Hello, I’m Dr. José Manolo Álvarez, and I’m passionate about Braille, technology, and coding!
As a blind person, and based on my personal and professional experience, I have often observed that many blind students struggle to master basic skills in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering (STEM) due to the highly visual nature of these subjects and the lack of accessible alternatives to support their learning.
As a professor of assistive technology courses at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), I have developed various educational tools based on the use of Braille displays to promote access to STEM for blind students in a simple and non-intimidating way. Braille is essential for blind students in STEM, as it enables them to access, understand, and manipulate scientific, mathematical, and technical information independently through a precise and structured tactile format.
I have created this Inclusion STEM site to publish and make available some of the projects I have developed as tools to support blind students in mastering the basic skills necessary for STEM areas. The available apps include Windows and web apps. They are available in both English and Spanish language and are compatible with screen readers and Braille displays.
Building Basic STEM Skills Through Braille Display Technologies
Braille display technologies are an excellent alternative recommended for blind students to develop basic skills in STEM areas from the earliest school levels. The apps available on Inclusion STEM are designed to work seamlessly with screen reading software. They are compatible with both traditional single-line Braille displays and the Monarch, an innovative multiline Braille display, supporting this step-by-step learning process, fostering independence, and strengthening the development of fundamental skills. In this way, Braille technology not only opens doors to knowledge but also ensures a strong foundation for students’ academic future.
Tiflo Baseball
Tiflo Baseball is a simple and accessible interactive educational home run derby video game for Windows, designed to help blind students practice basic math skills. The game promotes a Multimodal learning based on the strengths of the blind students, integrating sounds and auditory feedback, Braile display support with aWindows screen reader, plus keyboard navigation. Also, the game integrates graphics and animations to promote an inclusive education.
Tiflo Baseball can be an excellent alternative for blind students to practice basic math skills in an interactive and fun way. The video game can complementing the use of Braille UEB math and Nemeth code, the LEGO® Braille Bricks, and even resolving basic math operation problems using the Cranmer Abacus.
Learn more and download Tiflo Baseball.
Inclusion Code
Inclusion Code is an accessible educational tool designed to learn and practice HTML in a simple way. Both the online version of Inclusion Code and the Windows version have been created to allow blind users to easily and intuitively practice basic HTML elements and preview their code in a web browser, using screen readers softwares and Braille displays.
Understanding the fundamentals of HTML markup language is an excellent entry point into the world of web programming for blind students. Also, learning to structure documents with headings, paragraphs, lists, and links enables the creation of well-organized digital content for the web, while also ensuring a high level of digital accessibility.