Teaching Technology & Engineering concepts through socially relevant contexts: Adapting Older Engineering Graphics Methods to Facilitate New Opportunities in our School Systems for Blind and Low Vision Youth

Architectural and Engineering graphics have traditionally been delivered as part of many middle school or high school TEE curricula.  These experiences with drafting, measuring, orthographic/isometric understanding, and modelling help educate students towards a graphical understanding and common language required of those involved with the design, production, or engineering of a variety of artifacts important to our world and society.  In the specific context of preparing BLV students to succeed in these courses, modelling techniques of multi-view drawing development for BLV students have been developed as part of a National Science Foundation funded project.  These methods were intentionally adapted from older hand-drafting techniques that lend themselves much more easily than CAD to tactile interpretation for BLV students. The impetus behind this effort was to create a platform for initial support to TEE professionals who may have a BLV student in their courses.  Specific examples, instructions, and applications for many of the commonly-used tools and techniques are included here as part of this overall effort to teach TEE concepts through socially relevant contexts by adapting older methods to facilitate new opportunities in our school systems for BLV youth.