Biochemist adapts lab materials for students with visual impairments
Last Wednesday, Cary Supalo, a blind biochemist, introduced a group of students and teachers to the tools he is developing to help visually impaired students succeed in chemistry. Supalo, who graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and is currently a member of the National Federation of the Blind, said many blind students feel they suffer from a lack of opportunity. He questioned whether or not the "passive approach" many teachers currently take toward blind students in the classroom would encourage anyone to pursue a career in science. He recalled a time during high school when he was extremely excited to take calculus but found out his high school was unwilling to support him. He remembered telling a teacher, "I am always going to be limited in what I achieve."
Click the link above to read about Cary Supalo's use of JAWS with various lab probes as well as his Submersible Audible Light Sensor that "allows blind students to recognize when a combination of chemicals yields a new result".