Approximately one out of every nine students in the United States has a disability. The SAS accessibility team is enabling these students to succeed in the classroom and the 21st century knowledge economy.
We are developing technology that allows students with visual impairments and other print disabilities to access charts, graphs, maps, and other graphical representations of data on the iPad and other touchscreen devices. See our gallery of accessible data visualizations for examples.
We are deploying this new technology on several projects. One of them is a NASA Education and Public Outreach Project. On that project, we are collaborating with the Space Telescope Science Institute - the organization that runs the Hubble Space Telescope. The goal of the project is to stimulate interest in STEM fields among students of all abilities that are 10-12 years old. The project will deliver an eBook that can be accessed in iBooks on the iPad. Check out the stories on Science Daily and Time Magazine for more information.
We provide hands-on training that helps educators come up to speed on the latest accessible technology and use it effectively in the classroom.
Ed Summers
Senior Manager, Accessibility and Applied Assistive Technology
ed.summers@sas.com