Equalize
Eye to Eye Newsletter
4/1/2025
Research Review:
Mission INSPIRE: A Virtual STEM Event for Students Aged 11-16 Years Who Read Braille
Rosenblum, L.P., Herzberg, T.S., Osterhaus, S.A., and Wild, T. (2025).
Mission INSPIRE: A Virtual STEM Event for Students Aged 11-16 Who Read Braille, JVIB, 119(1), 61-74.
This research involved a STEM experience that was open to braille readers aged 11-16 years of age. The study was hands-on and inquiry-based and asked the following questions:
1. How do students with visual impairments participate in a hands-on inquiry-based STEM experience?
2. What accommodations are necessary?
3. To what extent do students who read braille accurately display results of their experiments?
4. What are the thoughts of students who participated in the study?
Mission INSPIRE was offered through Project INSPIRE, and a pilot study was conducted in the spring of 2022. Twelve students aged 11-15, who read braille completed the pilot study. Students received a box containing materials to build two rockets, as well as how to make the fuel (Alka Seltzer, water, and another fluid). The students were instructed in a Zoom meeting how to build a Fizzy Flyer rocket, and together with the online instructors all participants built a rocket. They were later instructed to build one on their own, with one change from the original rocket. They then designed an experiment to prove or disprove their hypotheses concerning their rockets. Each “rocket scientist”, as the students were called, gave a 10 minute presentation to judges who used a scoring rubric connected with Civil Air Patrol’s rocketry curriculum, which had been modified by the authors.
From the outcome of the pilot study, the following changes were made.
1. Simplify directions for building a Fizzy Flyer rocket.
2. Offer an additional 90 minute session to build foundational knowledge about rockets before building the first rocket.
3. Provide both a 3D model and two tactile graphics of a rocket. This model and graphics were referenced during the building session.
4. Review the scoring rubric with the rocket scientists during the second session to ensure understanding of how the presentations would be evaluated.
5. Provide the rocket scientists materials for creating tactile graphics to represent their data, should they want it (braille graph paper, tactual dots, Graph Benders through APH).
Mission INSPIRE 2023 was launched. Zoom meetings were held during April and May on Saturdays. “Mission Control” was made up of all authors, except for the first one. The Mission Control team was comprised of TVIs who were certified in mathematics or science or both. The 14 rocket scientists introduced themselves during the first session, learned fun facts about space, information about current space travel, and were able to tactually explore a 3D model and tactile graphics they had received in their box. During the second session, the students reviewed a tactile diagram of the rocket with parts labeled. An author also explained the scoring rubric. Six of the fourteen students attended the optional session offered, which also allowed the rocket scientists to interact with each other.
After building their rockets, Twelve of the fourteen students gave 10 minute presentations. The following Saturday, a video was shown that highlighted the twelve students’ presentations, winners were announced, and all who attended were treated to speaker Sheri Wells-Jensen, a NASA employee who is blind.
Almost all of the students who participated in the study to the end related that they received enough instruction during the Zoom meetings to build their rocket independently. Half of the participants felt that launching their rockets was the most exciting part of the experiment. Many of the participants stated they enjoyed meeting and conversing with other students who were braille readers. One of the rocket scientists said, “I really enjoyed Mission INSPIRE. It’s the first time I’ve been in a science fair type of event, and I liked getting to learn how to participate using braille and non-visual techniques with other blind kids. It makes me feel more confident that I could take on something like this with sighted peers.”
The authors observed that three of their participants spoke another language with their family, and that instructions/information needed to be made available for non-English speaking families. They also found that the amount of vision loss was not a factor in how well the participants did. Furthermore, they realized that the participants felt confident in building their rockets and with presenting to the judges. Most of the participants discussed that they felt science was a career option for them because of the study.
Project INSPIRE announces their Second Mathlete Competition, May 10, 2025. Braille readers grade 6 to 12 from the U.S. and Canada are eligible to compete. Go to this link for more information.
Spring has Sprung!
For some great lesson ideas about spring take a look at this site.
OR 
CCTV or Video Magnifier: What’s the Difference?
By Yvonne Franz
These two terms in our field are often used interchangeably, but there are distinct differences. We should all try to use the terms correctly.
The CCTV (Close Circuit Television), as its name implies, does close work for near viewing. It also has a built-in screen, a stationary camera, and often comes with an x-y table to move the materials underneath to be shown on the screen.
The Video Magnifier has an external monitor and an external camera that can be used for both distance and near viewing. The video magnifier can be connected to a television or larger/multiple monitors. Many video magnifiers now have OCR (speech output) which the CCTV cannot do.
Some kids can see the board well and only need near magnification or a CCTV. Others can see up close but need help seeing the board at a distance or need speech output. A video magnifier would fit the need for this student, but a CCTV would not.
As we write our IEPs and put in the equipment our students need, please be mindful of using the correct term of CCTV (near only) or video magnifier (both distance and near).
EARTH DAY IS
APRIL 22, 2025!
Part of assisting our students with self-determination skills is to raise awareness of those around them, as well as what is going on in their world. Our students sometimes perceive themselves as the center, with others there to provide for them, i.e., the “magic fairy” concept. Perhaps assisting them to understand how they can participate in protecting our earth and what they can do to get others to join them may encourage independence and leadership skills. It can be as simple as planning a small planting project for their school. This can involve:
* Discuss why planting a small flower bed would be good for the environment and for the school;
* Write a plan for what will be done to improve a small area of the school grounds;
* Present this to the school administration to gain permission to plant a small area with flowers;
* Organize a group of peers to help collect the flowers and come on a Saturday with adult supervision to plant what has been chosen.
* Have a dedication of the flower garden that the whole class can attend.
This might be the first community project your student does. Our students need to be involved in community projects in order to be more informed about the world around them. Taking risks is always a part of community interaction, but it will help build so many skills associated with the ECC. Where might a simple school project lead your students and what interests might it awaken?
