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Science and STEM Resources from Iowa
Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired has extensive resources for science teachers.
Jennifer Bliss, STEM Consultant from Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, has created extensive online resources for science teachers. As a statewide consultant, Jennifer typically sees students with visual impairments in general education classes and she has created numerous materials that will be helpful to both itinerant TVIs and general education science teachers. We encourage you to visit their website and explore the offerings! A partial listing of the contents follows below.
General Science Resources
These resources are designed to help educators prepare for a student with visual impairment in the science classroom. Visit the Iowa website to learn more!
- Tips for Science Teachers for a Visually Impaired Student (PowerPoint)
- Helpful Documents
- American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
- Perkins School for the Blind
- Described and Captioned Media Project (DCMP.org)
- National Center for Blind Youth in Science
- Space Camp for Visually Impaired Students
- Digital Accessibility Checklist
Science Labs & Graphing
Explore these strategies and tools to promote active participation of students with visual impairments in
science labs and experiments.
- Tips for Science Teachers for a Visually Impaired Student (PowerPoint)
- Measuring Liquids
- Measuring Mass
- Measuring Distance
- Talking Tools
- Collecting Data and Graphing
Science Materials
Explore the STEM section of “Core Curriculum” to see what materials are available.
STEM
Explore the resources below to find out how to include students with visual impairments in additional STEM topics, such as computer science and coding.
- Accessible Computer Science (PowerPoint)
- STEM (the T & the E) for students with visual impairments (PowerPoint)
- Paths to Technology (Perkins School for the Blind)
Tactile Graphics
Students with visual impairments may require visual representations, including pictures, maps, graphs, charts, diagrams and other images, in an alternate format. Tactile graphics are a means of conveying non-textual information to students who are blind or visually impaired through the sense of touch. A person with a visual impairment can feel these raised lines and surfaces in order to obtain the same information people who are sighted get through looking at pictures or other visual images. For many students with visual impairments, tactile graphics are essential to accessing and participating in educational activities.
- Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics from the Braille Authority of North America (BANA)
- Decision Tree
This tool is helpful in determining whether or not a tactile graphic is necessary. - The “Tactile Graphics Think Abouts” document gives you additional information around understanding tactile graphics and learning more about them.
Additional resources related to tactile graphic
Return to Accessible Science main page.
