[nfbcs] Tactile Graphing and Math RE: Math software

Sun Apr 7 21:00:57 UTC 2013

Please excuse me if this is deviating from Computer Science.

You wrote: "I hope they can read Braille, there's no way they'll survive
algebra geometry or calculus or statistics without it."

Even though I am a die-hard Nemeth user, that is not necessarily true. I do
not know all of the details, but people have found other ways.

You wrote: "Graphing is best not done in braille but rather on modeling clay
the same way the Babylonians id it since the lines and other features are
tactile and it's real low tech with real low cost."

I have never done it that way. That might work in the beginning, but there
comes a point where it kind of needs to be done using tactile graphics,
especially if it is going to be done in college.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jude DaShiell
Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 5:48 AM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Math software

A first pass at your questions.  The students need to get the isbn of those
math books they can't take home.  Then a search on bookshare.org can be done
as well as learning ally for that isbn.  It could be one or another provider
already has the book or books in question available.  
Aside from the math textbooks, the students need to get their hands on the
Nemeth Code Books in braille.  I hope they can read Braille, there's no way
they'll survive algebra geometry or calculus or statistics without it.
They're going to need to learn the extra math braille and forms for writing
their work so they can read it.  Some of the rest of what would be needed is
good accessible Computer Assisted Instruction software.  On Linux, there is
a debian.edu distribution in which additional software to help students
learn math is installed by default. 
 I don't know how accessible any of that is.  Graphing is best not done in
braille but rather on modeling clay the same way the Babylonians id it since
the lines and other features are tactile and it's real low tech with real
low cost.  Part of how my math education was deficient in High School was a
misplaced concentration on learning Spanish by my itinerant vision
consultant and the fact I didn't get my hands on the Nemeth Code books until
well into College way after they were needed.

On Sun, 7 Apr 2013, Mike Jolls wrote:

> I was at our NFB chapter meeting the other night and some of the kids 
> I was chatting with were saying how difficult it is to do math.
> 
> I could relate since I remember sitting in class when I had zero 
> technology and couldn't read the board ... you sort of just zone out.
> 
> They told me that some of the schools (high school I believe) don't 
> let you take the book home.  And since they can't see what's going on 
> in the class
> 
> and can't take the book home, they struggle terribly.  Also, some were 
> saying even if they could take the book, they couldn't read it, and 
> some
> 
> said their parents didn't know enough math to help them.  Bottom line, 
> math was a huge struggle for these kids.
> 
>  
> 
> I haven't done any searching, but I was wondering if there are 
> software solutions out there that could allow some of the following:
> 
>  
> 
> 1. The textbook is in accessible format so that a student can access 
> it at home or at school with Jaws/Braille.
> 
> 2. Allows the teacher to compose lessons - when the student can't read 
> the book and doesn't have access to an electronic version of the book.
> 
> 3. Allows teacher (as part of composition) to enter the problems to be 
> solved in a "problem set".
> 
> 4. Teacher should be able to save to disk, web, etc
> 
> 4. Allows students to access the lessons from disk/web and problems 
> composed by the teacher.
> 
> 5. If student can't solve the problem presented, have an automated 
> "solution solver" that will take student step by step through the
solution.
> 
> Student should be able to see a line by line solution so they can see 
> the steps necessary to solve the problem.
> 
> 6. Allow student to work the problems and have computer check the 
> solution and tell student when right or wrong.
> 
> 7. If homework, allow student to compose solution and save to disk or 
> upload to web.
> 
> 8. Allow teacher to access students work for grading.
> 
>  
> 
> Does anybody know if something like this is available?  Granted, this 
> would NOT be trivial software to write, but having something like this 
> would allow the students to deal with complex math such as elementary 
> algebra, intermediate algebra, trig, etc, and get it in a format they can
deal with.
> I think I would have found this useful back in the stone age when I 
> was in high school.
> 
>  
> 
> Anybody know of anything?  Or, would you reply.... "you're a software 
> guy, write it!".
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks
> 
>  
> 
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> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
jude <jdashiel at shellworld.net>
Microsoft, windows is accessible. why do blind people need screen readers?

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