Cary Supalo, a blind biochemist has introduced a group of students and teachers to the tools he is developing to help visually impaired students succeed in chemistry.
Supalo, who graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and is currently a member of the National Federation of the Blind, is determined to "foster a more hands-on experience" for blind students in the chemistry lab. Supalo introduced a program called JAWS (Job Access with Speech), designed to convert computer text into audible speech. He and his colleagues managed to make JAWS compatible with the various lab probes created by Vernier Technologies. More than 125 probes are now able to convert text to speech. Supalo discussed the Submersible Audible Light Sensor, or SALS. This device consists of a submersible sensor attached to a control box, which contains a speaker. The SALS allows blind students to recognize when a combination of chemicals yields a new result. Since the student is unable to see the reaction, SALS produces a certain pitch when it is submerged in liquid. When two chemicals combine, a completely different pitch is produced due to the change in light content, indicating to the student a change has taken place in real time. Supalo demonstrated the SALS to the audience, and it was clear that many people were impressed with the technology. Another device showcased at the lecture was the Color Analysis Laboratory Sensor, or CALS. Like the SALS, this device consists of a probe connected to a control box. The CALS identifies the values of red, green, blue and white to tell the student the color of a specific solid or liquid. The CALS can identify certain shades of colors, such as "light red" (pink) or "dark blue" (navy). It currently has a 95 percent success rate, and Supalo is working to make it even more accurate. In addition to the SALS and CALS, Supalo also mentioned a new stopwatch for blind students he helped develop. It is the only one of its kind that allows for accuracy up to one hundredth of a second. Supalo told the audiences these devices could be used in a variety of modified experiments for blind students, such as a "freezing point depression" lab. Source: http://media.www.signal-online.net/media/storage/paper771/news/2008/11/19/News/Biochemist.Introduces.Technologies.For.Blind.Students-3549756.shtml thanks, mukesh jain. To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
