[Blindmath] Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator TI84 Plus

[Bente Casile]

Oh Rosanne,
 
Where to begin.  Yes, as a math instructor who is now in community college
and taught in K-12 you have hit on one of the biggest struggles for our
blind students.  The current accessible graphing calculator (please don't
take offense View Plus) just doesn't cut it.  Here are the topics that
students need to be able to do that are currently either not able to be done
or extremely difficult:
*Graph systems of equations by entering the equations
*Do regressions based on data (linear, exponential, especially quadratics,
power functions) 
*finding intersection points of two lines or functions
*finding maxima and minima for higher order functions
The TI84 plus is a GREAT calculator and if there was an accessible version
of that it would take our blind students from Algebra through Calculus.  The
only calculators out there that graph are the View Plus Audio Graphing
Calculator approx $250( I believe you can download a trial version and test
for yourself it's functionality) and a free graphing calculator developed by
NASA called MathTrax.

Bente J. Casile
Math Learning Specialist
Disability Support Services
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh NC
bjcasile at waketech.edu
bente at casilenc.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Rosanne Hoffmann
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 10:13 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindmath] Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator TI84 Plus

Hello All,
Please comment on the Texas Instruments graphing calculator, model TI84
Plus. Is it the primary scientific graphing calculator in US school
districts for sighted students? Is there a demand or need for this
calculator to be accessible to students who are visually impaired/blind? Are
there math textbooks that contain problems to be solved with the TI84 Plus?
Are there calculators made by other companies that compete with Texas
Instruments? Thanks for any information.

Rosanne Hoffmann, Ph.D.
STEM Project Leader
Educational Research
American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort ave.
Louisville, KY 40206
502-899-2292
rhoffmann at aph.org



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