Teaching a Blind Student Engineering Graphics – A Case Study
It began with a conundrum: How to accommodate a blind mechanical engineering major who needed to take a required engineering graphics course but couldn’t access its computer-assisted design system. Steven Zemke, a professor of engineering and physics at Whitworth University, figured out a way to teach fundamental visualization and drawing skills using assistive technologies such as braille pads – and small, 3-D-printed plastic parts that could felt and then sketched on special “swell paper” to show the raised lines like the example pictured here.
Filed under: Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Teaching a Blind Student Engineering Graphics – A Case Study
Tags: American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, assistive technologies, Blind mechanical engineering student, computer-assisted design, Engineering Design, engineering graphics, Research on Learning, spatial visualization, STEM education, Steven Zemke, Whitworth University
Students in upper elementary/early middle school follow the engineering design process to brainstorm and build prototype sneakers from a variety of materials to meet such design requirements as good traction or deep cushioning. They learn how the sole provides support, cushioning, and traction. There also may be some fashion-based functions, including cool colors or added height.
