Astronomy

Astronomy teachers can explore the many resources designed for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Can Blind People be Astronomers? Future Reflections – National Federation of the Blind
Bernhard Beck-Winchatz asserts that "there is nothing a blind person could not do as well" in the field of astronomy. He co-developed Touch the Universe – A NASA Braille Book of Astronomy, which makes Hubble Space Telescope images accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Exploring the Universe by Touch, Future Reflections, National Federation of the Blind
Professor Bernhard Beck-Winchatz shares his passion for astronomy and describes the potential benefits it offers to students who are blind or visually impaired.

Helping Blind Students 'See' the Stars, Education World
This article features Benning (Ben) L. Wentworth III, a science teacher at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, who designed and built the only portable, self-standing tactile planetarium in North America for visually impaired students.

Non-Sighted Shadow Detection Unit, Colorado School for the Blind
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
 "This activity allows non-sighted individuals to use a gnomon and the sun's shadow to determine high meridian and ultimately True North."

Not Just Taking Up Space: Almost-Infinite Job Possibilities at NASA, AFB Access World
Find out about some of the jobs being done by people who are blind or visually impaired at NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). 

Phases of the Moon Activity, National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS)
Noreen Grice explains how to simulate "the phases of the moon in a way that helps your students visualize and understand the cycle."

Using Asteroid Scale Models in Space Science Education for Blind and Visually Impaired Students, Astronomy Education Review
Bernhard Beck-Winchatz "discusses how scale models of near-Earth asteroids can be used to teach space science to blind and visually impaired students."

What is "Where Fingers Meet the Stars"? Colorado School for the Blind
This tactile planetarium at Colorado School for the Blind is housed in four 12-foot diameter domes. The  tactile representations of major constellations allow for a "hands-on exploration of the night sky."

Learning About the Stars, Future Reflections – National Federation of the Blind
Penny Leigh describes the Multisensory Space Science Kit, developed by South Carolina School of the Deaf and the Blind and NASA. She describes adaptations to teach the proximity between planets, an Alphabet of Space, and a tactile map of the solar system.

Get in Touch With the Sun's Wild Side, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
This page describes the book Touch the Sun, which allows blind and visually impaired students to experience images of the sun and solar activity by feeling transparent raised textures bonded to the pictures.

Hands-On Book of Hubble Images Allows the Visually Impaired to "Touch the Universe", HubbleSite
This site describes Touch the Universe: A NASA Braille Book of Astronomy, which uses embossed images of planets, nebulae, stars, and galaxies to make it accessible to readers who are blind and visually impaired.  The site includes released images, text, videos, Fast Facts, and related links.

The Solar System: A Tactile Representation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Dr. Cassandra Runyon and Dr. David Hurd offer a walkthrough of the Tactile Guide to the Solar System in this 19-page document, describing their scale model of the solar system and facts about each planet.

Touch the Invisible Sky: Exploring the Cosmos in Braille, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Touch the Invisible Sky is a NASA-funded book that uses "braille, large type print, and tactile diagrams of celestial images observed by space telescopes … to reveal the cosmos to the blind and seeing-impaired"; includes an audio description.

Web-based Organizations and Internet Resources

NASA Science Inquiry Materials for Visually Impaired, ACE—Adapted Curriculum Enhancement
Evolving Universe and Feel the Impact are NASA astronomy modules adapted for students with visual impairments. Both include alternate student texts and tactile graphics cards.

The Space Exploration Experience (SEE) Project for the Blind and Visually Impaired, DePaul Space Science Center for Education and Outreach
The SEE Project develops "Braille / tactile … space science activities and observing programs that actively engage blind and visually impaired students from elementary grades through introductory college level in space science."

Spacesounds
This site features recordings of space phenomena, exploration missions and SPACEthoughts, addressing questions about the vastness of the universe.