scientific and graphing calculators

It is possible to use scientific and graphing calculators that are usable by students who are blind?

Calculators are widely utilized at every educational level. Calculators capable of carrying out statistics , scientific calculations, altering matrices or plotting functions on graphs are particularly beneficial in studying the most advanced mathematics. While the majority of graphing and scientific calculators aren't accessible to people with visual ability, there are options available which allow those that are visually impaired to use these calculators in a way that is effective.

There are many talking science calculators are available on the market, however every calculator will not function to the exact specifications expected for all grades. Therefore, an evaluation of features that are required from the student must be completed in order to ensure that the appropriate calculator for the student is chosen. Susan Osterhaus at the Texas School for the Blind has provided a thorough review of the features of various speaking science calculators that could assist with the selection process. This calculator is called the Orion MultiView Interactive Scientific Calculator can be highly respected and highly regarded as a talkative scientific calculator that may meet the requirements of a wide range of students.

Another alternative is the portable electronic notetaker with the latest math-related features. Some notetakers come with speech synthesis and Braille that refreshes and is a great option for students blind for logarithmic and trigonometric calculations. Make sure to check with the manufacturer of the notetaker to find out if any scientific calculator function that is able to be used.

There is also software that allows access to speech for an scientific calculator application. Some of them emulate the interface of a standard calculator, while certain models also allow an audio interface to the graphs. For example AGC is an example. Audio Graphing Calculator (AGC) is an example of a user-friendly Windows-based application it features graphing calculators that can be used for graphically displaying graphs, both audio and visually as a sonified graph.

To learn more about accessibility of and use of scientific and graphing calculators see the accessibility resource available Calculators from the GeorgiaTech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA).

To learn more about accessible math, take a look at the following Knowledge Base articles What are possible ways to design Braille maths material? and why is accessibility to math crucial?

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