BLIND INSIGHTS ON GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

As an individual with decreasing vision pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies in geology, I have gained insights from both low vision and blind educational perspectives. During my undergraduate studies, I engaged in course work, field work, and research using both low-vision assistive technology and low-tech aids. Hands-on lab activities, magnification, group work, large print text, maps, and tools such as Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) enabled me to succeed in my courses. Much of my research was computer-based, allowing for zooming/magnification. One-on-one assistance in the field provided safety, verbal descriptions, and high contrast sketches of geologic features, making my participation possible. As my vision decreased in graduate school, my research, sea-time, and teaching assistantships necessitated implementation of more non-visual based approaches. Text-to-speech and voice command softwares facilitated access to my geophysics research. I also utilized digital texts, talking calculators, tactile graphics, and experimented with data sonification. At sea, team work and continual verbal communication made deck work possible, and I was able to operate instruments with computer based controls to retrieve water column information. After extensive tactile experience with submersible Alvin, I was able to work with others to control mobile pressure recording measurements and sampling. While teaching introductory geology labs, I worked closely with a grader and occasionally with other TAs for assistance. Throughout my experiences, I have found that working closely with teachers and students to identify problems, and test a variety of solutions is crucial. In this presentation, I will discuss resources and practices that have proven helpful to me as a student who is blind, as well as ideas and resources to enhance accessibility of geoscience education in the future.