[NABS-L] Biology Class Accommodations

[Anna Givens]

Realize it’s going to take lots and lots and lots of time for accommodations, especially in physical sciences. 
But a short list is:
- a lab assistant (works kind of like a reader, except instead of telling you what a text says, they tell you revelant information that you need to know for your lab, eg. What color something is, how something is moving or changing, describing micro slides, behaviors of animals in lab, describing images, etc, and they would also do things you don’t have access to which may be things like pouring, measuring, focusing the microscope, inserting pins in a dissection, etc).  Note it takes luck and some very good training to have a good assistant.

- pre-access to the lab so you can check it out before you have to go and use things in it.

- if they do mini-lectures in the lab, for example they may talk about different equipment  and procedures such as “this is what we are doing today... so we will use the microscope in this way (and they are demonstrating as they talk through it, preferably  have previewed these thing, or else at least have it  (in this case the microscope) in front of you so you can follow along with the description of visuals.

- using trays is helpful.

- puff paint or some kind of permanent tactile markers for  measuring devices, etc, 

- lots and lots of tactile and 3D images. Note that your DRS office will likely not know how to make good images so you’ll need a consultant and/or to practice and practice with them ahead of time.

- there are lots of audible devices, such as for pouring, measurements, droppers, and much more.

- organic and molecular model kits may be useful depending on what biology you’re taking

- Independence Science is a fabulous resource and also the Talking LabQuest which you can get all different attachments for. 

These are just some of the things I used while I was in college as a Biology major.

There are plenty of other things but it’s really about being creative and spending tons and tons of time prepping for activities, a good lecturer and lab teacher, and mostly about trying things out and seeing what does and does not  work for each individual and getting creative from there.

Anna

> On Jan 15, 2020, at 11:57 PM, André Hill via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> What are some reasonable accommodations that can be implemented in a
> college biology class (note: in this class that utilize microscopes) for a
> student who is blind or visually impaired?
> 
> I took Astronomy and Geology to satisfy my science requirements.
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