Students with blindness or visual impairment face learning barriers in the typical higher education classroom where a great deal of information is conveyed visually. Instructors can use a variety of strategies to accommodate such students and make visually presented information accessible. One common and inexpensive strategy is the use of tactile…

Introduction: Technological advances have introduced three-dimensional (3-D) printing as an option for creating tactile maps for people with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision), diversifying the types of map products that are available. At the same time, it presents a challenge to map makers to implement designs…

This article presents the results of a study on the use of 3-D printed models in a science classroom for students with visual impairments and examines whether the use of these models impacts student conceptual understanding and misconceptions related to geosciences concepts, specifically plate tectonics. Data were collected one week prior to…

The authors investigate how 3D printing technology could be utilized for instructional materials that allow visually impaired students to have full access to high-quality instruction in history class. Researchers from the 3D Printing Group of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) provided the Seoul National School for the Blind with…

Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community (United Nations, 2012). In Europe and around the globe, many efforts have been made in order to include people with visual impairments and blindness into the cultural life. The objects and artifacts exhibited in museums for people with visual impairments are…

An augmentative and alternative communication device was designed for a nonspeaking, blind, severely mentally retarded 11-year-old. The device consisted of a computer-supported expanded keyboard that produced synthetic speech output when tactile symbols were activated. Described are the assessment procedures, instructional procedures, and…