Author: Benjamin Steinberg

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

On Thursday, May 19, 2016, Dr. Cary Supalo, President of Independence Science was invited to Washington D.C. to attend the National Medal of Honor in Science and Technology Innovation at the Whitehouse. This historic event recognized scientists and technology innovators who have made significant contributions to their field. Although Dr. Supalo did not receive a medal of honor, it was still a great honor to be invited by the President to attend. This recognition was given for the work that Independence Science is engaged in for making Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subject areas more accessible to students who are blind in a hands-on way. Dr. Supalo was deeply honored to have been given this opportunity to attend and be recognized in this way.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

Recently, their was discussion on the Program-l mailing list about how blind people could build electronic devices. Here is a summary of the information.

Many years ago in the #50’s and #60’s, it was possible to purchase kits to build electronic devices. Heathkit was an example of a company from which kits for building tube testers, TVs, signal Generators etc. could be purchased. Allied Electornics was another company that offered kits for learning about electronics. A twenty in one kit for example consisted of a Massonite board on which were mounted capacitors, resistors, transistors and other components. The builder used spring clips to connect these components and could build a radio receiver, radio transmitter, intercom etc. My father glued braille numbers to the board and put beads of solder on the wires so they stayed in the string clips more reliably. With brailled instructions, I could build various circuits.

Fast forward to today. Elenco offers Snap Circuits. These consist of a large plastic board with knobs protruding from it. Components are mounted on plastic pieces that snap to the board. The snaps are metal so components can be snapped to each other and or connected with jumpers. The result is a stable assembly. Snap Circuits can be used by students eight and up. In a college physics lab, they are being used to set up circuits for physics labs.

From 1980 to 1998, Smith-Kettlewell published on a quarterly basis, the Smith-Kettlewell Technical file. The Technical file contains an assortment of articles on circuits, building specialized equipment and even a seven article series explaining how a blind person can solder. For more information and to read the issues see the link: http://legacy.ski.org/Rehab/sktf/

Quorum is a relatively new programming language. Initially designed to be accessible with screen readers, Quorum is gaining acceptance as a general purpose language. For anyone wanting to try computer programming, Quorum is a good place to begin. See the link: https://quorumlanguage.com/ Quorum also can be used with the Lego® EV3 Mindstorms robot.

See the link: https://www.quorumlanguage.com/documents/tutorials/robots/started.php.

If you want to use a Raspberry Pi with your Lego robot, see the site: http://www.dexterindustries.com/BrickPi/.

For anyone interested in building with Arduino boards, see the Blind Arduino Blog site: http://blarbl.blogspot.de/.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

This year at CSUN has been called, “The year of Braille.” CSUN certainly lived up to the title. I was at the American Thermoform Corporation (atc) booths showing the Braillo 650sf embosser. CSUN was the U. S. debut for this large roll fed embosser. The 650sf can produce braille at a rate of 1,900 pages of braille per hour. The 650sf produces ready-to-go magazine style booklets. Covers are added and the booklet is stapled and folded.

     At another booth was a French company showing a Windows 10 tablet incorporating a braille display and touch surface marked with depressions so the user can activate various Windows 10 functions.

     National Braille Press showed the Braille2Go, an Android based notetaker with a 20 cell braille display.

     Humanware showed their new Android based notetaker. The new BrailleNote has a braille keyboard that lifts up revealing a touch sensitive surface.

     Cassio showed a new printer and special media for producing tactile graphics.

     ViewPlus showed their new Columbia embosser. The Columbia is intended to create braille text as well as tactile graphics.

     There was so much to see and not enough time. In my opinion, if you are considering new equipment, always try it out before making a purchase. It would take a full day to look at all the exhibits. Then there are the presentations…

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

Lewis diagrams are used to describe the bonds between atoms within a molecule. The following suggestions summarize some recent email discussion and may help those students who need to create Lewis diagrams as part of their school work:

·       A molecular model kit can be used. A Google search for the terms molecular model kit will yield a variety of kits. Some kits can be purchased from Amazon.com and sometimes Ebay.com. Independence Science recommends the Molymod kits. A variety of student and Molymod teacher kits can be ordered from Amazon.com. The Molymod site is: http://www.molymod.com/.

·       Found objects such as paper wads and sticky notes.

·       The well known craft stores, Hobby Lobby and Michaels carry Styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners, sticks and many other neat items.

·       Don’t forget toy stores and construction toys. If you use magnets, a steel baking sheet works well for holding your creation in place.·       MolInsight is a site containing software for working with molecular structures. See: http://www.molinsight.net for more details.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

     Members of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) were in Washington DC last week meeting the members and staff of the 114^th congress. Two of the four legislative issues for which the NFB seeks legislation on are below. The complete legislative agenda and fact sheets can be found on http://www.nfb.org. The following is excerpted from the NFB legislative agenda.

·       The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE). Act Electronic instructional materials have replaced traditional methods of learning in postsecondary education, but the overwhelming majority of eBooks, courseware, web content, and other technologies are inaccessible to students with print disabilities. The law requires equal access in the classroom but fails to provide direction to schools for the way it applies to technology. AIM HE creates voluntary accessibility guidelines for educational technology to improve blind students’ access to course material, stimulate the market, and reduce litigation for schools.

·       The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. Despite the ability to convert print books into accessible formats like Braille, large print, audio, and digital copies, millions of blind and otherwise print-disabled Americans are excluded from accessing 95 percent of published works. The Marrakesh Treaty calls for contracting parties to provide in their national copyright laws for a limitation or exception that allows for the reproduction, distribution, and cross-border exchange of accessible works.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

Monday January 4 is the 207^th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille. It is also the day on which the Unified English Braille (UEB) becomes the standard braille code in the United States. For more information see the site: http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb.html. This site contains links to guides, resources and sample documents in brf and pdf formats. The example documents are toward the bottom of the page.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

  The ISLAND conference was a great success. We had some great presenters and opportunities for networking with our peers. The Hotel Rose was a wonderful venue. The staff were courteous and the food was great. Summarizing an eight hour long conference in a few sentences is almost impossible. Here is a brief description of what was presented:

·       Cary A. Supalo- Emerging Trends in STEM Education for Students with Disabilities.

·       Holly Stowell (IRIE-AT)- Tactile Graphics for Science and Math. Holly demonstrated the Tactus drawing system including the Tactipad.

·       Ed Summers (SAS)- Accessible Analytics Using SAS. Ed demonstrated various SAS products. SAS is a world leader in Statistical analysis software.

·       Richard Ladner (University of Washington)- Making Computer Science Accessible. Richard talked a lot about a computer language that was originally developed for the BLV community called Quorum. Quorum is gaining interest outside the BLV community.

·       Paul Thorman (Haverford College)- A More Accessible Lab in Electronics and Optics for the Blind or Visually Impaired. Paul described how a blind student could make optical measurements using an audio signal. The newly devised system is more precise than the system used by sighted students.

·       John and Carolyn Gardner (ViewPlus Technologies)- Universally-Accessible Figures. John and Carolyn demonstrated the latest in ViewPlus software and hardware.

·       Robert Jaquiss- Innovations in Tactile Graphics and Three-Dimensional Printing. Robert talked briefly on the history of tactile graphics, showed some models and then talked about potential avenues of research.

·       Ken Perry (APH)- The Power of SALS: A device that brings STEM to all students. Ken also talked about adaptations for Elenco Snap Circuits. A way has been devised so that BLV individuals can build with Snap circuits using braille labels and instructions.

Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
[email protected]

Dr. Supalo has asked me to handle the Independence Science newsletter, so here is my first issue. When information is available, we will carry announcements, articles about blind STEM professionals, and technical tips.

If you are reading this newsletter, you likely have an interest in science, technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and how a person who is blind or visually impaired goes about pursuing a STEM career. I hope this newsletter proves to be a useful and informative resource. 

At Independence Science HQ, we are getting excited about the upcoming ISLAND Conference. This year for the first time, we are holding the ISLAND conference in beautiful Portland, Oregon. We have a great lineup of speakers and plan to see some of you there. For more information, please go to:

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=zlmm7vfab&oeidk=a07ebi4qm2671ea2e78