Project Grant R44GM150296

MULTISENSORY LEARNING TO SUPPORT ACCESSIBLE INTERACTIVE TOOLS FOR MATH - THE LACK OF ACCESS TO VISUALLY RICH CONTENT FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION (BLV) LEADS TO A DECREASED ENGAGEMENT IN THEIR COURSES, RESULTING IN DIMINISHED PERSISTENCE IN SCHOOL AND INTO EMPLOYMENT. THE ACCESSIBILITY ISSUE IS PARTICULARLY PREVALENT IN STEM COURSES, WHERE CONTENT IS TAUGHT WITH DIAGRAMS AND IMAGES. IN ELEMENTARY MATH, EARLY CONCEPTS ARE TAUGHT BY PRESENTING MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. STUDENTS WHO HAVE LITTLE OR NO USEFUL SIGHT MUST USE SOUND AND TOUCH TO BUILD MENTAL MODELS OF THESE ILLUSTRATIONS. COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM IS THAT SPATIAL REASONING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE BLIND ARE GENERALLY UNDERDEVELOPED. BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF USABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, PARTICULARLY FOR DYNAMIC VISUALS SUCH AS INTERACTIVES, BLV STUDENTS FALL BEHIND THEIR SIGHTED CLASSMATES IN MATH. THE GOAL OF THIS PHASE II SBIR IS TO BUILD A SUITE OF ACCESSIBLE LEARNING TOOLS (ALT) FOR MATH FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES K-8. THE ALT SUITE WILL FOCUS ON MATH CONCEPTS THAT ARE DIAGRAM-RICH, AND DUE TO THE VISUAL CONTENT, ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT FOR BLIND STUDENTS TO ACCESS INDEPENDENTLY. THE OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT FOR BLV STUDENTS WILL BE TO 1) INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY AND INDEPENDENCE IN STEM COURSES, 2) IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR PEERS AND TEACHERS, AND 3) PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED DIRECT ACCOMMODATIONS FOR BLV STUDENTS WITHIN THEIR GENERAL POPULATION CLASSES. THE PROPOSED SUITE OF TOOLS IS A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ACCOMMODATION SYSTEM FOR MATH WHICH WILL BE DIRECTLY ACCESSIBLE FOR BLV STUDENTS, TO SUPPORT INCLUSIVE LEARNING AND BRIDGE THE SENSORY GAP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN BLV STUDENTS AND THEIR PEERS AND TEACHERS. EACH LEARNING TOOL WILL HAVE THREE INTERFACES, A DRAG-AND-DROP VISUAL INTERFACE, KEYBOARD CONTROLS FOR AUDIO CONTROL, AND A MULTISENSORY INPUT SYSTEM THAT USES COMPUTER VISION TECHNOLOGY WITH MANIPULATIVES OR TACTILE CARDS. THE EXPECTED OUTCOME IS TO INCREASE THE ABILITY OF BLV STUDENTS TO MOVE INTO STEM CAREERS AND EMPLOYMENT, AND TO DEMONSTRATE THAT DESIGNING TOOLS THAT MEET THE NEEDS FOR ALL LEARNERS MAKES A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE, DELIVERING A UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION IN THE EDUCATIONAL MARKET. IN AIM 1, THE ALT SUITE FOR MATH WILL BE ITERATIVELY DEVELOPED FOR CONCEPTS IN NUMERACY AND OPERATIONS, LEARNING THROUGH AN EARLY ALGEBRA PROGRESSION (LEAP), FRACTIONS, AND GEOMETRY. CO-DESIGN WILL INCLUDE FEEDBACK FROM MATH INSTRUCTORS, TEACHERS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED, AND STUDENTS. ACTIVITIES FOR THE ALT SUITE WILL BE DEVELOPED AND ALIGNED TO MATH CURRICULA THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AS EFFECTIVE. IN AIM 2, A RESEARCH STUDY WITH THE LEAP INTERACTIVES WILL BE CONDUCTED WITH TEN K-2 CLASSROOMS (250 STUDENTS), EACH OF WHICH INCLUDES A BLV STUDENT. THE STUDY DESIGN WILL ANALYZE HOW THE ALT INTERFACES IMPACT THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE BLV STUDENT WITH PEERS, AND THE ABILITY OF THE MATH TEACHER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE BLV STUDENT IN A GENERAL POPULATION CLASSROOM. COMMERCIALIZATION WILL BE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS WITH ESTABLISHED EDUCATIONAL CONTENT PROVIDERS.