OSUGC 98 Presentation page 1

Introduction:

This research is part of a larger program called the Science Access Project, which has the goal of making science and math accessible to people who are blind or have print disabilities.

Blind individuals taking physics encounter many problems, particularly the inability of Braille to effectively deal with equations, and interpreting the many drawings, figures, and graphed data that is presented in a typical course.

The scope of the research is limited to the basic, x vs. y graphing techniques.

The goal of this research is to develop, and prove, a system of auditory graphing techniques that students will be able to easily learn and use for interpretation of data. These graphs will be able to be used as an alternative to visual and haptic (tactile) graphs.

Advantages: quick to give an impression, portable, independent creation and review, can be used in many devices.

Disadvantages: imprecise, no standard method, unproven.

This presentation describes the methods used to produce auditory graphs and the pilot tests used to evaluate the success of the techniques.

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