[NFB-Science] Food For Thought

[Donald Winiecki]

This is what TSVBI does with students starting in Primary grades! They are
absolutely fabulous there.

Natalie and I share post-grad degrees in Instructional Technology (though
earned about 25 years and about a thousand miles apart). Everything she is
indicating is entirely consistent with both academic research and
reflective practice on what makes for effective instruction and learning,
regardless of disability status. We have known these things are relevant
and even foundational to effective instruction and learning for a long,
long time.

Knowing this helps us understand that the problem is not with how we
understand instruction and learning. The problem is systemic in society and
in teacher education systems that ignore disability and marginalize or even
omit disabled students, in States and school districts that have little or
no knowledge of the needs or budget for these things, and for the way
school districts fail to meet these expectations, and almost literally
train parents and students to expect less.

Every successful student has had a stable and strong set of allies who have
consistently and continually worked to support them and worked for equity,
and every successful student knows this need never decreases.

Best,

_don [image: ]

DON WINIECKI he, him, his <https://www.mypronouns.org/>

Handid Media Systems • a 501(c)(3) non-profit producer & promoter of braille
and tactile media for accessible documents, literature, maths, and music

Email: dwiniecki at handid.org

Web: http://handid.org

Tel: +1 208 571 8096

Help us fulfill our mission! Donate tax-deductible funds to Handid at:
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[image: The logo is a gray circle with text inside it. The first line of
text reads "Be the change" The second line of text reads "Human Rights
CERTIFIED." Below the second line of text is the logo for the Wassmuth
Center for Human Rights.]


On Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 10:05 AM Louis Maher via NFB-Science <
nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Folks,
>
> Natalie Shaheen has written a paper:
> "Dismantling the Compulsory Sightedness of STEM Education and Empowering
> Blind Learners: by Natalie Shaheen "https://nlshaheen.com/dare/".
>
> Natalie writes that she has identified 5 principles for empowering blind
> learners in STEM.  The principals are:
>
>
>   1.  Embrace Nonvisual Ways of Knowing.
>   2.  Create an Environment that Empowers Blind People to Participate
> Fully in All of the Learning.
>   3.  Provide Opportunities for Blind People to Learn Nonvisual STEM
> Process Skills.
>   4.  Use Equipment that is Non visually Accessible.
>   5.  All Instructional Materials are Available in Non-visually Accessible
> formats at the Same Time and in the Same Place as Visual Formats.
>
> The Science and Engineering division would appreciate hearing your
> thoughts and experiences on this topic.
>
>
>
> Regards
> Louis Maher
> Phone: 713-444-7838
> E-mail: ljmaher03 at outlook.com
>
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