[Blindmath] Creating graph and charts

Wed Feb 29 17:51:35 UTC 2012

Dick,

I think you and Amanda have been using a Sewell Raised Line Drawing Board -
at least I showed her one a very long time ago. This has to be purchased
from a commercial vendor. We didn't use the flimsy plastic that comes with
it. We used braille paper or card stock - just needs to be sturdy enough to
not tear. The graphic is raised on the reverse side. Amanda could label it
using a slate and stylus or place it in a braillewriter. In fact, my
students use this technique to create Venn diagrams. They use a Howe Press
Compass on this Sewell Raised Line Drawing Board to draw the overlapping
circles, and then label it in a braillewriter. This is one of the lost
videos that I will be trying to find on Thursday. Amanda knows how to do
that as well. The problem with using this technique on raised line graph
paper is that your graph and points will be raised on the reverse side. Now
Amanda's tactile discrimination skills are probably so good that she can as
easily read an indented set of points and line, but this is not true for all
blind students.

The APH Draftsman is another drawing board that uses special plastic sheets
or film (much better than the ones supplied with the Sewell Board), and when
you draw on it with a ball point pen (or the stylus that comes with it) the
drawing is raised on the surface you are drawing - no reversal necessary. I
really like the Draftsman for a lot of student drawing, but I don't
recommend it for drawing circles with a Howe Press compass. I'm afraid the
compass would tear the rubber backing on the Draftsman, and one of my
students said that she had done exactly that back home. Plus, any time you
use the Howe Press compass (with small tracing wheel instead of a pencil) or
any serrated tracing wheel, you lose the upward raising advantage. I'll let
the scientists explain why that happens. It is very difficult to place
labels on the APH plastic film as well.

What's wonderful about all this is that we actually have all kinds of
choices these days. In the old days we often didn't have any tool or only
one. In addition, one thing that I have definitely learned is that everyone
is unique. What one of my students may love, another will hate. So nothing
is going to be perfect for ALL.

Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Richard Baldwin
Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 10:49 AM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Creating graph and charts

Recently Amanda and I have been using a special backing board made of a
rubberized material along with ordinary printer paper and a ball point pen
to create "quick and dirty" tactile graphics. It does an amazingly good job
and is easy to use. Amanda can identify the brand of the device if you are
interested.

I would think that provided a sheet of embossed graph paper, a blind student
using this device, a straight edge, and a ball point pen could create graphs
and charts that would be just as good as and possibly better than those
created using push pens and rubber bands. And the good part is that the
student could turn her homework in just like all of the other students and
keep the resulting chart or graph forever instead of having to tear it down
in order to create the next one.

Regarding labels, although I know absolutely nothing about Braille, since it
uses ordinary paper, or heavy braille paper, I would think that the student
would be able to label it in Braille using a stylus and anvil.

Dick Baldwin

On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 10:09 AM, Opra, Lauren <opral at aaps.k12.mi.us> wrote:

> Maureen,
>
> Generally we just have her give the labels verbally. The other option 
> we use is to label with letter stickers (the first letter of the label).
>
> Lauren
>
> On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 10:15 AM, Lewicki, Maureen
> <mlewicki at bcsd.neric.org>wrote:
>
> > Oh, my goodness. I read all the way to the end wondering how she was
> going
> > to travel back and forth on the bus with the graphic aide, then I 
> > read
> that
> > you take a photo....that is ingenious!
> >
> > How does the student label the charts?
> >
> > Has anyone tried this?
> > The Accessible Graphing Calculator (AGC) From ViewPlus Software? Too 
> > much too soon for an advanced math student in middle school?
> >
> > Maureen Murphy Lewicki
> > Maureen Murphy Lewicki
> > Teacher of Visually Impaired
> > Bethlehem Central Schools
> > (518)439-7681
> > "When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is 
> > wrought
> in
> > our life, or in the life of another." Helen Keller
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> > [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> > On Behalf Of Opra, Lauren
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 10:07 AM
> > To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> > Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Creating graph and charts
> >
> > Yes! The student I work with (an 8th grader) uses the Graphic Aid 
> > for Mathematics from APH (1-00-460-01). We use a combination of 
> > differently shaped push pins (to represent different data) and 
> > rubber bands of different lenghts.  When necessary we also use 
> > rubber bands to create the X/Y axis. She keeps one at school and one 
> > at home. For homework, her parents take a picture of her graphs and 
> > she attaches them to her
> homework.
> > Let me know if you have any more questions.
> >
> > Lauren
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 10:00 AM, Lewicki, Maureen
> > <mlewicki at bcsd.neric.org>wrote:
> >
> > > I have a middle school student who is learning graphs and charts. 
> > > Here is  what she uses to create the graphs:
> > >
> > > Raised line graph paper, draftsman tape, number stickers from APH.
> > >
> > > It is tedious and seems archaic. Is there a better way?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Sent from my iPad
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> > > 2.mi.us
> > >
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--
Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials http://www.DickBaldwin.com

Professor of Computer Information Technology Austin Community College
(512) 223-4758
mailto:Baldwin at DickBaldwin.com
http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/
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