132-5 Defining Accessible Materials for Students with a Visual Impairment in Physical Geology Courses

Abstract:

Results of a Google search for the “best general education science courses for visually impaired students” include an AI-generated answer: “environmental science, astronomy, and introductory biology,” arguing that these subjects can be taught with tactile graphics, 3D models, auditory simulations, and hands-on experimentation. Geology is a recommended course because it “utilizes raised-relief maps, physical rock and mineral samples, and tactile models of planetary or crust structures.” Since professors are generally not involved in creating students' schedules, academic advisors and disability services advisors may recommend these classes for students with visual impairments.

The search results also return links to websites with resources teachers can use to make their courses more accessible to this underserved student population. Unfortunately, the suggested environmental resources offer ideas for teaching about plants and do not address the topics taught in geology-based courses, and the reasons for recommending visually impaired students enroll in a geology course are flawed. For faculty teaching Physical Geology, there is little guidance on adapting course materials. Adaptable resources, such as tactile images, are published on the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) website, and a few university-specific news stories about others’ experiences in a Physical Geology course are the primary resources available to geology professors.

The idea of teaching a visually impaired student in geology can initially feel overwhelming and even somewhat isolating. Many of us can visualize ways to replicate many of the graphics in our textbooks and labs more tactile, but there is limited insight into best practices for creating these images, and our disability offices may be able to provide only limited support due to budget constraints that limit access to critical tools for printing the images from the Geoscience Tactile Image Repository and a general lack of understanding of how geology is taught, and the topics that are covered in a geology class.

Here we present our collaborative journey to find an accessible way to teach geology to a visually impaired student during the 2025-2026 academic year at a community college. We present the challenges and successes we faced from both the professor's and the student's perspectives, and suggest ways to make geology courses more welcoming for students with visual impairments.

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