[Nfb-science] AP. Physics Logistics Questions

[Michael Whapples]

Hello,
Firstly I will say a little about myself so you know where my answer is 
coming from. I am based in the UK so don't know much about the structure 
of the courses you are doing or exactly what adjustments you should be 
entitled to under US laws. I have studied at university physics to 
degree level (BSC physics with theoretical physics).

Now to your questions, I will first deal with the stuff about graphs and 
such like in exams.

I had a few ways of dealing with graphs for answers, partly depending on 
the situation and partly depending on the complexity of the graphs. I 
got agreement that if a graph was to be drawn then I could provide a 
description of the graph (either to replace the graph or to help explain 
my graph). If I was going to draw a graph I would have german film 
(http://onlineshop.rnib.org.uk/display_item.asp?n=11&c=87&sc=342&id=1323&it=1&l=3&d=0 
<http://onlineshop.rnib.org.uk/display_item.asp?n=11&c=87&sc=342&id=1323&it=1&l=3&d=0>). 
I would then get a scribe to copy my graph, pointing out any specific 
points which should be at certain values (eg. where does the graph cross 
the X-axis, what are the coordinates of the maxima, etc). We would also 
submit my original so that if there was any question regarding the 
scribe's copy then my original could be referred to. One thing to 
remember is that graphs drawn by hand tend to be sketches (well 
certainly at degree level, result sets can get too big to handle by 
hand) so the important thing with a sketch is to ensure important points 
(eg. where it crosses an axis, points where the curve changes direction, 
etc) are at the correct coordinates (or at least you show you know what 
the coordinates should actually be) and the approximate shape of the 
graph between the important points.

As for the other part of your question regarding virtual labs, 
unfortunately for you (luckily for me) I never faced this. It doesn't 
sound very satisfactory and here in the UK I believe some adjustment 
would need to be made. What adjustment it would need to be I am not 
quite sure and could depend on your type of working and the exact 
situation and size of adjustment (here in the UK its all based on 
"reasonable adjustment"). I probably would find having someone 
knowledgeable in the content being covered working through the labs with 
me enough, but it may require extra lab time. Also having graph material 
such as the german film would be useful for the sighted person to sketch 
diagrams of what is on the screen. Also ideally it should be the same 
person so that you can develop a particular way of working.

Alternatively you may need to learn the lab stuff in a different way, 
but this may be more difficult to work out as there is the question of 
making sure you actually gain what is intended to be gained by doing the 
labs. This might be reading descriptions of the experiment and have 
tactile diagrams, but as I don't know the actually intended learning 
outcomes I can't really make suggestions.

I will give an example of when I did actual lab experiments and some of 
the adjustments. For the first year of my physics degree I had to do 
some lab work. For this I had an assistant to help use the equipment and 
read the output/measurements. I had the chance before to explore the 
equipment being used so I could gain an idea of the set up. I was meant 
to instruct my assistant in what to do with the equipment and what to 
read out. None of this impacted on the learning as it was not to test 
whether I could physically perform the experiment, but more to show 
whether I understood what was happening, where errors may occur and how 
this can impact on analysising the results. If I had just been handed 
the data this probably would alter what I learnt as I wouldn't have the 
chance to find out how the readout on equipment has its inaccuracies.

Michael Whapples
On 08/10/09 01:09, Chelsea Cook wrote:
> Hello,
>
>  I am a senior in high school enrolled in advanced placement 
> (college-level) courses in Physics and Calculus.  The course content 
> is not a problem for me, however, I am having issues with my physics 
> class doing "virtual labs," essentially graphics-based simulations 
> that are not accessible with JAWS.  A major portion of the grade calls 
> for these.  Currently, I am having a sighted person sit with me 
> through the lab, but I find that method to be inefficient for me to 
> complete the various labs in a timely fashion.  I can't seem to 
> complete the labs at home because I have no one willing to sit and 
> describe the interface to me.  Another main issue with this course is 
> that it is a distance-learning course: My school system is reluctant 
> (at best) to provide transportation to and from the other high school, 
> so I can't network with my peers as much as I would like to.  Any 
> thoughts?
>  Also, concerning the AP.  exam in May: Has anyone ever taken an AP.  
> test in a science or math course before on this list? My teachers 
> (vision and academic) and I are concerned about the free response 
> questions, where graphs or drawings are often always required to 
> complete the question.  We are not sure how the College Board will 
> accept my answers, given that it is a standardized test.  I am a heavy 
> Braille and JAWS user.  On the matter of scribes used for copying 
> answers, I am concerned about the margin of error present.
> Any help would be appreciated,
> Chelsea Cook
> "I ask you to look both ways.  For the road to a knowledge of the 
> stars leads through the atom; and important knowledge of the atom has 
> been reached through the stars."
> Sir Arthur Eddington, British astrophysicist (1882-1944), Stars and 
> Atoms (1928), Lecture 1
>
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