An Audio-Tactile Curriculum to Support Visually Impaired Statistics Students.

Cuny Baruch College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Mathematics (12). The ability to comprehend and manipulate graphical data is crucial for mastery in STEM disciplines. In statistics, pictorial representations illustrate data patterns in the form of graphs and probability distributions; students need to understand the ways these representations denote statistical concepts and numerical expressions important in the mastery of statistics. For students who are visually impaired, bringing these strands into a cognitive whole presents a significant barrier. Faculty who teach this material to blind students often find themselves at a loss as to how to proceed. This project adapts, tests and disseminates a conceptually rich set of curricular modules for introductory applied statistics, thereby creating a fully interactive accessible workbook useable by students with visual impairments and the faculty who teach them. The approach calls for adapting an existing text for delivery via the Talking Tactile Tablet, a new low-cost computer peripheral that presents tactile and large-print graphics coordinated with audio description. The medium is interactive, and students have random access to text, graphics, and a detailed index. Guidelines are developed to assist faculty at other institutions who want to develop their own accessible materials using the tablet format. The statistics courseware is made commercially available through the completion of the project.