Advice From Blind Teachers on How to Teach Statistics to Blind Students

Abstract

Blind students are bound to make up a very small part of the population most university lecturers will encounter during their careers. Research to date shows that good communication between staff and student improves the chances of a successful outcome for both parties. The research does show, however, that the exercise seems to be one of re-inventing the wheel, perhaps with a less than fully informed blueprint to work from.

The authors use their own experiences as blind students who progressed beyond research methods or first year introductory courses into careers as teachers and researchers of statistical methods to provide guidance for their sighted colleagues. Our principle point of difference to the existing research work is that we rely on the experience of our statistical education for our current livelihoods; we were not one-off students taking a research methodology course or first year introductory course. We benefitted from the successful (and possibly the not so successful) interactions we had with our sighted teachers. It is our hope that by saving staff from wasted effort, we can spare students from unnecessary discomfort in classes that could improve their future employment prospects. Our aim is therefore to provide practical support for our sighted colleagues and blind peers as we work together towards the empowerment of blind students in becoming competent producers of statistical information, not just consumers who interpret that information.

• Low vision
• Tactile images
• Braille
• Speech output