Visual Impairment Dollar Ideas
APH (American Printing House) has a lot of technology that can be ordered specifically for blind and low vision students. DBVI (The department for the blind and visually impaired) is another great resource you can utilize. Students that are found eligible through a low vision exam can get assistive devices free of charge. Below are a few tips and tricks to make science hands-on for blind and low vision students without having to order/spend a lot of money.
Measuring and Observing
1. Ruler: Use a hot glue gun and place a small amount at the same intervals down the ruler to make it tactile.
2. Graduated Cylinders:
- Can order a set of plastic cylinders with raised markings
- Hot glue gun to make tactile markings
- Wiki sticks to mark where liquid levels start and finish
- Add food coloring to clear liquids for low vision students
3. Balances:
- Hot glue gun to mark the level line
- Explain how the beam works, let them explore, tell them what each beam means, and let them try and balance. You will need to hold the arm when the student touches to see if the mass is level. You can then tell them where the ones place is, such as 3 slashes after 7 for 7.3g.
4. Thermometer: Use a hot glue gun and/or wiki sticks to mark intervals and where the alcohol stops.
5. Reactions:
- Color detector (free app on smart phone - set to simple) that will allow students to know if a color change (chemical reaction) has happened. Take a picture to know the color before the reaction and then again after the substances are mixed. Make sure to hold a white paper behind the substance when taking a picture so the color will be what's inside the container, not what is seen through it.
Graphs and Diagrams
- Puffy Paint and Elmer's glue are quick and cheap ways to make any image 3D (tactile).
- Ribbon and string are also good for line distinctions, different textures tell the student the lines represent different things.
- Wikki sticks work well to make topographic maps tactile. Students can even create their own using wikki sticks.
- Cork board, thumbtacks, and rubber bands can be used to make graphs. Thumbtacks are used to plot points and rubber bands are used to connect the points for line graphs and can even be done for bar graphs.
- Graphs can also be made using puffy paint on card stock and when it dries students can use objects such as paper clips, chips, beads or even erasers to "color in" the squares needed to make a bar graph.
Models
- Stuffed animals or plastic toy animals that you can buy in packs at the dollar store can be used to assist students with visualizing what animals look like and their anatomy.
- Clay or play-dough models can also be used to help students understand anatomy, cell organelles, and types of cell transport.
Measuring and Observing
1. Ruler: Use a hot glue gun and place a small amount at the same intervals down the ruler to make it tactile.
2. Graduated Cylinders:
- Can order a set of plastic cylinders with raised markings
- Hot glue gun to make tactile markings
- Wiki sticks to mark where liquid levels start and finish
- Add food coloring to clear liquids for low vision students
3. Balances:
- Hot glue gun to mark the level line
- Explain how the beam works, let them explore, tell them what each beam means, and let them try and balance. You will need to hold the arm when the student touches to see if the mass is level. You can then tell them where the ones place is, such as 3 slashes after 7 for 7.3g.
4. Thermometer: Use a hot glue gun and/or wiki sticks to mark intervals and where the alcohol stops.
5. Reactions:
- Color detector (free app on smart phone - set to simple) that will allow students to know if a color change (chemical reaction) has happened. Take a picture to know the color before the reaction and then again after the substances are mixed. Make sure to hold a white paper behind the substance when taking a picture so the color will be what's inside the container, not what is seen through it.
Graphs and Diagrams
- Puffy Paint and Elmer's glue are quick and cheap ways to make any image 3D (tactile).
- Ribbon and string are also good for line distinctions, different textures tell the student the lines represent different things.
- Wikki sticks work well to make topographic maps tactile. Students can even create their own using wikki sticks.
- Cork board, thumbtacks, and rubber bands can be used to make graphs. Thumbtacks are used to plot points and rubber bands are used to connect the points for line graphs and can even be done for bar graphs.
- Graphs can also be made using puffy paint on card stock and when it dries students can use objects such as paper clips, chips, beads or even erasers to "color in" the squares needed to make a bar graph.
Models
- Stuffed animals or plastic toy animals that you can buy in packs at the dollar store can be used to assist students with visualizing what animals look like and their anatomy.
- Clay or play-dough models can also be used to help students understand anatomy, cell organelles, and types of cell transport.