Tag: newsletter

We are excited to announce that Independence Science, in an effort to create a more inclusive laboratory experience for blind and deaf-blind students to prepare them for careers in STEM fields, has received a 1-year Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation to develop Sci-Dot, a multiline Braille device that collects and analyzes scientific data.
Greg Williams (PhD in chemistry) of Independence Science said blind and deaf-blind students are put at a disadvantage if they are not able to view and analyze graphic representations of data in real time and at the same time as their sighted classmates. Being solely reliant on the output of audio data in a laboratory setting can be hazardous if surroundings are too loud. It also is entirely inaccessible to deaf-blind students.
“Sci-Dot addresses these issues and improves upon current Braille displays that consist of only a single line of cells, which creates limitations in looking at data tables, monitoring data as it is collected and viewing graphical representations of the data,” Williams said. “Our multiline Braille device will allow blind and deaf-blind users to set up and collect experimental data independently and examine it graphically in real time along with their sighted peers.”
Independence Science will partner with Vernier Software & Technology, EQware, Tactile Engineering, a startup based in Lafayette, Indiana, and ViewPlus Technologies, to develop Sci-Dot. Williams said Tactile Engineering has developed a design for electronic, refreshable Braille cells, which reduces their spatial footprint and cost and makes a low-cost, multiline display practical.
Williams said the SBIR program allows companies to pursue innovative projects to commercialize products that have a profound impact on those who use them but would not necessarily receive interest from typical funding sources.
“Without the funding support that Independence Science received from a previous NSF SBIR award, we would not have been able to develop and commercialize the Talking LabQuest, which has made a significant difference in the lives of blind students who have been able to participate with a level of independence previously unimaginable in lab courses,” Williams said. “Now, once again, with the support of the NSF SBIR program, we look forward to making the next great leap in STEM accessibility for blind students with the goal of inspiring the next, and hopefully much larger, generation of blind scientists.”
A recently aired news story featuring the Sci-Dot can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ll6rD1GeRg

Independence Science is proud to be working with Sky’s the Limit LLC to present science themed ACE Academies. These Academies are perfect for Pre-ETS students to gain an enriching combination of STEM and career skills. Our inaugural ACE Science Academy was held virtually with the State of Virginia. In this Academy – focused on the Power of Possibility Thinking, People, and Paper – participants received all supplies in a box and were taught the principles of aerodynamics, how to make paper, resume skills, practicing note-taking, informational interview skills, and so much more. All this happened in a virtual yet hands-on learning environment! “It was so fascinating to watch these participants grow and learn so much in just a few weeks” said Ashley Neybert, the lead instructor at the event. “I expected it to be fun, but with the music, sound effects, and interactive activities with the students I couldn’t help but come back even on my off weeks” said Dr. Peter Walters who taught students about aerodynamics and how to make a paper airplane. Participants loved the experience and several expressed interest in a future Academy on topics in outer space!

ACE Science Academies are specially designed to fit your specific needs. Get custom crafted interactive lessons that have all the supplies, guest speakers, job coaching, sound effects, music, and fun included. All you need is the students, dates, and to sit back and enjoy as your students receive life-altering lessons that will make you glad you chose us. Want to know more about getting your own ACE Science Academy? Contact us at [email protected] or call Ashley Neybert at (866) 862-9665 ext 5.

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

Independence Science is happy to announce the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, (NCBVI) has become the first state agency to obtain a statewide site license for the Sci-Voice Talking LabQuest products. The powerful science access tool is made available for both K-12 and higher education institutions, through a new partnership initiative entitled “TAP” Talking LabQuest Access Program with the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are blind or Visually Impaired, (NCECBVI). If you are a blind or vision impaired student or parent of a blind child that has a student in the state of Nebraska, you should reach out to learn how you and your education team can take advantage of the newly launched TAP program. If you are a teacher of a student with a visual disability you can obtain a Talking LabQuest unit from the NIRC lending program at NCECBVI. For more information, please contact Shane Buresh, Transition Coordinator NCBVI; [email protected]  or Tanya Armstrong, Director of Programs NCECBVI; [email protected].

Independence Science is interested in working with other states to make a similar opportunity available. If you are a state agency representative or a science teacher that would like to learn more about how you can bring a statewide license to your state, please contact us at [email protected]

Contributed by Amelia Palmer
Independence Science Engineering Intern 
[email protected]

My testimony is the position of one blind student. I recognize that what has worked for me may not work for all BLV students. However, I am sharing my positive experiences as a way to tell BLV students that they can also have positive experiences if they work hard and communicate with peers and teachers.

 As a blind electrical engineering major, I have had my fair share of laboratory experiences. While my story is still in the making, I wanted to share some of the factors that enabled me to have positive experiences in the lab.

As a student I have a right to laboratory experiences. The lab is where I can apply the knowledge that I learn in lecture. I believe that there is no substitute for the hands-on experience that a laboratory provides.

I find success in reading my lab manual in advance and attempting to memorize and understand the procedure. After this, I determine what tasks will be difficult or inaccessible with my current tools, and I brainstorm alternative ways of completing the identified tasks as independently as possible. I then coordinate with laboratory staff before the lab to make sure techniques can be accommodated during the lab. The more prepared we all are, the smoother the lab will likely run.

Good orientation and mobility (O & M) skills are crucial in the lab. Before I use a new lab space, I coordinate a tour with lab staff and learn the physical layout of the room as well as how supplies and equipment are organized. If things are inaccessible, now is when I address them.

Knowing where things are is vital to my independence in the lab. I like to label resistors, capacitors, and wires.

I make sure the electronics and instruments I need to use in the lab are accessible. Independence Science sells the Talking LabQuest and JAWS Logger Pro Scripts which are accessible and frequently used in my lab. If there are other obstacles I face, Independence Science is willing to increase accessibility through their consultation services.

As a blind individual, I find it helpful to touch things. Some of the sensors and equipment I work with do not like the oils on my fingers. I find a pair of properly fitting rubber gloves to be very helpful in solving problems.

I feel most empowered when I am the most participatory in the lab. This means setting an experiment up, collecting and analyzing data, and collaborating with my peers.

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

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) was signed into law on July 26th, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush Sr. We celebrate its passage to this day as it changed and continues to change many lives including our own. Remember that making things accessible is something everyone should play a part in. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s also the law!

Our team of scientists who are blind and low vision are passionate about making STEM inclusive of students who are BLV. Not only do they have many years of personal lived experience with the journey of being scientists who are blind, they also have expertise in education. Need help making STEM curriculum work accessible for students with disabilities or want a talk on the importance of inclusion of people with disabilities in your school or work environment? Make sure to contact us here at Independence Science and we’d be happy to work something out!

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

Independence Science is pleased to announce the release of our accessible periodic table. This effort was sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The ACS is the largest membership organization of scientists in the world. It is a United States based non-profit dedicated to supporting the field of chemistry.

This periodic table is used as the official standard for the worldwide ACS National Chemistry Olympiad. The National Chemistry Olympiad competition is a multi-tiered chemistry competition from which the four best competitors go on to represent the United States in the annual International Chemistry Olympiad.

We hope you can make use of this resource in your education and profession.

Independence Science is proud to promote inclusion in the National Chemistry Olympiad by making a more inclusive periodic table for all participants. Find it here:

https://independencescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ptable-final-V3.html

Find more information about the ACS here: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/membership.html?sc=200522_acq_ad_google_covid_member_od&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-af6BRC5ARIsAALPIlX-5u2zRsrLlUd2zdR6g8epyovtO6KTx3xW6HJroythnJpI0OSazPUaAu71EALw_wcB

Find more information about the National Chemistry Olympiad here: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/olympiad.html

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

For 10 years, ISLAND has welcomed presenters and attendees in person and forged a community around the mission of making STEM accessible to persons with disabilities. Due to the CoVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to organise the first ever virtual ISLAND conference. 

ISLAND 2020 is now virtual and free. We invite you to attend the virtual 2020 ISLAND conference Saturday September 12. Registration is free but mandatory. 

As a result of the upheaval of CoVID, we have also extended abstract acceptances to July 1, 2020. Presenters will be notified by or before July 15, 2020. 

For more information about the ISLAND conference, to submit an abstract, or to register for the conference, please visit islandconference.org  

For questions, please send an e-mail to the conference organizers at [email protected].

We are looking forward to seeing you at the 11th annual ISLAND conference.

About ISLAND:

The Inclusion in Science Learning a New Direction (ISLAND) conference on disability in STEM provides a forum to address how persons with disabilities can be more fully integrated into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions. This forum provides a space for professionals, students, researchers, access technology developers, parents, and service providers to meet and network with one another for this purpose.

Persons with disabilities are often prohibited from full participation in the STEM subject areas due to misconceptions leading to lack of opportunities in STEM courses. Further, employers and advanced degree programs may be skeptical about the capabilities of a person with a disability and their ability to compete on equal terms with their non-disabled counterparts. Persons with disabilities have to problem solve to overcome their physical and/or cognitive limitations for their entire lives. Therefore, the more methodological and technological innovations that can be designed and disseminated in a forum such as the ISLAND conference serves to promote a community of practice for STEM educators to learn how a more inclusive and equitable STEM learning experience may be made possible.

The ISLAND conference attendees seek to shift the paradigm of science access for all learners.

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

The Inclusion in Science Learning a New Direction (ISLAND) conference on disability in STEM provides a forum to address how persons with disabilities can be more fully integrated into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions.

This forum provides a space for professionals,

students, researchers, access technology developers, parents, and service providers to meet and network with one another for this purpose.

Persons with disabilities are often prohibited from full participation in the STEM subject areas due to misconceptions leading to lack of opportunities in STEM courses. Further, employers and advanced degree programs may be skeptical about the capabilities of a person with a disability and their ability to compete on equal terms with their non-disabled counterparts. Persons with disabilities have to problem solve to overcome their physical and/or cognitive limitations for their entire lives. Therefore, the more methodological and technological innovations that can be designed and disseminated in a forum such

as the ISLAND conference serves to promote a community of practice for STEM educators to learn how a more inclusive and equitable STEM learning experience may be made possible.

Please come to the 2020 ISLAND conference to be held at Princeton University over the weekend of Friday, September 11, 2020 through Sunday, September 13.

More specific conference information will be forthcoming. We are looking forward to seeing you at the 11th annual ISLAND conference. For questions, please send an e-mail to the conference organizers at [email protected].

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Courtyard by Marriott located at 3815 US Route 1 @ Mapleton Rd Princeton, New Jersey 08540.

To ensure you receive the conference rate, please reference the 2020 ISLAND conference when booking your reservation.

The ISLAND conference attendees seek to shift the paradigm of science access for all learners.

We are now accepting abstracts for presentations for the 2020 Island Conference. Abstracts must be received by May 15, 2020. Presenters will be notified by or before June 1, 2020.

For more information about the ISLAND conference, submitting abstracts, hotel reservations and registration; Please visit islandconference.org or click on the following: ISLAND 2020

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

First published in Independence Science Newsletter December 2019 

The 10th IsLAND conference was held in Huntsville, AL October 4 and 5 at the Huntsville Marriott at the Space & Rocket Center. October 4 was our pre-conference day at NASA Space Camp!

SpaceCamp was quite an experience. We arrived at the facility at about 8:30 for registration and a delicious light breakfast. There was a briefing meeting where we were divided into two teams Discovery and Enterprise. We all picked roles as either members of the shuttle crew, ground crew or ISS (International Space Station). Each shuttle crew had a commander, pilot, mission specialists and payload specialists.

After receiving our assignments, we all participated in riding two trainers. The Multi Axis Trainer (MAT) is a chair that spins in three axes. No one got sick from the experience.

The next trainer was the One Sixth Gravity chair. This device simulates what walking on the moon would be like. Since the Moon has one sixth of Earth’s gravity, a step causes one to bound across the surface.

We then went to our assigned shuttles, ground crew or ISS assignments. I was the commander of the Discovery. The shuttle simulators are close to what the actual space shuttle is like. The commander, pilot and some of the mission specialists had to climb an eight foot ladder to get to the upper section of the shuttle. The commander and pilot are surrounded by panels of toggle switches. There is a center console that contains more switches and two keypads. Many of the switches are labeled in braille. After getting a bit familiar with the controls, we broke for lunch.

After lunch, we went on a simulated flight. Like in the real shuttle, the participants were provided a booklet outlining the procedures to follow. A good description of the flight is that it is like a play. Each of the team reads his or her part and takes actions accordingly. There were sound effects but the equipment remained stationary.

After the flight, we toured a museum and were able to look at various displays. Some of NASA’s old equipment was on display. We were able to examine the trainer for the moon buggy used by some of the later Apollo missions. Outside of the museum is a full sized replica of a Saturn V rocket with Space Shuttle on top.

Friday evening, we enjoyed a dinner as part of the opening of the conference. Our keynote speaker was Dave Schleppenbach of Tactile Solutions. Dave showed a thirty-two cell sixteen line braille display he has designed. The unit is about the size of a notebook computer and a little thicker. On Saturday, I was able to feel the display and can report that the response time is quite fast.

Starting Saturday Morning, we had a series of 25-minute presentations which showcased researchers from the classroom, academia, policy, industry and non-profits. For a full list, please view our conference agenda and proceedings that are housed at islandconference.org. The 2020 ISLAND conference will be Sept. 11-13 in Princeton, NJ.

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

We encourage our staff at Independence Science to pursue their passion for helping blind and vision-impaired students engage with hands-on laboratory experiences. This year, Ashley Neybert is helping at the NFB of Michigan’s Sense-sational Adventures in Summer Science camp (email: [email protected]) which explores some of the Twisty, Turbulent Torrents of Science. The camp is August 4 through August 11, 2019.

The NFB of Michigan asks: Can learning science be fun? Can a musician or poet or graphic artist use science in their art? How about our water?  Is it cleaner or dirtier than it was 20 years ago? Is there more or less water now than in the past? Does your lawn care make a difference to a fish in the Great Lakes?  Does a ship coming from another part of our world change the Great Lakes as it picks up or delivers its freight? What is it doing here, anyway? Why is Detroit or Saginaw built where they are?  Is it geology, biology, weather or just random human choice which causes cities to grow where they are?

While we have divided science into many topics (chemistry, physics, geology, biology, medicine etc), we observe all of these sciences in play in the world around us at all times. This “seamless tapestry of interactivity” is what Sense-sational Adventures in Summer Science (SASS) investigates. Here, participants consider how geology, physics, chemistry and biology interact within a geological feature – the watershed – and how humans can change the very surface of the planet and the diversity of life itself.

This camp features professional blind scientists and experts in a variety of scientific fields. Participants will have opportunities to observe demonstrations and learn to use sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment, including the Sci-Voice^TM Talking Labquest to measure, record and analyze data to support their hypothesis. They will learn to be scientists and have a chance to be creative in an artistic way. Most of all, participants will have fun with other blind folks who are interested in science, as they float, paddle, probe, laugh and learn about science and our environment in The Twisty, Turbulent Torrents of Science.