AccessSTEM

Alaska Transition Camp: A Promising Practice in Involving Students and Educators in Transition Planning

offers week-long transition camps for students with disabilities to aid them in their transition from secondary to postsecondary institutions or from school to work. Participants attend as part of a team from their district. Teams focus on fostering an academic learning experience for both students and educators.

Are there commercial products designed to make math accessible to students with disabilities?

Some students with disabilities require accommodations in order to access math. For example, mathematical notation is inherently visual, so students who are blind are unable to read it. Also, students who cannot fully use their hands are often unable to perform mathematical computations by hand on paper (the traditional way). Some commercial products have been developed to increase access to mathematics content and computation to individuals with disabilities.

There are multiple options for blind students who need to access math material:

What are some steps that distance learning program administrators can take to ensure the accessibility of their courses?

Many steps need to be taken to ensure that distance learning courses are accessible to potential students with disabilities. Exploratory research has been undertaken at the ¯r¶¹ÔÚÏß to develop a list of Distance Learning Program Accessibility Indicators (DLP Accessibility Indicators). The list was based on a review of the literature and collaborator experiences creating distance learning courses that are accessible to potential students and instructors with disabilities.

Where can I find electronic text versions of books for students who have visual impairments or other print disabilities?

Each year increasing numbers of students with visual impairments and other print disabilities are requesting electronic text, commonly referred to as e-text, versions of books and other print-based media. Whether it be the latest version of a Biology textbook or Homer's the Iliad, finding e-text in a timely manner can be a challenge for educators.

Below are examples of Internet resources for both digital libraries, which contain public domain texts, and subscription-based libraries.

Maplewood Middle School: A Promising Practice in Integrating Technology for Students with Visual Impairments

Tod Harris, a math and computer teacher at Maplewood Middle School in Edmonds, Washington, is committed to the universal design of classroom environments. His school serves students with visual impairments from throughout the district in general education classrooms. Some students were having difficulty accessing information projected on an overhead during class lectures and completing tasks in the math computer lab.

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