New Perspectives in Science Education

Learning chemistry requires interpreting symbols, classifying elements, and understanding how a formula represents a substance’s composition. When these concepts are presented primarily through visual resources, students with visual impairments need alternative ways to access and work with the same concepts. This contribution presents the design of the Sistema Didáctico Multisensorial para la Enseñanza de la Química (SDMEQ; Multisensory Teaching System for Chemistry Education), developed for the final year of lower secondary school in Mexico. Its purpose is to connect printed information, Braille, and auditory and visual digital responses to support the study of chemical elements and formulas. Universal Design for Learning informs the provision of multiple means of representation and participation [1]. The system combines chemical element cards containing QR codes with an application that accumulates successive readings. For example, scanning the hydrogen card twice and the oxygen card once enables the representation of H₂O. This activity provides a starting point for discussing the number and types of atoms indicated in a formula. Teacher mediation connects card manipulation with the chemical meaning of the representation. The poster will present the system’s components, accessibility decisions, and an example of a teaching activity. For the subsequent evaluation of the project, a proposed approach will document students’ understanding of chemical representations, participation, and autonomy through observations and student work. The research is ongoing. The contribution concerns resource design and its pedagogical use; effects on learning remain to be evaluated. The work offers a concrete proposal for discussing how physical materials and digital resources can be combined in accessible chemistry education.

Keywords: Chemistry education; visual impairment; multisensory resources; Braille; Universal Design for Learning.

References:
[1] CAST. (2024). CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/