Thinking Outside the Dots: Lessons Learned in Tactile Graphics John P Jones Director, Media Resources Center Wichita State University

How I Got Here I don’t come to this work from a background in Disability Services Instead: A lot of years working in web development, training, instructional design in education, internet startups, and Fortune-500 corporations Accessibility has been part of all of that work Media Resources Center: Video, Classroom Tech, Instructional Design, Web Development

Agenda Introduction The Four Requirements The Embosser & Standard Braille Production Adding to our Tools Key Considerations Vector Graphics Proofreading your braille Interpretations Dangerous Interpretation How to be a good SME

Introduction The Wichita State University Experience

Wichita State University and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) WSU signed an agreement with the NFB in 2016. The agreement represents a new wave of agreements coming out of the NFB and the OCR We must reach a very high standard for accessibility by July 29, 2020. All instruction, including Face to Face (created our own standards) Our university Web site was required to be accessible sooner (it’s a Work in Progress, but much better than it was) An agreement like ours has it’s advantages. But you don’t want one.

The Four Requirements for a Successful Class Stolen shamelessly from Dr. James Beck, Professor of Biology at Wichita State Unviersity

Materials Prepared in Advance Braille Lecture notes/slides, screen readable texts, tactile versions of key diagrams Available well before material is presented in lecture “Good students worry that really difficult material is just around the corner, even if they have the entire text at their disposal…this anxious feeling is even more pronounced for a blind student, particularly if they have minimal opportunity to read materials ahead of lecture.” -James Beck, PhD

One-on-One Instruction There are limits to what can be conveyed in a tactile figure Many figures simply can’t be made tactile Standing meetings help manage anxiety Students must prioritize listening and understanding, and can’t take detailed notes

Creativity There are limits and challenges to what can be presented simultaneously to both sighted and blind students Alternatives must be created that are equally effective and equally rigorous In many upper division classes that demand for creative solutions may be a daily challenge

Student Attitude Providing effective instruction for a visually impaired student requires a lot of extra effort from Instructor and Staff Students who are engaged and invested in their learning make that investment worthwhile John’s Note: Poor student attitude does not alleviate our legal responsibilities

Takeaway from Beck’s Requirements A lot of work – in advance – is required Good collaborative work relationships between faculty and staff is critical There are two possible points of failure for the institution: Staff support and Instructional support Staff support must have the skills and resources to make success possible Faculty/Instructional staff must engage with the process to succeed

Production: Embossers and more

The Embosser & Braille Production Single Embosser Operation

Adding to our Tools Print In A Flash (PIAF) Non-embosser Braille and tactile graphic printer

Key Considerations Vector Graphics Proofreading your braille Interpretations

STEM for People with Visual Impairments Demand is growing Images are challenging Our standard should be to provide everything, not the minimum

Dangerous Interpretations Interpretation by non-instructional staff Sign Language Interpretation Braille translation Tactile Graphics Translation

Build The Team: Staff and Instructors Technical staff Lots of repetitive work creating graphics and documents Skill with Adobe Illustrator or other software for creating SVGs (vector graphics) can be trained, but is very useful Attention to detail Instructional Staff Creativity Commitment to student learning Willing to work differently – to reach objectives in new ways

How to be a good SME Serve students – What will best meet their needs? Think creatively – start from course and unit objectives and be flexible about methods – especially assessment methods Do the basics: Write text alternatives to images, use styles, structure your documents well, ask questions and be ready to learn from your students If an image isn’t important enough to warrant a text description at least for a student who can’t see it, why is it there cluttering up the class for the students who can?

Embosser and Thermal Paper Samples Embosser Printing Much less expensive supplies Paper tears Very loud Built-in braille translation Thermal Paper Extra step Diagrams are visual and tactile Expensive supplies Must create your own braille

Other Solutions Tactipad 3-D Printing Text Alternatives

Lessons And Takeaways

Making Good Choices: Triage Triage image production It may not be possible to produce everything Understand the course and assignment objectives Don’t cling to elements that are not related to the objectives Communicate like crazy

Making Good Choices: Interpretation As you create diagrams based on images: Focus on the information that the student needs to learn Eliminate noise Check your interpretations and assumptions with the faculty Document your choices and communication Work with the students being served as much as possible

Beware Bad Ideas Cutting the people you are serving out of the process Creating internal shorthand for your own convenience Relying on publishers for accessibility Poorly worded text that implies images are present or needed when they are not

Final Thoughts Technology has made things better, and easier There is still not a solution that eliminates the need for hard work and deep, proactive collaboration When we fail, the students are the ones who pay the ultimate price.

Questions?

Thank you! John P Jones john.jones@wichita.edu Twitter:radiatinggnome Linkedin: johnpricejones