Resources for Teaching Students Who are Blind, Visually Impaired, Deaf, or Hard of Hearing

Math Resources for Blind and Visually Impaired (BIV) Students

Manipulatives

Many manipulatives are useful for developing concepts with sighted as well as blind or visually impaired students. This compilation is materials which are designed specifically for BIV students.

• Calculators
  • Online Desmos Calculators (free)
    • Desmos Calculator [select Four Function, Scientific, or Graphing]
    • Desmos Accessibility Information
    • Desmos Calculator Shortcuts
      • Four Function
      • Scientific
      • Graphing
  • Handheld Orion TI-84 Plus – Talking Graphing Calculator
    • Purchase
    • Tutorial video playlist
  • Other calculators

• Omnifix Cubes
  • Omnifix cubes, set of 100
  • Braille math teaching slate and cubes kit
• Rulers
  • Braille ruler, 12-inch
  • Braille ruler, 12-inch with center groove
• Tape Measures
  • Flexible, tactile 5-foot measuring tape
  • Talking tape measure (English)
  • Talking tape measure (Spanish)
• Dice:
  • White with tactile black dots
  • Black with tactile white dots
  • High-contrast black dots on yellow
• Playing Cards:
  • EZ-See Low Vision Playing Cards (3 pack)
  • EZC Playing Cards
  • Braille Playing Cards
• Geometry tools:
  • Geometro for three-dimensional construction: https://www.geometro.net/products.html or https://www.aph.org/search-results/?fwp_search_term=geometro
  • Geometry kit (with compass, protractor, set squares, and scale Braille and large print protractor)
  • Braille and large-print protractor
  • Tactile Compass
  • Tactile tangrams kit
• Algebra tools:
  • Tactile algebra tiles

Tools for Drawing and for Graphics

• Wikkistix (make anything tactile and traceable)
• Tactile Graphic Image Library (free from American Printing House)
• TactileDoodle (use to manually generate tactile, raised-line graphics)
• ViewPlus products can emboss tactile diagrams and braille documents

Teacher Training

• Tactile Aids for Mathematics (on-demand course; free)
• Using the Desmos Calculator with Sara Larkin (recorded PD specifically demonstrating features for people with visual impairment)
• MathSpeak, A Talk on Verbalizing Math by Dr. Abraham Nemeth (PDF)
• Tactile Graphics Think About from the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (a Google Doc list of considerations and resources when thinking about tactile graphics)
• Access to Math and Science Content for Youth Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (read about students’ classroom experiences)
• Universal Design for Learning Benefits Everyone (read an adult education teachers’ experience)
• Amplify Classroom (formerly Desmos Classroom) Accessibility

Communication for Mathematics Learning

• Assistive technology for vision available to loan for free in Massachusetts: massability.at4all.com (use search keyword “vision loss”)

Math Resources for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Students

Communication for Mathematics Learning

• Assistive technology for hearing available to loan for free in Massachusetts: https://massability.at4all.com (use search keyword “hear”)
• VoiceThread (web-based communication through text and video around images, slides, documents, and videos. Annual single educator licenses available.) 

Signing Math Resources

• Signing Math Dictionary (SMD) and Signing Math Picture Dictionary
• Math Concepts in ASL (YouTube video)

Teacher Training

• The National Science Teaching Association has a resource page for working with deaf and hard of hearing students. Also see NSTA Disability Resources page.
• Mathematics Instructional and Environmental Strategies

Resources for Adult Education Programs

• Disability inclusion support is available for Massachusetts adult education programs through SABES at https://sabes.org/content/sign-program-based-coaching-help-your-program-become-disability-inclusive

• Massachusetts’ ADA Coordinator Training and more can be found in the SABES Canvas Catalog https://sabes.catalog.instructure.com/?query=ada

• The Basic Disability Screening Adult Education is a tool to start conversations with the goal of increasing inclusion of adults with disabilities in the program  https://sabes.org/content/basic-disability-screenings-adult-education-program-use/ada-resources-training-sabes

• Some assistive technology can be borrowed from the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Regional Centers (locations in Pittsfield, Worcester and Boston)