Contributed by Robert Jaquiss
Editor of Independence Science Newsletter
rjaquiss@independencescience.com
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.
