This project will pilot new approaches to Earth science education for blind and visually-impaired students using multi-modal delivery systems, including dynamic tactile graphics and sonifications, in order to teach core concepts and make inquiry-based learning activities more accessible. This pilot project will focus on preparing and testing examples related to weather forecasting. Specialized software and tactile paper resources will be used to represent real-time satellite, radar and surface weather analysis images. Specialized audio software will be used to represent numerical trends (such as daily temperature and pressure data) as sonic graphs. New learning activities that use these tactile and audio resources will be created. Pilot materials and technologies will be field tested with blind middle- and high-school students, refined and distributed through the National Federation of the Blind's "Blind Science" web site. Blind Earth Science involves a collaboration among TERC, National Federation of the Blind, Johnson Space Center, and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Approximately 100 students in 7 classrooms, including blind and sighted students, will participate in the testing phase of this project.
