Independent Science receives an award from the National Federation of the Blind for making science more accessible
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Independent Science has been recognized by the National Federation of the Blind for technology to make science more accessible to blind students.
The company received the 2021 Jacob Bolotin Award on July 10 during the National Federation of the Blind’s virtual national conference. Independence Science created the Sci-Voice Talking LabQuest 2, a handheld, speech data logger that connects to more than 75 sensors and transducers. Sensors and transducers collect quantitative data in subject areas including biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space sciences.
Michael Hingson, a spokesman and business development analyst at Independence Science, says blind students listen to data as it is being collected. They also have access to the data afterwards for additional analysis.
“Visual students remotely control a Sci-Voice TLQ2 device that is connected to the teacher’s server. They can start and stop data collection, graph data, and explore data tables.” Hingson said. “By sharing audio in a virtual meeting platform, the JAWS audio feed – made possible by our partner VISPERO – goes through the visually impaired students’ speakers on their home computers. This interface has made scientific data collection possible during a global pandemic.”
The Jacob Bolotin Award is named after the first documented blind doctor in the United States, who lived in Chicago in the late 19th century. Hingson said Bolotin faced ignorance, prejudice and discrimination. treatment in its medical school and medical practice. Bolotin is driven to remove barriers to the hard-to-reach medical education he faces, while educating classmates, faculty, and eventual colleagues about the possibilities of the blind. in medicine.
“We are extremely honored to receive this award, which recognizes us as a pioneering force in the lives of blind people,” said Hingson. “This award is testament to Independent Science’s commitment to raising the bar for science accessibility for the blind in the context of remote laboratory science learning.”
Independent Science is based in West Lafayette’s Purdue Research Park. It conducts demonstrations and presentations at conferences and offers free webinars about its products and services. It also provides remote and on-site consultations to train teachers and/or students in its scientific approaches.
Writer: Steve Martin
Source: Michael Hingson
