Texas Focus 2008

Providing Access to a World of Learning:

Access to the General Education Curriculum For Students Who Are Visually Impaired

June 16-18, 2008

Austin, Texas

Wednesday Session: Making Math Accessible – Tools and Techniques for Students with Visual Impairments

Time: 1:00-3:30 PM

Speakers: Margaret Robinson

and Susan Osterhaus

Making Math Accessible for Students With a Visual Impairment

Presented bySusan A. Osterhaus

Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Outreach Department

1100 West 45th Street

Austin, TX 78756

and Margaret C. Robinson

Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Special Programs Department

1100 West 45th Street

Austin, TX 78756

Agenda

NCTM Content Standards

•Number and Operations

•Algebra

•Geometry

•Measurement

•Data Analysis and Probability

NCTM Standards

•Apply across all grades, Pre-K through Grade 12

•Emphasis varies within and between grades

•Are richly interwoven

NCTM Emphasis Across the Grades

Pre-K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12

Number

Algebra

Geometry

Measurement

Data Analysis &

Probability

G … a … p … s

•Determine an approach to a word problem, or evaluate whether an answer is reasonable

•Calculate mentally or with pencil or braillewriter

•Use tools such as a ruler, calendar, or clock, or count money

•Read or create graphs in math

What’s So Hard About Math?

•Visual Impairment “causes” math deficiency?

•“Math is very visual?”

•Instructional methods are appropriate for sighted students

What Can We Do About It?

Early Childhood

Basic Concepts

Concepts of Comparison

•Big - Little

•More - Less

•Full - Empty

•Heavy – Light

•Same – Different

Teaching Basic Concepts

First Principle:Use Hands-On Experience with Concrete Objects to Build Strong Basic Concepts

Teaching Basic Concepts

•Books available commercially

•Adapted books

•Teacher-made books

Teaching Basic Concepts

Oakmont Visual Aids Workshop

Oakmont Village Association

6637 Oakmont Drive, Suite B

Santa Rosa, California 95409

Counting Objects

•Real-world opportunities

Counting Objects

•Work-Play Tray from APH with various collections of objects

Counting Objects

•Large Print or Tactual books—commercial or home-made

Toys Count

Independent Living Aids

•Braille Math Blocks

Toys Count

Independent Living Aids

•Braille Math Blocks

•Talking Ship Ahoy Sorter

Toys Count

Independent Living Aids

•Braille Math Blocks

•Talking Ship Ahoy Sorter

•Brailled Count and Learn The Shapes

Toys Count

Independent Living Aids

•Braille Math Blocks

•Talking Ship Ahoy Sorter

•Brailled Count and Learn The Shapes

•Talking Shapes Peg Puzzle

Other Early-Learner Ideas

•Numbers in the real world

√Age and birthday

√Phone numbers

√Addresses

√Prices

√Weigh produce

√Elevator buttons

Elementary School

•Nemeth from the Beginning

Basic Math Tools: Braille Reader

•Braillewriter

•Braille Paper

•Braille Eraser

•Abacus

Large Print Reader

•Black Line Paper

•Proper Writing Implement

√Sharpie

√20/20

√Staedtler Mars Technico Mechanical Pencil

•Reading stand

•Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV

Number System Concepts

•Base-10 Sets

•Base-10 Sets

•Digi-Blocks

•Braille & LP “Numbers to 100” Charts

Hands-On Computation Tools

Math Window in Braille and Large Print

  • TACK-TILES Braille Systems -

APH Tools for Math Facts

•Math Drill Cards

•Quick Pick: Math

•Multiplication and Division Table

•Math Flash - Fun self-voiced software program

Tools to Help Increase Basic Math Skills

•Twist & Shout Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, & Division

•Tactual Dice Independent Living Aids $2.95

Core Curriculum

Mathematics Their Way

By Mary Baratta-Lorton

Center for Innovation in Education, Inc.

Upper Elementary: Fractions

•Fraction Pies

•Fraction Tiles

Upper Elementary: Graphing

•APH: Braille and LP Graph Paper

•Graphic Aid for Mathematics

Upper Elementary: Geometry

•Geometry Tactile Graphics Kit

•3-D Shapes—many choices available

Linear Measurement

•APH Rulers and Meterstick

•APH Toss-Away Rulers

Measuring Time with APH Products

•Analog Clock Model -

•Clock Face Sheets in Braille -

Other Ways to Tell Time

Exceptional Teaching Inc. -

•Talking Clever Clock

•The Time Teacher

Braille Calendar

American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults

1800 Johnson Street, Suite 100

Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9315

E-mail Us

Identifying Money

•Coins: Tactual distinctions

•Bills: Folding System

•Coin Abacus

Measurement of Volume

•Measuring Cups & Spoons

Measurement of Weight

Scale

  • Balance

Assessment

•OR Project

√Full-Spectrum assessment from birth through Preschool years

√No “Math” section, but “concepts” are dealt with well

•Key Math

√Skills from Grades K – 8

√Braille test booklets available from APH

Secondary School: Adaptive Tools and Technology

Teaching Students How to Read Tactile Math Graphs

•Begin at an early age

•Start with real objects

•Move to 3-D models

•Then to 2-D manipulatives

•Finally try tactile graphics on various surfaces

√Hard plastic

√Thermoformed Brailon of foil or collage

√Quick Draw or Capsule/Swell/Flexi-Paper

√Braille Paper

•Use APH Tangible Graphs to evaluate and/or re-teach if necessary

Basic Math Tools Braille Reader

•Braillewriter

•Braille Paper

•Braille Eraser

•Abacus

Basic Math Tools Large Print Reader

•Black Line Paper

•Proper Writing Implement

•Reading Stand

Hands-On Tools

•HANDS-ON EQUATIONSLearning Systems

Math Window in Braille and Large Print

  • TACK-TILES Braille Systems

Drawing/Construction Tools

•Drawing Board

•Compass

Drawing/Construction Tools (cont.)

  • Protractor
  • Straightedge
  • Tracing Wheel
  • Stylus and/or Pen
  • Drawing Board

Measuring Tools

•Ruler

•Yardstick and Meter Stick

•Toss-Away Rulers

•Protractor

Basic Math Technology - Braille Reader

•Refreshable Braille

√Braille Notetaker

√PC with Refreshable Braille Keyboard

•Laptop

Basic Technology - Large Print Reader

•Desktop Computer

•Laptop

•Low-Vision Software

Technology For All

•addition

•subtraction

•multiplication

•division

•VP Algebra

Virtual Pencil -

mimio for the Large Print Reader (and share with your blind peer)

Virtual Ink Corporation

SMART Board

Video MagnificationClose-Up and at a Distance

NASA’s MathTrax

MathSpeak™

•Official Nemeth Code Rules Online

•MathSpeak™ Grammar Rules Site

•Quick MathSpeak™ Tutorial

•MathSpeak™ Settings Tutorial

Math Player’s Math-to-Speech Technology

Design Science

DAISY Consortium Adopts Modular Math Extension

•New MathML-based extension will make math accessible to students with disabilities

•LONG BEACH, Calif. — March 21, 2007 — The DAISY Consortium, an international industry standards organization, announced today that it has formally adopted the Specification for a Digital Talking Book Modular Extension for Mathematics. This development is a critical element for integrating accessible mathematics into DAISY and NIMAS-compliant digital content. Now that this specification has been published, it is important for the education and accessibility communities to begin incorporating it into textbook accessibility requirements.

Voice Recognition Software

MathPadTM By VoiceTM

MathTalkTM/Scientific NotebookTM

MathTalkTM/Scientific WorkPlaceTM

Accessible AI Tutoring Software for middle-school mathematics students who are blind or visually impaired

•Quantum Simulations, Inc., a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring and assessment software

•Dr. Benny Johnson, President and CEO Partnered with Mr. Jeff Dittel, a blind software engineer and president of Britlan, Ltd.

•

Accessible Scientific/Graphing Calculators for All

•Talking Scientific Calculators

√ORION TI-36X -

√Sci-Plus Series 300 Scientific Calculator with speech -

•Talking Graphing Calculators

√Audio Graphing Calculator (AGC)

Large Display, Self-Voiced, Print and

Tactile Graphics, AudioWave

Notetaker Scientific Calculators

PAC Mate (BX or QX)

•Talking Scientific Calculator with refreshable braille

•Graph-It (tactile graphics and audiowave)

BrailleNote (BT or QT)

•Talking Scientific Calculator with refreshable braille

Large Display Scientific/Graphing Calculator Solutions

•TI Graphing Calculator

Screen Enlargement Solution

•TI-Smart View 2.0

The Emulator Software Package for the TI-84+

•TI-NSpire (or TI-NSpire CAS+)

•Sci-Plus Series 200 Scientific Calculator

•Scientific Notebook

Student-Generated Graphics on a Number Line

•APH Number Line Device

•Student-Made Number Lines

Student-Generated Graphics on a Coordinate Plane

•APH Graphic Aid for Mathematics

•Graph Paper

Audio Graphing Calculator (AGC)

Student-Generated Braillewriter Pictographs

Geometric Manipulatives

•2-D Manipulatives

•Paper Folding

•3-D Manipulatives

•Nets

Hands-on System for Learning Three-Dimensional Geometry

NEW! APH StackUps:Spatial Reasoning Using Cubes and Isometric Drawings

Omnifix Cubes

Selected Teaching Strategies

•Collaborative/Inclusive Strategies

•Linear Measure, Perimeter, and Area

•Prime Factorization on the Abacus

•Standardized Braille Number Lines

•Graphing on a Coordinate Plane

•Geometric Constructions

•Transformations, Line Symmetry, and Tesselations

•Solving Quadratic Equations

Other Math Resources

•Delta

•Didax

•EASI – Equal Access to Software and Information for Persons with Disabilities

•Eisenhower National Clearinghouse

•ETA/Cuisenaire

•Math Forum

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Osterhaus & Robinson – Texas Focus 2008