[Blindmath] suggestions for accessible 3d graphing paper giids
Lewicki, Maureen
mlewicki at bcsd.neric.org
Sat Nov 23 14:08:13 UTC 2013
As a TVI, I would love to know how to teach 2 d pictures of 3 d objects!! I attended a conference recently and there was a small company exhibiting something they are designing with plastic paper which is already available from APH. What they had done is design a slightly better holder than the one aph uses called the draftsman. They also were designing a curriculum which taught blind people to draw, eventually in perspective. The blind people attending were excited, understandably. The designers showed me pictures of buildings that a blind person had drawn and they were impressive. What they failed to tell the people blind people (who were at the table with me,anyway) was that the person they referred to has tunnel vision. Not to minimize this persons loss,but tunnel vision is NOT total blindness from birth.
I am guessing that this is like asking me to imitate the sounds of a local language spoken in Papua New Guinea when I have never even heard the language!!
Maureen Lewicki
Teacher of the Visually Impaired
Bethlehem Central Schools
700 Delaware Avenue
Delmar, NY 12054
http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/
On Nov 22, 2013, at 10:39 PM, "Andy B." <sonfire11 at gmail.com<mailto:sonfire11 at gmail.com>> wrote:
My wife knows the basics, but that is all. I could see before, so have an
advantage. I used to be an artist (drawings) when I could see. The way to
get a 3d object to appear to be contained on a 2d object such as a page of
paper includes perspectives, but it also includes shadowing.
Shadowing/shading a 1d or 2d circle in specific locations to give it the
appearance of a 3d ball. It is a matter of interpreting the light source and
what direction it is coming from.
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda
Lacy
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 7:42 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] suggestions for accessible 3d graphing paper giids
I didn't even know the word "perspective" until I was in college. Early in
high school I remember being told that the reason I couldn't understand
those 3D pictures was because I wasn't trying hard enough. So I tried to
imagine how I could take a 3D object and make it into what was on the paper
- by flattening it, of course. If I flattened a sphere, fore example, I
would get a circle, which is pretty much what they would show when they
meant sphere, but if I flattened a box I would never, ever get that strange
thing that was on the page. Maybe I was supposed to unfold it like a
cardboard box? I really tried to solve this puzzle but couldn't. A sighted
tutor at the Texas School for the Blind recently told me that he could teach
people who were blind from birth to interpret these representations, but I
have never once heard of someone like myself being able to comprehend them.
I've heard of at least one person memorizing the basic shapes, but no real
understanding had taken place. Has anyone who has never seen been able to
touch a raised 3D picture and truly know what it's supposed to represent?
----- Original Message -----
From: "John G. Heim" <jheim at math.wisc.edu<mailto:jheim at math.wisc.edu>>
To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics"
<blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>>
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] suggestions for accessible 3d graphing paper giids
People don't realize that drawing in perspective is an invention.
Before some time around 1300, when creating paintings, artists didn't
regularly even do things like make objects smaller to make them look
like they were further away. These days, sighted people take this
concept of perspective for granted but for most of human history, it
didn't even exist.
I work on the 5th floor in the math building on the campus of the
University of Wisconsin. On the wall by the elevator, there is a
raised number 5. Under that is the number 5 in braille. That raised
number would mean nothing to someone who has never seen the number 5
in print. I am presuming it's there for people who lost their sight.
But the braille 5 and the printed 5 are equally valid representations of
the concept of 5.
Certainly the printed symbol 5 would be recognized by more people even
so, they are equally valid representations of the concept of the number 5.
A graph is just like that. A graph is not the actual data, it's a
symbolic representation of the data. Any decent instructor would know
that. Yet, all too often on this list, we hear of instructors saying
that math is too visual by nature for a blind student to grasp. It's
ridiculous.
There is absolutely nothing in mathematics that is innately visual.
In fact, the less you rely on the symbolic representations of the
concepts, the better off you are. It's impossible to communicate
mathematical concepts without symbols -- words, print, or braill --
these are all symbols. But when you are working on the concepts in
your own mind, the symbols can only get in the way. If adequate tools
existed for 3D graphics, a blind student might very well be better at
it than a sighted student who might be locked into this inadequate
perspective drawing concept.
On 11/22/13 11:46, sabra1023 wrote:
I think if you're going to graphic having the Z axis in the air would
be the best option. I've been blind from birth, and while I
understand that sighted people delude themselves into thinking a one
dimensional picture is a three-dimensional object, I do not
understand most of the time how they come to their conclusions about
this. They continually treat their pictures as if they're actually
objects, which annoys me to no end.
Through school, I was just given tactile pictures and taught the way
cited people learn. As a result, I thought there was something wrong
with my brain and that I could never succeed in math because I
couldn't understand their pictures, methods for representing things, and
examples.
I have come to learn that my brain processes information differently
then cited people, but I am still debating with myself as to whether
this means it isn't working or not. The point is that now, I can do
well in math without their difficult and unnatural ways of doing th
in
gs holding me back. When sighted people look at three-dimensional
representations, there really looking at optical illusions. My brain
doesn't process these illusions. I think it means I'll be better
equipped to do math beyond the third dimension, but it also means I
can't tolerate an accurate representation of the third dimension and
beyond. The z-axis may appear to be floating above the quadrant, but
it actually isn't because The quadrant is now three-dimensional.
That's why I think it's even bad for sighted people to represent three
dimensions as pictures.
On Nov 22, 2013, at 4:58 AM, "Mary Woodyard"
<marywoodyard at comcast.net<mailto:marywoodyard at comcast.net>>
wrote:
My son will be starting a 3d graphing unit that is fairly short (2
weeks) in
about a week. He spent some time searching online with his Math
tutor for 3d Graphing paper and this is the graph paper that they
found that worked the best for his vision from what they were able
to find in free 3d graph paper options. Does anyone know of a more
accessible free (or low cost) option?
Thanks,
Mary Woodyard
Parent, 17 year old visually impaired student
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
blindmath-request at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath-request at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2013 7:00 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Blindmath Digest, Vol 88, Issue 12
Send Blindmath mailing list submissions to
blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
blindmath-request at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath-request at nfbnet.org>
You can reach the person managing the list at
blindmath-owner at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath-owner at nfbnet.org>
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
"Re: Contents of Blindmath digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Re: Latex training (John Gardner)
2. A project to advance MathML support in browsers (Andrew Stacey)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:21:50 -0800
From: "John Gardner" <gardnerj at onid.orst.edu<mailto:gardnerj at onid.orst.edu>>
To: "'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'"
<blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Latex training
Message-ID: <00cd01cee671$334eac90$99ec05b0$@orst.edu<mailto:00cd01cee671$334eac90$99ec05b0$@orst.edu>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Another suggestion. There's lots of Latex materials on
www.access2science.com<http://www.access2science.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Godfrey,
Jonathan
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 1:42 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Latex training
Hi Paul,
I haven't got access to the net with sufficient time to find the exact
link
for you but look for the Summery University held in conjunction with the
ICCHP. Sessions were recorded from 2010 onwards. I'm not sure if the
2013
ones are uploaded yet but the files mentioned should all be there for
reference purposes.
J
-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Paul
Chapin
Sent: Thursday, 21 November 2013 8:51 a.m.
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: [Blindmath] Latex training
Hi,
I'm looking for suggestions for material, courses, tutorials or anything
else that can be used to teach a student the basics of Latex.
Paul Chapin
Academic Technology Specialist
Amherst College
X2144
Amherst College IT staff will never ask for your password, including by
email. Any email asking for any password or username is almost certainly
bogus. Never click on a link in an email to a site that requires a login
as
the link may be bogus. Type in the address yourself. Please keep your
passwords private to protect yourself and the security of our network.
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/a.j.godfrey%40massey.
ac.nz<http://ac.nz>
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/john.gardner%40orst.e
du
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 09:00:00 +0100
From: Andrew Stacey <andrew.stacey at math.ntnu.no<mailto:andrew.stacey at math.ntnu.no>>
To: Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>>
Subject: [Blindmath] A project to advance MathML support in browsers
Message-ID: <20131121080000.GA590 at dhcp-020041.wlan.ntnu.no<mailto:20131121080000.GA590 at dhcp-020041.wlan.ntnu.no>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Dear all,
I'd like to bring to everyone's attention a project to advance browser
and
e-reader support for MathML. The project description itself is very
detailed, and explicitly mentions the issue of accessibility in the
motivation section.
The person behind this project is Fr?d?ric Wang. He is one of the
people
who has worked hard on MathML support in browser technology over the
last
few years, so is best placed to know what the issues are and what the
next
stage in development should be. So if anyone is going to improved
matters,
he's the best choice.
He's looking for funding so that he can spend some time concentrating on
MathML development and the website is on a crowd-funding site where
people
can contribute. The actual amount that he is trying to raise is not
actually all that much, particularly given the wide-ranging benefits
that
could follow from this.
I hope that all of you will consider supporting this project, and that
some
of you will actually do so.
The website is: http://www.ulule.com/mathematics-ebooks/
Andrew Stacey
------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
------------------------------
End of Blindmath Digest, Vol 88, Issue 12
*****************************************
<3D Gra3.gif>
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/sabra1023%40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/jheim%40math.wisc.edu
--
---
John G. Heim, 608-263-4189, jheim at math.wisc.edu<mailto:jheim at math.wisc.edu>
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/lacy925%40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/sonfire11%40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
Blindmath mailing list
Blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:Blindmath at nfbnet.org>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindmath_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Blindmath:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindmath_nfbnet.org/mlewicki%40bcsd.neric.org
More information about the BlindMath
mailing list