[Nfbk] Special session on October 4: math and science access for blind or visually-impaired students

Tue Oct 2 11:11:37 UTC 2018

Just sending this as a final reminder about the session on Thursday...details below.

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From: Noble,Stephen L.
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2018 2:02 PM
To: nfbk at nfbnet.org
Subject: Special session on October 4: math and science access for blind or visually-impaired students

[Apologies if you receive this announcement more than once.]

Anyone is welcome to attend the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) meeting. There is no need to pre-register for the STEM meeting and it is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Park Suite, which is on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville (the APH conference hotel) on Thursday, October 4 at 10:00 AM. Full details are provided below.

Organizer: Steve Noble, steve.noble at louisville.edu, 502-969-3088

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STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Consortium Meeting

October 4, 2018, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Park Suite, Hyatt Regency Hotel, 311 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202

We would like to thank the Pearson Accessibility for School Assessment group for sponsoring the 2018 STEM Consortium: http://accessibility.pearson.com/assessment/index.html

This meeting will feature discussion of issues related to the development and delivery of accessible learning content in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The discussion panel will include some of the leading experts on STEM access from around the country:

- Steve Noble is a Research Consultant, Lecturer at the University of Louisville, and Content Specialist for Mathematics and Science at Bridge Multimedia. He will discuss a newly developed math-oriented Nemeth Code curriculum and online database. This curriculum is the ongoing work of Sara Larkin, Tina Herzberg, and Susan Osterhaus, with support of Pearson Accessibility.

- Jason Merrill is Senior Software Developer for Desmos. He will discuss the recent advances in screen reader and braille accessibility for the Desmos web-based four-function, scientific, and graphing calculators. The latest advances to the Desmos online calculators include UEB and Nemeth math braille input and output via refreshable braille display.

- Matt Kaplowitz is CEO of Bridge Multimedia, a New York City-based social enterprise dedicated to supporting all facets of universal access for educational, entertainment, corporate and governmental applications. He will be joined by Wendy Sapp, Project Director. They will be discussing the accessibility advances of Children’s Television programming, including the new Cyberchase Railway Hero accessible math learning game developed in partnership with PBS Kids and WNET Thirteen.

- Yvette Pearson is Associate Dean for Accreditation, Assessment, & Strategic Initiatives at the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University. She will be joined by Canek Phillips, Postdoctoral Research Associate. They will be discussing the Process Driven Math research project, currently being funded by the National Science Foundation. This is a national research project being led by Auburn University at Montgomery and Rice University, and includes the Kentucky School for the Blind, the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Ohio State School for the Blind. The study is focused on ways to make access to algebra and higher math content more accessible both to students who are blind as well as sighted students with reading-based or math disabilities such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.

- Rosanne Hoffmann, APH, STEM Project Leader, and Ken Perry, Software Engineer, will discuss a number of APH new and developing products, including the Graphiti, a dynamic multilevel tactile touch display which will allow blind students to access to content like pie charts, bar graphs, geometric forms, flow-charts, line drawings, and dynamic graphical content. Other topics will include the “Let’s start coding” kit, the Submersible Audible Light Sensor (SALS) app, and the Adapted Science Materials Kit.

- Allie Futty is Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) and Orientation Mobility Specialist at the Vermont Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI). She will be discussing a new project headed by Benetech to create a set of national standards for printing 3D models for VI students. She will provide progress and future plans for the project and give details about hos others can help.

This meeting will be held in the Park Suite (second floor) on Thursday, October 4, from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville. The meeting is free to attend.

The STEM Consortium session is a Related Meeting to be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees and Special Guests of the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. For further information on the full APH Annual Meeting, see https://www.aph.org/annual-meeting-2018/

Contact: Steve Noble, steve.noble at louisville.edu, 502-969-3088

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