareness, but a well-organized laboratory bench is beneficial to any student since it will help them prevent spills and stay organized …”

“…Blind students have a wide range of spatial awareness, but a well-organized laboratory bench is beneficial to any student since it will help them prevent spills and stay organized. 30 The temperature experiment was used as an introduction. The instructor (first author) described the equipment (keyboard/sensor) and adjusted the speed of speech.…”

Visualization without Vision – How Blind and Visually Impaired Students and Researchers Engage with Molecular Structures

“…There is substantial literature aimed at enabling BVI individuals to participate in other aspects of chemistry not explicitly related to chemical (molecular) structure and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields; curious readers are directed to the following recent references for examples: (a) exploring chemistry topics in the formal classroom (Smith, 1981;Stender et al, 2016;Tombaugh, 1981) and laboratory settings (Andersen, 1982;Bromfield-Lee & Oliver-Hoyo, 2007;Flair & Setzer, 1990;JCE staff, 2000;Neppel, Oliver-Hoyo, Queen, & Reed, 2005;Supalo, Mallouk, Rankel, Amorosi, & Graybill, 2008; J. T. Wood & Eddy, 1996), (b) exploring chemistry topics in informal teaching settings (Kumar et al, 2018), (c) solving puzzles (Cady, 2012) and using interlocking toy building blocks, like Legos, to learn chemistry (Campbell, Miller, Bannon, & Obermaier, 2011;Cloonan, Nichol, & Hutchinson, 2011;Geyer, 2017;Melaku, Schreck, Griffin, & Dabke, 2016;Ruddick & Parrill, 2012;Witzel, 2002), (d) threedimensionally printed puzzle pieces for representing elements, ions, compounds, or chemical equations (Singhal & Balaji, 2019), (e) a musical electrochemical cell (Cady, 2014), (f) development of a BVI-accessible thermometer (Vitoriano et al, 2016), (g) science enrichment activities at National Federation of the Blind Youth Slams and science camps Wedler et al, 2014), (h) approaches aimed at secondary school education (Supalo et al, 2016). For an excellent case study of a student with blindness successfully completing a chemistry laboratory course, see the recent report in this very Journal (Michael & Wohlers, 2019).…”

Pengembangan Kit Praktikum Media Pembelajaran Materi Campuran Dan Larutan Peserta Didik Tunanetra SMPLB

“…Pendidik memiliki tugas mengatur tanggung jawab untuk memastikan bahwa tidak ada peserta didik berkualifikasi penyandang cacat bisa dikecualikan atau dicabut dari manfaat berdasarkan kecacatan mereka (Michael & Wohlers, 2019). Fakta di lapangan bahwa guru tidak melakukan penilaian kinerja secara autentik pada kegiatan praktikum disebabkan karena penilaian yang dilakukan hanya berdasarkan pengamatan sekilas dan keaktifan peserta didik saja, sehingga penilaian yang dilakukan tidak mencakup keseluruhan kompetensi mata pelajaran kimia yang diharapkan (Kusumaningtyas, 2018).…”

“…Peserta didik tunanetra atau gangguan penglihatan harus belajar dengan alat indera lain; merasakan, menyentuh, mencium, dan mendengarkan (Fansury et al, 2019). Sebagian besar peserta didik yang tunanetra dan lowvision (BLV) tidak berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan laboratorium atau mereka sangat terbatas sebelum dimasukkan hukum berlaku efektif (Michael & Wohlers, 2019). Pada anak tunanetra orientasi dan mobilitas memberi kemampuan kepada anak dalam hal mengenali posisi dan melakukan pergerakan berpindah tempat.…”