Sharing a Braille Computer

When a student is using his or her hands to operate a braille computer, it's impossible for the teacher to read the refreshable braille strip, or even to see which keys are being pressed. It is extremely frustrating for the learner if the teacher has to keep asking the writer to lift their fingers clear. That's where connecting a display screen can be very helpful.


The two models of BrailleNote used at New College Worcester work in slightly different ways when displaying text on a screen. The older mPower uses a serial lead to send data to a windows laptop (on which KeyView software emulates a "dumb" terminal mode). The newer APEX sends information directly from a VGA output (via a cable) to a standard computer monitor screen. Each system requires some basic training for both student and teacher, but the payoff in the classroom in terms of a more productive learning environment is really worthwhile.

In schools where smartphones and other tablet or mobile devices can be used legitimately, a Bluetooth pairing with an APEX model can be set up to achieve the same result "wirelessly".

Serial lead from BrailleNote to Terminal Emulator on laptop.

VGA lead from BrailleNote to standard display screen.

Braille code is automatically translated to on-screen "print".

Scholarship visit to Perkins USA

Perkins School for the Blind provides education and services for children and adults around the world who are blind, deaf blind or visually impaired. So you can imagine how pleased I was to be awarded a scholarship from my teaching union NASUWT and The English Speaking Union. This scholarship has provided me with the chance to visit Perkins School for 2 weeks, in which time I will consider the similarities and differences between a US residential school for visually impaired and my own school, New College Worcester.

You may wish to follow or read more about my visit by taking a look at my blog
Sarah1vi.wordpress.com
I have written a little each day during my visit and included plenty of pictures!
Sarah Hughes

iPad2 for VI learners

The students I work with LOVED using an iPad2 recently.

Read more in this shared PDF.

Voiceover

A sense of touch doesn't give much of a clue when a blind person uses the smooth, featureless interface of a tablet device like this iPad2. Fortunately those clever people at Apple include a "talking computer" app called Voiceover with their products. So people like the young musician in this picture can compose, record and edit their songs by seeing the display with their ears.

Helpful "Pound Shop" audio accessory

There are many challenges facing a learner who is both visually and hearing impaired when he or she is using a computer fitted with access technology. Not least of these is the sheer number of voices they must focus on. In an apparently straightforward classroom (group) situation, where a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) is working with a teacher to help such a student, there are multiple conversations to make sense of. At any one time those talking may include:


• The teacher

• The LSA

• The screen reader app’s voice

• Other students

Using a low-cost headphone splitter can help create a more productive learning environment:

The headphone splitter directs an audio feed to the learner's digital hearing aids and another to the LSA's headphones.

Flip Cameras and Dictaphones

Picture courtesy of oxstallslcmedia.blogspot.com

Earlier this year I took several students to a Triple Science Flip Cameras Training event, led by Elly Lengthorn of Nunnery Wood High School. During this event students were trained as ambassadors in the use of Flip Cameras in the classroom. Armed with tips sheets and ideas of how and when to use the cameras, students returned to school with 2 Flip Cams. Since this time we have used the Flip Cams throughout the school in various ways. Here are a few examples:

1. During activities week students and staff recorded many clips (usually no more than 90 seconds long each). These clips took note of the tips from the advice sheet from Elly and subsequently required no editing. A variety of these clips were then used, when presenting the events of the week to parents and others.

2. Students have made brief revision clips for Science to help them to consider what they have learnt. They have also used the Flip Cams in this way to record a brief video as a plenary activity, which can also double up as a starter video for the next lesson.

3. Students studying Child Development have used the Flip Cams to record observations of a child performing certain tasks for their child study. I advise students to film the hands and body of the child, but to avoid the child's face, to minimise privacy issues. They would normally need to take written notes whilst observing (this is difficult for any student, but particularly for a student with a visual impairment). The video clips taken are copied to a memory stick and deleted from the camera and students are only allowed to view the clips during controlled write ups. Once the study is complete the memory stick is deleted (for the protection of the child observed).

4. Students have used the Flip Cams in drama lessons to self assess and observe their own performance (which is otherwise impossible).

5. The mobility department have used it to demonstrate proper use of a cane. This video focusses solely on the cane with voiceover step by step instructions.

I am sure that there are far more ways that we have used the Flip Cameras already and will be plenty more uses for them in the future. We have even considered purchasing a Kodak camera of the same style which can be used under water, as this would help PE staff to assist students to improve their swimming techniques.

The fact that the USB port just flips out of the side of the camera and that it is simply plug and play, means that there will be no stopping you, once you get using them.

Technology Brings Animals to Life!

Students were visited by a gorilla and a T-Rex last week thanks to Millennium FX. This leading animatronics and prosthetics special effects company, treated our students to a real hands on experience. This would be a chance in a lifetime opportunity for anyone, but for visually impaired students it was the only way that they were going to truly understand the scale and texture of an animal. You may see the Central News clip here. It was an amazing experience!

Sarah Hughes

University ahead

The student pictured above is blind. She is using two computers: one is a Windows PC, which tells her what is on the screen by "talking" to her through the synthesised voice of a screen reader application; the other is a Braille note taker, the functions of which she controls with certain Braille key combinations. Its refreshable one-line Braille display allows her to read, write and edit documents efficiently, so it's really simply another type of computer system.

The equipment which you see here costs many thousands of pounds. It's typical of the setups High School students must learn to work if they are to succeed academically. In many ways it's rather like learning two different languages at once.

Pictured below in more detail is a display screen attached to the BrailleNote. Braille is designed to be read with fingers, so it's really tedious to keep asking a student to move their hands away for a sighted teacher to read the raised white "dots" by eye. This machine instantly translates Braille text into electronic "print": a much better way to work.

Braille basics

Link to a blog post about Braille basics.

Large screen TV

Sibelius is an "Industry Standard" music technology computer application which students use to compose their work. Some visually impaired users can benefit greatly from looking at the notation when it is displayed on a  large screen television connected to the video output of the PC.

Sibelius is perfectly capabale of increasing the size of the notation to show a magnified portion of the music on the computer screen, but the big advantage of the large TV  in this instance was to give the composer the ability to navigate between the staves of a larger score without becoming disoriented.

Photographs by Victoria Ward, Director of Music at NCW.

Welcome to IT4VI

New College Worcester, UK

Welcome to IT4VI, the e-space where you can contribute, share and discuss teaching and learning for visually impaired IT users.

"Eye-tee-for-vee-eye" is not for nerds. It's not about the geekiness of IT itself. It is about how we can use IT to help learners who are blind or partially sighted. The word "help" here is shorthand for "empower", "enable", "support" and "facilitate". You probably already know these fancy Edu-speak terms. But how might our marvellous modern technology actually improve our learners' learning, folks?

Whatever your specialist subject is, or however your job title and CV labels you on paper (or even e-paper), we at IT4VI would love to hear from you.

Peter Bryenton

IT Teacher

New College Worcester

Making Models and Modifying Equipment

Hi. I'm Sarah Hughes and I am the Head of Science at New College Worcester. NCW is a Specialist Special School for Visually Impaired young people (aged 11 to 19 years) in Worcester, England.

I joined the school from a mainstream comprehensive in September 2007. When offering advice to teachers and support staff of visually impaired students I am always conscious of the fact that things are very different in my setting compared to that of a mainstream teacher with a class of 30 students (and only one visually impaired student). I love to use gadgets wisely in my teaching and take care to select the right equipment for the job (which does not always involve spending megabucks!)

To give you a taste of what I am trying to do, here are four points:

1. Coming from a mainstream secondary school to NCW I considered the fact that I no longer had a whiteboard and projector in my classroom. I feel that for partially sighted students there is a place for such technology. However, just because something is on a big screen this would not necessarily make it accessible. Budgets are always an issue for schools and interactive whiteboards are expensive and I would argue of limited use (shadow cast on screen when student close, fixed position, poor resolution, to name a few). I have introduced a 42" LCD TV on a wheeled stand to the science dept (total cost £700). This has a port for a laptop so that it can be used as the monitor/display (with the advantage of being backlit with built in speakers and moveable to suit the student).

2. My Science Department has also purchased a hand-held digital microscope with magnification x200 for under £100 and in addition to being used with a laptop via the USB port as a microscope, it is also used as a web cam to observe very small measurements in chemistry practical work or to show a hazardous practical demo on the TV.

There is also a hand-held magnifier from HumanWare at just under £500 which some students who love gadgets have.

3. Using the above equipment I often deliver lessons which use modified Powerpoints which I used at my previous (mainstream) school. I modify the images on the PowerPoint and I may also change the hyperlinks from video clips to other visuals or audio clips that are more suited to the children in my class. So even PowerPoint presentations are modified in the same way that students would be given modified print diagrams or text. I also use Dolphin's Lunar to flip the screen colours and/or contrast simply to suit the preferred view for each student in the group. I am now thinking that by using Photoshop I can manipulate images to enhance colour or contrast, etc. This is why I have been looking at Apple Macs lately because I think that the standard photo manipulation software is easier to use than on a PC.

4. I have also been using Audacity to record revision mp3s for my students. Here's the case study about this.

I am very interested in the use of technology in teaching and have more ideas about using technology to encourage access to learning. I do believe that the answer is not always in purchasing expensive, purpose built equipment, but thinking about how you can use readily available kit in a different way (as you can tell by the above).

If you'd like to learn more, I have produced a pdf file with more detailed text and photographs. It's called "Making Models and Modifying Equipment".

I hope that this gives you a taste of what I'm trying to do and the way that I'm thinking. You are very welcome to visit me or contact me regarding any of the above.

Sarah Hughes

Head of Science

New College Worcester

Access Technology for Newbies

If you find yourself confused about Access Technology because you're new to it, or you just want to gain an overview, you might find reading this document helpful:

Access Technology for Newbies

Remember, remember . . .

. . . to use your laptop to help you to remember.

If you are supporting IT users who face short-term memory challenges, you may wish to try this simple but effective strategy. It has proved useful in helping some learners to organise themselves more effectively. This has improved their self-esteem.

Read more about this in a document called Remember Notes.