Lync and Skype help teachers connect with visually impaired students

For schools like the Washington State School for the Blind, it has been challenging to find math instructors who have experience with visually impaired students or who teach Nemeth Braille Code to blind students – until they tried Lync and Skype.

“Lync is totally keyboard controlled and is therefore better for blind students. With the addition of ‘screen reader’ devices, students can work with their teacher on math problems in real time,” says Sherry Hahn, the digital research and development coordinator for the school, in a post on the Skype Play Blog. “And the low vision students can use ‘screen enhancement’ to see the ‘whiteboard’ function in Lync.”

Robin Lowell is a “rare find” as a teacher who had the skills necessary for the school – and who works remotely to teach Algebra I and II to ninth-12^thgraders at the school.

“At first we tried to use basic teleconferencing but it didn’t work out,” Lowell says. “Teaching math to the visually impaired and blind is a massive challenge. The teacher must use very detailed speech patterns, but verbal description alone is never enough.”

Then, on a recommendation, they tried Lync. Most of the students sit in a traditional arrangement in the classroom, facing the front of the room. Lowell is projected in front of the class and the students who can’t be there join in remotely using Lync.

“Lync is straightforward and is a one-stop-shop,” Lowell explains. “There’s no need to log in to a bunch of different apps. The IM function is very useful too so everyone can communicate directly with me. All of the students get what they need, when they need it.”

Lowell and many of the students also use Skype. She says, “The students use Skype with each other to do homework and communicate both in and out of class.” Skype helps the school to connect with students who are not part of the school and may not have access to Lync, while Lowell tutors additional students over Skype and often uses her document camera for the Skype video call so she can generate a real-time white board for low-vision students. Hahn adds, “We’ve also taught a computer programming class over Skype with students as far away as Texas. And, on top of it all, our students are getting a great education in technology skills.”

Read the rest of the story over on the Skype Play Blog.

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Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff