[accessibleimage] MathTrax software for accessible graphs

Is anyone familiar with this program?  
- Judi Piscitello, TVI, COMS
Jpiscite@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Assistant, Training of Special Educators
NYS School for the Blind Outreach Department
2A Richmond Avenue
Batavia, NY 14020
(585) 343-5384 ext. 427
FAX (585) 343-0652
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/nyssb/resource.htm 
"The most important thing in this life is helping others to win, even
if that means slowing down and changing our own race." - Author
Unknown

Galveston County Daily News , Texas
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Man creates "MathTrax" program to help blind students

By Rachel Hunter, Correspondent   

Johnson Space Center computer engineer Robert Shelton knows firsthand
the challenges blind students often encounter while going through
school. 

Born with congenital glaucoma - a disease that damages the optic
nerve,
causing partial vision loss or blindness - Shelton lost his sight at
the
age of 11. Today, the self-proclaimed "tech-geek" oversees NASA's
Learning Technologies Project and helps develop electronic tools in
the
areas of math, science and robotics to aid visually impaired students
and educators.

"Being blind makes getting through school more of a challenge," said
Shelton. "Logistically, it is just more difficult. I've had to use a
lot
of tricks through the years just to survive. Almost all blind people
are
more independent now because technology is really making things
easier."


MathTrax is an example of one of the tools developed by Shelton and
members of his team. Similar to a graphing calculator, MathTrax is a
computer application that graphs math equations and also provides a
text
description of the graph and an audio version of the image.

"It does everything that a graphing calculator does and more," Shelton
said. "The goal was to make graphical information accessible to people
who can't see it and to do it in a way that is cost effective. This
software basically looks at a graph and puts it into words and
sounds."


MathTrax took about three years to develop. Although there are similar
software products available that utilize sound, Shelton said he is not
aware of any that describe images like MathTrax does. It's actually
this
unique feature that makes the computer application a beneficial tool
for
any middle school to college-level student wanting to understand
difficult math concepts, Shelton said. 

After earning a doctorate in mathematics from Rice University in
Houston, Shelton worked as a professor and research mathematician at
several out-of-state universities. By helping to develop MathTrax,
Shelton said, he also hopes to encourage more visually impaired people
to pursue careers in science and technology. 

"I think that it is sad that kids with blindness or other disabilities
are often passed over for science and math courses because it is a
little bit more difficult to teach them," he said. "I am hoping that
we
are going to take the technology we've created and release it to the
public sector so more products can be developed."

Shelton said he knew at an early age that technology was the right
field for him. 

"As a kid I was always interested in machinery and anything with
wires," he said. "I can remember my dad giving me an old alarm clock
to
take apart when I was 4-years-old so I could figure out how it
worked."

Although the disease that blinded Shelton is treatable with today's
laser surgery technology, his condition cannot be reversed. Yet, the
NASA engineer said he considers himself lucky that his experiences led
him to a successful career as a computer engineer. 

"When I lost my vision, my parents explained to me that if I was going
to have a productive life I was going to have to get serious," Shelton
said. "It made me refocus my life and technology became, more than an
area of interest, something I could do to make money and be a
productive
citizen. Sometimes when an event comes along there are unforeseen
consequences, and sometimes that can be a good thing."

+++

On the Web: MathTrax may be downloaded for free at
http://learn.arc.nasa.gov/mathtrax 

http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=5504a7cf02975a63

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