During recent discussions about what accessible math tools students are using, Desmos is always one of the first tools mentioned. Desmos, a graphing calculator application, is being used in gen ed classrooms, is accessible for students who are blind or low vision, and is a tool that is embbed into most high stakes math assessments, including SAT exams.
The Desmos website has all kinds of information – which is great – but can also be overwhelming for many TVIs who are not necessarily math experts. No worries! Coffee Hour facilitated by TSBVI, has a terrific Desmos webinar.
The original Accessible, Interactive Math with Desmos webcast date: 1/14/21
Webinar Description: Interactive mathematics software can empower students to build confidence and intuition and explore math questions more deeply. Learn about several tools for making mainstream interactive mathematics software accessible to students with visual impairments, including: screen reader friendly equation editing, audio and tactile representations of mathematical graphics, and refreshable Braille. Presented by Jason Merrill and Steve Clower, Desmos Inc. and Susan Osterhaus, TSBVI.
View the Accessible, Interactive Math with Desmos webinar here.
The handout for the webinar, along with captioned text, and the participant chat is also available on the TSBVI Coffee Hour page.
Desmos Resources
- Desmos website
- Exploring Math with Desmos: Getting Started post
- Desmos Audio Tracing: Introducing Sonified Graphs post (Dr. Yue-Ting Siu’s lesson and video of the student using Desmos)
- Graphing for Blind Students Tutorial post (Graphing webinar by Dr. Denise Robinson – using Excel and Desmos)
- Create Embosser Ready Graphs Directly from Desmos post (By Neal Mckenzie – includes video tutorial)
- Test-Approved Graphing Calculator App (with video tutorials created by Desmos)
By Diane Brauner
