Discover Together
Client: Senior Thesis at San Francisco State University
Instructor: Professor Ricardo Gomes
Design & User Research, Product Development, Visual Identity
Discover Together was my culminating thesis regarding the decline of Teachers of the Visually Impaired (aka TVI) affecting the education of students who are blind or visually impaired (VI). This project was recognized by the International Honor Society for Professions in Technology.
If you’re interested in the entire research of this project, you can read it here.
The role of a TVI has a significant impact on a blind/VI student’s life by offering their support and encouragement for the student’s success. The TVI understands the individual needs of the students both academically and in their daily lives. Without the guidance of one, students may struggle to keep up with their peers.
PROBLEM
There are approximately only forty university-led programs in the United States that train TVIs and collectively, only about 250 new TVIs graduate from these programs per year — leaving 5,000 open positions empty. In Illinois alone, the average teacher to student ratio from kindergarten to 12th grade is 1:79. That is an overwhelming amount of students to teach considering they are with disabilities.
GOAL
The goal of this project is inspired unspecialized teachers to adapt to an accessible teaching method and promote an inclusive learning environment. If blind/VI students are unable to receive individual teachers, the non-disabled learning community can adapt the way they learn for blind/VI students to follow along. This starts with setting out examples of how one can adapt how their curriculum for accessibility.
A visualization of the 8-week project timeline kept me organized and on-track.
A Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) chart depicting the design process for this study.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Met with Professor Siu (TVI, Ph.D) who is a Program Coordinator for the Department of Special Education for Visual Impairments at San Francisco State University.
From this discussion, I learned first-hand of the shortage of TVIs. Siu explained that one of the reasons that there is a shortage of TVIs was the lack of awareness for blind/VI community as well as a lack of overall resources.
She then shared with me the teaching materials common used by TVIs like braille books, which feature unrealistic imagery, and a braille chart and typewriter. She noted that while these materials are very useful, many are outdated and if they were to be used in a classroom with non-blind/VI students they would be overlooked due to their unattractiveness.
Met Mrs. Schlegelmilch who is the Program Director of Little Lemon Tree Preschool as well as Ms. Chen who is the pre-school’s teacher’s assistant.
I was unable to visit a blind/VI students due to the summer session but I did get to visit a non-disabled pre-school so I could at least understand a young children’s classroom setting. Here I observed how young children interacted with each other and how they were taught.
Researched existing organizations dedicated to support the blind/VI community. While these organization surely are supportive, I did notice the lack of public access to their resources.
The National Federation of the Blind
The oldest and largest organizations primarily led by the blind.
The American for the Blind Foundation
A non-profit organization that cultivates in-depth knowledge that improves understanding of issues affecting children and adults who are blind/VI and to facilitate meaning change fostering equality and inclusion.
The Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
A local organization based in San Francisco that provides a wide variety of programs to suit a wide variety of needs.
I reached out to a community of parents with blind/VI children through Facebook and conducted a brief survey. These were they key results.
A brief summary of my research process.
An inspirational image map for the overall theme of this project.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
I adapted a class activity about constellations made for third grade students into ‘braille cards’. I used the worksheet below as an example of how one can adapt a subject for a stimulating learning experience made for any student, including blind/VI.
Clips of the Star Gazing worksheet I adapted from.
STORYBOARD
A visualization of how a blind student and non-blind student are able to learn the same materials together with the proposed design solution.
Concept sketch of Prototype #1
Concept sketch of Prototype #2
PROTOTYPE #1
This is the first prototype of the adapted version of ‘Star Gazing’. The image was burned onto a 4x5 smooth plywood. This allows the student to feel the constellation points as well as the image it resembles. Ideally, the braille would be embossed and raised rather than burned flat into the wood.
The ‘Star Gazing’ cards adds a tactile learning experience which is great for younger students as they typically enjoy touching things, regardless if they’re sighted or not.
The design of the ‘braille cards’.
PROTOTYPE #2
This is a second prototype of an adaptation of Star Gazing. In this version, I’ve added lights and sound using Arduino, an electronic software, which makes for a more interactive learning experience. The problem most blind/VI students experience is the lack of spatial awareness so they rely on sound to know how close or far an object is.
The idea behind this concept is to take all eight constellations from the Star Gazing worksheet and place them all onto a single, large board. The board will be tactile, allowing students to feel the constellations as well as feel the braille of the constellation’s names. The board will be programmed with lights as each of the constellation point and a corresponding ‘beep’. The student will then press a button and each of the constellation will light up and make a particular ‘beep’ which indicates how far they are from the earth.
The video above demonstrates this prototype.
