[Athen] Math for non-Braille readers

[Deborah Armstrong]

I get asked this every couple of years and wonder if people know of any new solutions?

A blind student who does not know Braille needs to take math classes to pass degree requirements. The student will probably need tutoring.

The student might be able to get the textbook from Learning Ally; the book even if it is on bookshare won't be fully accessible as bookshare isn't using Math ML yet. At least here, previous editions don't work so well because instructors typically use the textbook for its problem sets. Or they rely on MyMathLab whose accessibility is questionable at best.
But the biggest barrier will be finding a way for the student to work problems, show their work and interact effectively with a tutor. Even for students who know Nemeth, the tutor doesn't know Braille so that can be an issue as well.

And the college needs a few working ancient Braille writers if a student does know Braille; Braille displays don't work because they are only single line.

Our counselors typically suggest students use Khan Academy, which in my experience works great for low-vision students who  have difficulty seeing the board or are embarrassed working with a tutor. But the lessons do depend on visual information. Take for example this video on scientific notation:
                https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-exponents-radicals/pre-algebra-scientific-notation/v/scientific-notation-old
He does a good job of explaining the theory but not every number he writes is actually voiced, nor can one do the practice exercises with a screen reader. Also it can be difficult to figure out what number he's pointing to.

Have their been any innovative developments lately that make the math learning process for blind students easier?

--Debee


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