National Federation of the Blind Engineering Quotient for Teachers: A Nonvisual & Accessible Engineering Curriculum

National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Engineering Quotient (EQ) for Teachers is a free, online curriculum and collection of resources for educators who want to teach NFB EQ, the National Federation of the Blind’s week-long engineering program designed for blind and low-vision youth. The curriculum consists of full lesson plans, files for the production of tactile graphics, Braille-ready files, and other resources that facilitate accessible engineering instruction for blind and low-vision youth. While created for blind learners, the lessons can also be facilitated with sighted learners.

Originally held in 2018 with thirty blind youth ages 14-22, NFB EQ was the programmatic component of the NFB Spatial Ability and Blind Engineering Research grant from the National Science Foundation (#1712887). Central to all programs of the NFB was the positive, affirming environment in which blind youth felt safe and free to learn nonvisually. It is critical for blind youth to experience spaces that normalize blind ways of knowing and doing, as opposed to spaces that either prioritize sighted techniques or sideline blind youth entirely. As with all scientists and engineers, blind participants in the NFB EQ program were expected to be active learners; they planned, designed, built, and tested through a hands-on, iterative process. The importance of this empowering environment is reinforced by the introductory section to the curriculum, “Understanding Our Approach to STEM Teaching & Learning,” which should be read prior to facilitating instruction.

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