There are many resources for purchasing or creating technology and materials that make science labs accessible to students with a variety of disabilities. Conducting a web search will locate some of them, but the following websites provide a good place to start:
The Foundation for Science and Disability (FSD) is a nonprofit organization whose members work to
Several options can be considered for accommodating students with mobility impairments when the field site is physically inaccessible. The student with the mobility impairment might:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that supports special education and related service programming for children and youth with disabilities. It was originally known as the Education of Handicapped Children Act, passed in 1975. In 1990, amendments to the law were passed, effectively changing the name to IDEA. In 1997 and again in 2004, additional amendments were passed to ensure equal access to education.
Conveying mathematical equations in Braille is usually accomplished through the use of specialized math Braille codes. In the United States, a generally accepted practice is to use Nemeth Braille code. Students may also use a type of two-dimensional spatial tactile mathematics notation called DotsPlus, which is a composite of standard Braille with raised lines and symbols.
Students who are blind can participate in lab-based or other hands-on activities side by side with sighted students if simple accommodations are in place. Often they will need accommodations to make measurements in a lab activity, since standard rulers, dials on stoves or hot plates, syringes, balances, and many other measuring devices require vision to read. Two simple strategies that can be used for students who are blind are teaming and making equipment tactile.
Despite the national focus on math education over the past several years, American students' math skills still lag behind their peers from other industrialized countries. The low math skills of the nation's 6.5 million students with disabilities is even more problematic. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show there is great disparity between the math skills of students with disabilities and students without disabilities.
The Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) is a plan or program developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives specialized instruction and related services.
Some students with disabilities have difficulty taking notes. For example, a student with an auditory processing problem may take few or unclear notes. Physical and hearing impairments may also limit speed and make note-taking difficult. A note-taking accommodation is intended to provide information that the student would have gotten on his own, if it were not for his disability. Common ways to provide note-taking accommodations include the following:
Many individuals with different types of disabilities have difficulty accessing the information in graphs, charts, drawings, and three-dimensional models. For example, a student with a visual impairment may be unable to visually extract the information in a graph. A student with a mobility impairment may be unable to physically manipulate a three-dimensional model. A student with a learning disability may have difficulty decoding the information in a graph.