Finding solutions in everyday tech “ Being a blind chemist is not always easy ,” says Mona Minkara , Ph . D ., a researcher in the bioengineering department of Northeastern University in Boston . A lot of the software she needs in her computational lab wasn ’ t designed with accessible features . Plus , “ many people have doubted my abilities throughout my education .” Minkara says that everyday technologies , such as smartphones , are extraordinarily helpful in supporting people who are blind or have low vision . For example , using integrated assistive features on smartphones speeds up tasks that would be much more time-consuming for her as a researcher who is blind , compared to a sighted one .
At present , accessible materials are fairly sparse , Wedler says . Some of the techniques he has used are tactile graphics such as those provided by machines like Swell Form and Pictures in a Flash . He also used 3D printing as a graduate student . Then , there are molecular modeling kits that can be used by both sighted students and students who are blind or have low vision . Minkara herself has used modeling clay or hot glue guns to make tactile graphics .
Daniel Hajas , Ph . D ., who went blind at 16 , reports much the same experience in his pursuit of degrees in physics and informatics . Commercial screen readers weren ’ t able to read equations , for which he had to use other , open source applications . “ But when it came to diagrams and graphs , I had to rely quite a lot on human assistance , somebody actually sitting with me , talking me through [ them ].” His university did purchase a tactile embosser eventually , but , with a lack of training , it took students a long time to figure out how best to use it .
Different ways of seeing
In search of better solutions , Wedler , along with other collaborators who are blind or have low vision and sighted collaborators , recently co-authored a study that looks at 3D-printed lithophanes as a means of creating diagrams and other figures that can be universally visualized , irrespective of the level of vision .
Lithophane comes from the Greek lithos ( stone ) and phainen ( appearing ) but has nothing to do with stones — or Greece , for that matter . Some scholars credit the idea of creating art
“ There isn ’ t much out there , though , for blind students to be able to draw their [ own ] results and then present them back to their instructor .” — Hoby Wedler , chemist and educator
“ There isn ’ t much out there , though , for blind students to be able to draw their [ own ] results and then present them back to their instructor ,” Wedler says . One of the hardest things for people who are blind or have low vision in general , especially in fields that rely on a lot of diagrams , is being able to read the literature , he adds . “ And because authors all publish their figures differently , and they ’ re in different formats , it ’ s very hard to glean enough information from the caption of the figure to really understand what ’ s happening .” For this , scientists often have to make use of assistants and readers , that is , people who can help scientists and students read journal articles .
Above / An early European lithophane from 1855 shows a detailed portrait of firearm producer Samuel Colt ( left , ambient-lit ; right , backlit ). Colt purchased over 100 copies of the lithophane from a manufacturer in Berlin , Germany , that composed them out of bisque porcelain .
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
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