Looking to Up Your Braille Math Skills or Seeking to Engage Your Students in Fun STEM Learning Opportunities?

Authors: Tina S. Herzberg, Coordinator and Professor of the Visual Impairment Program at the University of South Carolina Upstate, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS). L. Penny Rosenblum, Research Professor Emerita, University of Arizona, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) and Owner of Vision for Independence LLC

Have you ever checked out the Project Inspire (Increasing the STEM Potential of Individuals who Read Braille) microsite that is hosted on Paths to Literacy? Though the US Department of Education funding was cut, the microsite is still available and full of resources both for professionals looking to update their own math braille knowledge as well as those seeking activities they can use with students who are blind or have low vision in upper elementary through high school. 

Free, On-Demand Courses

The Project INSPIRE team has created seven free, on-demand courses. The first six courses focus on Nemeth Code, and the seventh on UEB Math/Science. Included in each course is information on methods, materials, and instructional strategies for the grade level of the students it serves. Each course contains six to seven lessons. Each lesson includes a recorded PowerPoint presentation, transcript, PowerPoint slide deck in braille and print, and practice activities for the braille code-focused lessons (in braille and print). The courses contain one or two assignments to allow participants to demonstrate mastery of the course content. A comprehensive resource list accompanies each course.

Nemeth Courses 

• Course 1: Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts and Strategies for Supporting the PreK-1st Grade Student in Building Math Skills
• Course 2: An Introduction to Nemeth Code Symbols Used in Grades 2 to 5 and Strategies for Supporting Elementary Students in Building Math Skills
• Course 3: Grades 2 to 5: Nemeth Code Symbols for Fractions and Spatial Problems, Instructional Tools, Materials, and Technology
• Course 4: Geometry and Tactile Graphics for Students in Grades 3 to 8
• Course 5: Nemeth Code Symbols Used in the Middle Grades and Strategies for Supporting Math Learning
• Course 6: Nemeth Code Symbols Used in High School and Strategies for Supporting Math Learning

UEB Math/Science Course 

• Course 7: An Introduction to UEB Math/Science for Pre-Kindergarten–1st Grade Students and Strategies for Supporting Math Learning (Students will learn the symbols used in UEB Math/Science. The methods and materials are the same as in Course 1.)

For more information, read descriptions of each course and/or view objectives. 

Four Engaging Student Programs

The Project INSPIRE team has developed four programs for students. The Nemeth in a Box and Mathlete Competition programs were designed for braille readers. Mission INSPIRE and WaterViz were designed for students who are blind or have low vision. All the materials for the student programs are available for professionals and families to use with students. 

Nemeth in a Box for Middle School Students

• Nemeth in a Box for Middle School Students contains seven lessons that teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) or others (e.g., family members, paraprofessionals) can use to review and/or introduce Nemeth Code symbols at the middle school level and review math concepts in a fun way. Activities include mazes, What is Wrong? Which One Doesn’t Belong?, BINGO, Boggle, and Jeopardy.

Mission INSPIRE

• Mission INSPIRE is a set of science and engineering activities designed for students aged 11-15 years. TSVIs or others (e.g., science teachers, science fair organizers, family members) can use the Mission INSPIRE materials to provide students with an opportunity to participate in hands-on science learning through an inquiry-based experience. During Project INSPIRE, project staff (referred to as Mission Control) provide virtual group instruction to the students (referred to as rocket scientists) who build a rocket. On their own, rocket scientists build a second rocket, test their hypotheses, and present their experiment results to Mission Control. At the Hatch Closing Ceremony in Spring 2023, Dr. Sherry Wells-Jensen, who is blind and works with NASA, shared her experiences with rocket scientists and their families.

Mathlete Competition

• The Mathlete Competition is designed for students in grades 6-12. Mathletes compete in four rounds of competition during which they demonstrate their ability to read, write, proofread, and solve braille math problems. Competition materials are available both in Nemeth Code and UEB Math/Science. During each award ceremony, a guest speaker who is blind shares their experience in STEM. The 2024 speaker was Campbell Rutherford, a Harvard student majoring in mathematics. The 2025 speaker was Dr. Maureen Hayden, who earned her PhD in marine biology from Texas A&M University a few months after the ceremony.

WaterViz STEAM program

• Through the WaterViz STEAM program, students can engage with real-world environmental data collected at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Students analyze complex water cycle data from the WaterViz visualization and sonification project, learning to interpret data presented through innovative and accessible formats, including musically sonified data (data conveyed as sound), described animated visualizations (visual data with image descriptions), and tactile graphs. Moving from analysis to application, students design and conduct a hands-on experiment to measure transpiration from plants in their local environment, build 3D models of long-term climate data, gain insights into climate trends and their implications, and meet STEM professionals from the multidisciplinary WaterViz team.

What’s Next for the Project INSPIRE Team and Those We Serve?

Drs. Tina Herzberg and L. Penny Rosenblum are working to obtain alternative funding and partnerships so that Project INSPIRE can continue to offer certificates for professionals who complete Inspire courses. They are also seeking funding to update the current professional development courses and develop new courses. In addition, they have ideas for new student programs they would like to develop and offer.  

Currently, their team is:

• Partnering with Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) to offer professional development courses. Professionals can earn a 12-hour professional development certificate. They anticipate offering this opportunity again in Fall 2026. 
• Offering the 2026 Mathlete Competition. While it is too late to register a mathlete for this year, they are hopeful they can offer the competition again in Spring 2027. 
• Continuing to raise funds through the University of South Carolina Upstate Foundation. Donations can be made online or by completing and mailing the donation form listing Project INSPIRE under “other” in the Gift Designation section of the form. Funding from donations was used to offer the 2026 Mathlete Competition. 
• Seeking funding from the US Department of Education, foundations, and other sources to design and offer new student programs and professional development courses. If you have any ideas for us, please email Dr. Tina Herzberg and/or Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum

It is hoped that professionals, students, and families will continue to use Project INSPIRE resources. 

Be sure to sign up for the Project INSPIRE mailing list and/or follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn so that you get information on upcoming opportunities both for professionals and students.

Resource

Herzberg, T. & Rosenblum,P. (n.d.). Project INSPIRE: Increasing the STEM Potential of individuals who read braille. Paths to Literacy. https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/resource/project-inspire

A student concentrates on the Perkins braillewriter during the Mathlete Competition.

A smiling student reads the next math problem during the Mathlete Competition.