Teaching labs for blind students: equipment to measure the inertia of simple objects

TL;DR

This paper presents an accessible laboratory setup enabling blind students to measure the inertia of objects by converting visual data into acoustic signals, promoting inclusive engineering education.

Contribution

It introduces a novel adaptation using open-source electronics to transform visual signals into sound, allowing blind students to actively participate in physics experiments.

Findings

Blind students can accurately measure inertia using the adapted equipment.

The method enhances inclusivity in engineering labs.

The approach is feasible with open-source tools and simple objects.

Abstract

This article explains and illustrates the design of a laboratory experience for blind students to measure the inertia of simple objects, in this case, that of a disc around its axis of symmetry. Our adaptation consisted in modifying the data collection process, where we used an open-source electronic platform to convert visual signals into acoustic signals. This allows one of the blind students at our University to participate simultaneously as their classmates in the laboratory session corresponding to the mechanics unit of a standard engineering course.