A lesser known corner of the Assistive Technology world is making scientific instruments accessible. Independence Science has taken on this challenge. Their products allow visually-impaired high school and college students to gather and analyze scientific data independently and without sighted assistance.
With the addition of the ISCI Visual Access Software, the Vernier LabQuest unit is made fully accessible. The LabQuest is a common educational tool for gathering laboratory and field data for such subjects as biology, chemistry and physics. Data recorded with the LabQuest device can later be transferred to PC-based Logger Pro software for statistical analysis or other purposes.
The ISCI Visual Access Software is also notable in that no modification has to be made to the actual LabQuest units per se. In today’s era of powerful processing power and robust hardware, many devices could be made accessible via similar means. This proves that accessibility is not the technologically complex puzzle it once was. Independence Science has made an important first step by showing blind and visually-impaired students can benefit from accessible scientific devices.
For further information, including YouTube videos of the talking LabQuest being demonstrated, check out http:/www.independencescience.com.
