A Web-based Tutorial for the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation

Abstract

The evidence shows that individuals who cannot see print and therefore must use printed materials that have been transcribed into braille experience great difficulty in achieving proficiency in mathematics, ultimately limiting their opportunities for gainful employment in our technological society. One of the major reasons for this situation is that many teachers of children who are blind and many vision rehabilitation therapists working with adults who are blind are not competent in the braille code for mathematics (DeMario, Lang, & Lian, 1998; DeMario & Lian, 2000; Kapperman, 1994; Kapperman & Sticken, 2003; Rosenblum & Amato, 2004; Wittenstein, 1993). The Research and Development Institute (RDI) has developed several tutorial products for the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation (hereafter, Nemeth code) to serve as resources for teachers of students who are blind, rehabilitation therapists, and children and adults who are blind, beginning with the Computerized Nemeth Code Tutorial in 1997 (Kapperman, Henry, Cortesi, Heinze, & Sticken, 1997). This original version was purely visual and, therefore, was not accessible to people who are blind. In partnership with Freedom Scientific from 2001 to 2005, an accessible version of the tutorial was developed and made available exclusively for the BrailleLite braille notetaker (Kapperman & Sticken, 2001, 2002, 2005). In partnership with HumanWare, an updated and heavily revised version of the tutorial became available in 2007. This accessible product worked only on the BrailleNote braille notetaker (Kapperman & Sticken, 2007) and was subsequently determined (through a rigorous, scientific study) to be highly effective as a tool to improve Nemeth code proficiency (Kapperman, Sticken, & Smith, 2011, 2012). After determining that the tutorial model is, indeed, an effective resource for acquiring or improving knowledge of the Nemeth code, a new goal emerged: the authors began to search for a totally accessible platform that would be available to anyone interested in the Nemeth code anywhere, anytime, and without the requirement of purchasing specific hardware in order to use proprietary software. In 2011, in partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), and with funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant no. H133G110122), the web-based Nemeth Code Tutorial project was launched. Over a period of three years, the staff members of RDI developed the content of the tutorial while APH software engineers developed the software. This revolutionary tool is now available, at no charge, to anyone who has access to the Internet, from a Windows or Macintosh platform (including on devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and Android-based cellular phones), using any assistive technology software or hardware (including any screen reader or magnification program and any keyboard, including electronic refreshable braille devices). It resides on the APH website, . METHODS The content of the web-based Nemeth Code Tutorial was largely revamped to reflect the current sequence of symbol introduction used in mathematics instruction, based on grade-level expectations according to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that have been adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia to date (Ujifusa, 2015). Also reviewed as a guideline for creating the sequence of the chapters and lessons in the new tutorial was the Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Frameworks for Braille, which were released by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2012 (Maryland School Performance, 2014). This document outlines the sequence of literary and Nemeth code braille symbols which students should master at each grade level. Although significant revisions to the Nemeth Code Tutorial content and sequence have been made in this new version of the tutorial, the basic structure and function remain the same as in previous versions. …