Goals

Mathematical, physical, and chemical formulas as well as graphics, diagrams and figurative presentations mean fundamental barriers for blind and partially sighted users.
This is the reason why young visually impaired students often are not interested and open to those fields, and accordingly teachers neglect to develop their intellectual capacities and qualifications.
The percentage of visually impaired youngsters in study programmes like mathematics, science, engineering and economics is far lower to their sighted peers. The few ones deciding in favour of those subjects often get frustrated and disappointed because of a lack of support. They change their fields, or even stop studying.
But – an international and global community needs the intellectual participation of everybody, and IT/AT is able and present to make it possible.
The ICCHP Summer University therefore aims at bringing together those willing and prepared to change this situation:

• Students from school and higher education
• Teachers and educational experts
• Developers and researchers
• Companies and developers

The dialogue between those groups and correspondent input will bring a common understanding of barriers and difficulties and lead to proposals of technical and educational solutions.
A final meeting of this two-days ICCHP Summer University will be dedicated to recommendations concerning the secondary school and the Higher Education system to improve the support and the inclusion of visually impaired students.

Organising/Program Committee

Dorine in ‘t Veld
Joachim Klaus
Bernhard Stöger

Contributors/Sponsors

ViewPlus
SZS Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Institut Integriert Studieren, Universität Linz

Conditions for participation

Companies / research organisations / projects / support or service centres for students / schools/teachers …
can exhibit for free at ICCHP (normal participation fee for at least one participant required).
Participation for students in the Summer University is free and also participation in the ICCHP conference.
In appreciation for this offer by ICCHP we invite companies and sponsors to cover travel/accommodation costs for one or more students.

Expression of interest

If you are interested in taking part in the ICCHP Summer University as
   1. school or university student
   2. contributor (companies / research organisations / projects / support or service centres for students / schools/teachers)

please send an email to

Bernhard Stöger

Programme Outline

This programme should help interested students and partners to get an overview. It is subject to ongoing updates:

Part 1: Identifying the Problems

• What are my problems in dealing with Math as a student?
• What are my difficulties in getting literature, in communicating with school mates or teachers?
• What are my problems as a teacher, both in a mainstream and in a special education context?
• What are, as a teacher, my difficulties in presenting contents to visually impaired students, in reading their work, in showing them geometric phenomena?

Part 2: State of the Art – Solutions: Methodologies, Tools, Teaching Concepts, Research Activities

Monday, July 12, Afternoon Session
14:00 Tutorial Track 1: 2-3 parallel sessions where products are presented
hands-on to the students
16:00 Break
16:30 Tutorial Track 2: 2-3 parallel sessions where products are presented
hands-on to the students
18:30 Evening Programme

Tuesday, July 13, Morning Session
10:00 Presentation of products and solutions in parallel sessions
12:00 Break

Part 3: Future Perspectives

Tuesday, July 13, Afternoon Session
14:00 Discussion, reflection, recommendations:

• Are the solutions presented in the tutorials usable for me as a student / as a teacher?
• Do I have suggestions/wishes/visions to improve or extend them,
• or do I envisage completely new/different solutions?
• How can I benefit from the solutions (buy, download, further instructions)?
• How can we stay in contact (formation of contact groups for further discussion/exploitation of the knowledge attained here)?
• Which further future activities can we start (input for ICC, workshops, another Summer University on ICCHP 2012 etc.)

16:00 End of the ICCHP Summer University