The article is a family-presented case study on how cerebral visual impairment (CVI) impairs the author's 13-year-old child's ability to read print and how the author discovered that braille is the only effective way for their child to access literacy. There is a cohort of individuals with CVI who subconsciously take advantage of other methods to…

Innovation is crucial for addressing challenges faced by children with visual impairments, as it enables the development of adaptive technologies and inclusive educational tools that enhance accessibility, independence, and learning opportunities. Benetech, a leading innovator in the field of accessible literacy, is on a mission to bridge the…

This article describes practical lessons and experiences acquired as part of a journey in teaching a blind student at The University of Arizona to master the written and graphical language of first-semester organic chemistry and its associated concepts. These practical lessons include details on how to adapt an organic chemistry model set (with…

Regardless of the cost and long preparation time, tactile materials are increasingly being used in science and mathematics education for students with visual impairment. In this study, a hands-on tactile activity related to making magnets using a STEM educational approach for students with visual impairment are introduced.

There is a critical need for Americans to study foreign languages to support the United States' participation in a global economy, commitment to national security, and actions in the political arena. However, there is a lack of American students learning what the US Department of State refers to as "critical languages," which are less…

In 2002 the World Health Organization (WHO) analyzed available data on Blindness and Low Vision (BLV) from 55 countries and applied it to the 17 WHO epidemiological subregions. Results indicate approximately 37 million people are blind and 124 million have low vision (Foster & Resnikoff, 2005). Providing opportunities for these students to…

The BrailleNote Touch+ (BNT+) can be a valuable tool for students who are blind who are learning a second or third language. Kapperman, Koster, and Burman (2018) stressed the importance of using a screen reader, as well as a braille display, when learning a foreign language because it allows a student to not only orally learn the language but also…

An open-source repository of basic building block models design files for writing chemical formulas, equations, and ionic states are provided. Writing chemical symbols, molecules, and ions in their correct oxidation state or valency in chemical equations is an essential and integral part of learning. For a visually impaired student, it is very…

Assistive technologies are frequently used to help disabled students to access core and expanded core curricula and to improve their functional, communication and literacy skills. Non-optical low vision devices and optical and tactile graphics technologies are some of the assistive technologies used by visually impaired students in today's…

Stargardt Disease was identified by German ophthalmologist Karl Stargardt in 1901. It is the most commonly inherited macular dystrophy condition (Light et al., 2017), with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 1 in 8,000 to 1 in 10,000 (Cai et al., 2018). Stargardt Disease is the juvenile version of macular degeneration (Daly, 2014), with its early…

Smarter Balanced is committed to providing accessibility resources and supporting formative assessment processes that help educators better serve the needs of diverse students, including students who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or blind or visually impaired. This document describes how Smarter Balanced designs accessible tests and supports…

Visually-impaired students require tailored pedagogies to ensure their instruction is as high quality as for sighted students. They follow board work during class by referring to typed class notes provided ahead of time via a Braille reader, and in-class small groups solving problems create an inclusive "esprit de corps" and promote…

This work showcases specific adaptations used to make cybersecurity accessible to high school students with visual impairments and blindness (VIB). The rapidly growing field of cybersecurity demands a diverse workforce; however, barriers exist which can deter students with disabilities from studying cybersecurity, let alone pursuing a career in…

Methods commonly used to enhance the language-learning experiences of students who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision), are not sufficient for foreign language learning. There are several challenges involved in the study of foreign languages by students who are visually impaired. One of the most pressing of…

In 2011, a collaborative effort began between the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and Austin Classical Guitar (ACG), a local 501(c) nonprofit music organization. The idea behind this collaboration was to start a small guitar program that would provide TSBVI students with quality classroom guitar instruction. At that time,…