Inspirations from Scientists and Engineers Who Are Blind and Visually

Impaired - Lessons to Initiate New Direction for Science Education of Blind

Students in Nigeria
Sariat Adelakun
University of Birmingham
Birmingham. United Kingdom
sariatlakun@gmail.com; saa075@bham.ac.uk

Inspirations from Scientists and Engineers Who Are Blind and Visually
Impaired - Lessons to Initiate New Direction for Science Education of Blind
Students in Nigeria

Abstract
Students with Visual Impairment (SVI) are usually side-lined from STEM subjects because of the
presumed inability to comprehend the subjects. Preventing SVI from participating in STEM lessons is denying
them the opportunity of equal educational opportunity promised by the Federal Government of Nigeria. This
article reviews the biography of some highly revered blind personalities in the STEM areas and tries to decipher
how they made it albeit the stigmatization meted out to them and then neglect. This is expected to serve as
inspiration for the SVI who wish to study in any of STEM areas. For instance, Supalo, a professor of Chemistry
employ paid readers to draw responses on all assessment and emphasise the need to develop habit of thinking
creatively. Gary Vermeiji said the prevailing attitudes about science and the blind must be reformed. Abraham
Nemeth as well as the Nigerian Emmanuel were also able to circumvent the challenge. In conclusion, the abovenamed scientists are people from which the blind STEM students can draw inspiration.

Keywords
STEM, students with visual impairment (SVI), Scientists, TVI

1. Introduction
Education in the Nigeria National Policy on Education is seen as instrument par excellence
for effecting individual and national development. The Educational policies in Nigeria like
other countries are driven by the international agreement or acts. For example, the right of all
Nigerians to education is provided in section 18 of the 1999 constitution. Similarly the
formulation of the National Policy on education in 1977 and the repeated revision in 1981,
1989, 2004 and 2008 is influenced by the Education for All Acts, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), etc. Section 8 of the 1977 and revised 1981 and 1989
Education Policy provision is devoted to education of children with special educational needs
and more elaborate sections are provided in the 2004 and 2008 of the revised policy. The
latest special provision was influenced by the inclusion policy which was enacted into law in
2004 using Universal Basic Education (UBE) to provide free, compulsory 9 years basic
education for all Nigerians of school age. Nigeria is moving in the right direction. However,
students with visual impairment are affected greatly by attitude of educators who preconceive
without adequate knowledge what the SVI can and cannot do [1] and [2].
Can students with visual impairment become scientist? Can they participate and contribute
meaningfully in science disciplines? Are there role models for them? What can Nigeria
government, educators, teacher trainers, family members and course mates gain from the
experience of the role models? Is this possible in Nigeria? Has any SVI in Nigeria studied
STEM discipline? What about the resources and logistics? These and other questions are the
focus of this paper.
Many blind or visually impaired people have studied STEM courses. The scope of this paper
cannot allow me to draw inspirations from many of them. I purposively selected few role
model in STEM disciplines. A brief biography (at least to show the onset of blindness) and
Specific inspirational quotes from the role models (to show areas of importance to the SVI,
their families, friends, school mate, Science teachers, Teachers of the visually impaired (TVI,
Resource persons or specialists), Teacher trainers and the Government) are presented.

Professor Cary Supalo

1.1 Biography
Cary Supalo lost his eyesight in 1982 at a very young age of seven. Cary first developed an
interest in science at his high school in Bolingbrook, Illinois. He started as a business
administration major at DeKalbs Northern Illinois University, later transferred to Purdue
University to earn two bachelors degrees, one in Chemistry and the other in
Communications. He obtained his Master's Degree in Inorganic Chemistry and, then earned a
Ph.D. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. He is a trained chemist. Along the
way, he added majors in Computer science, Engineering and Liberal arts. Cary Supalo is the
founder and president of Independence Science, an access technology company that develops
and distributes blind and low vision tools that increase students access to hands-on
experiences in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms.
He is a recipient of two national scholarships.
1.2 Working experience
He served and computer lab consultant at Purdue University, as a Teaching assistant at Penn.
State University (taught CHE 110 chemistry principles I). He also served as project manager
for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) for over six years. Graduate student/Research
Assistant in Penn State University for eleven years and also Project manager Independent
Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB) at the same Penn. State University and a postDoctoral Fellow at the same University. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the
Independence Science over six years. Currently he is a professor of chemical education at the
Department of Chemistry, Illinois State University
He is chair of the chemistry subcommittee of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA)
and also serve on the chemists with disabilities committee for the American Chemical
Society.
In three different chemistry courses CHE 140 in 2013 and 2014 and CHE 145 in 2013 at his
University teaching, Cary was rated 5/5 on helpfulness, 4/5 on clarity and 4/5 on easiness.
Overall comment:
Love this class he is really a teacher who cares about his students. Ask him questions and he
will answer with all his might. Take him for your lab instructor he is worth it. The material of
this class is hard to begin with but he helps make it easier.
Mr. Supalo is a great teacher. I highly recommend taking his lab, I am a C student and he has
helped me get an A. He provides practice tests a week before the actual test. Lab quizzes are
easy, simple, and straightforward. Choose/switch labs to go with Mr. Supalo, if you are lost,
he will lead you.

1.3 Research Interest

His research interests include modification of science curricula and teaching methodologies,
along with further development of assistive technologies, with the goal of continuing to
improve access to laboratory science education for students with blindness and low vision.

Fig1: Professor Cary Supalo

1.4 Quotes
Below are some of his sayings influenced by his experience which are similar to happenings
in Nigeria:
I believe in a can-do attitude, said Supalo.
I wasnt allowed to touch anything in high school, he said Were not making these blind
kids enjoy science, Supalo said. The overall perception is that they cannot do what they
need to do.
I just want give back to the population that I am a part of, Cary says "Lab experiments are
commonly viewed as too difficult for someone with a visual impairment and thus a student is
relegated to note taker or secretary. "My experience has taught me that blindness needs not
be a barrier in the pursuit of one's ambitions to achieve whatever goals one aspires to
achieve."
A major strength of competent blind people is our ability to problem solve. We have been
finding creative ways to function non-visually since we first learned to get around our homes,
dealt with the printed word, and learned to organize things at home and at school. These
lifelong problem-solving skills are an asset to us in science classes and will serve us well as
we move into employment in science, technology, engineering, and math." Supalo, 2012.
People with disabilities (PWDs) are an entire population of lifelong problem solvers. It
makes sense to incorporate them into the STEM educational pipeline and the STEM
workforce, because STEM is all about solving problems. Their mastery of problem-solving is
a strength that would be an asset to the STEM fields Supalo,

My mission is to alter the societal paradigm of STEM education for students with
disabilities by promoting hands-on science learning for all learners.[10]
1.5 Table 1 Strategies
S/N
1

Inspirations
Training for the TVI typically doesnt differ much from the training provided for a
science teacher, despite their varying roles. Cary believes that an understanding of
these roles is essential for a student to be successful in the science classroom. The
role of the TVI emphasizes how to adapt the concept for the student, but the TVI
doesnt need to have a mastery of the curriculum,

The role of the science teacher, on the other hand, is just the opposite. They need to
have a mastery of the science curriculum but dont necessarily need to know all the
adaptations.
Through support from friends and faculty members at Purdue University, he was
encouraged to study Chemistry

2 Lev Semenovich Pontryagin [3 September 1908 - 3 May 1988]

Fig2: Lev Semenovich Pontryagin

2.1Biography
He was born in Moscow and lost his eyesight due to a primus stove explosion when he was
14. He was a Soviet mathematician of great repute and was one of the greatest
mathematicians of the 20th century. Pontryagin attended the town school where the standard
of education was well below that of the better schools because of the family's poor
circumstances. He graduated from Moscow State University and supervised the following
PhDs: Dmitri Anosov, Vladimir Boltyansky, Revaz Gamkrelidze, Evgenii Mischenko,
Mikhail Postnikov, and Mikhail Zelikin.
Pontryagin received many honours for his work. He was elected to the Academy of Sciences
in 1939, becoming a full member in 1959. In 1941 he was one of the first recipients of the
Stalin prizes (later called the State Prizes). He was honoured in 1970 by being elected VicePresident of the International Mathematical Union [3]. Foundations of Combinatorial

Topology, Ordinary Differential Equations and Learning higher mathematics are some of his
published books. He worked and authored theories and principles in mathematics, optimal
control theory, bang-bang principle Pontryagin duality, Pontryagin classes. Many of his
papers were published as Topological Groups and are already translated to many languages.
In 1934 Pontryagin garnered international attention with his partial solution of one of David
Hilberts famous set of 23 problems, which had challenged mathematicians since 1900 [5].
2.2 Work experience
He worked for many years in Moscow State University. He was appointed to the Mechanics
and Mathematics Faculty in 1929 which was his year of graduation and was the mathematics
departmental chair of Department of Topology and Functional Analysis for many years and
also served as editor-in-chief of the journal Matematicheskii Sbornik.

2.3 Table 2 inspirations

S/N
1

Inspirations
Despite his blindness he was able to become one of the greatest mathematicians of
the 20th century, partially with the help of his mother Tatyana Andreevna who read
mathematical books and papers to him
But how does one read a mathematics paper without knowing any mathematics? Of
course it is full of mysterious symbols and Tatyana Andreevna, not knowing their
mathematical meaning or name, could only describe them by their appearance. For
example an intersection sign became a 'tails down' while a union symbol became a
'tails up'. If she read 'A tails right B' then Pontryagin knew that A was a subset of B!
Mentoring and support was also provided by his teacher Aleksandrov:
Aleksandrov's personal charm, his attention and helpfulness influenced the formation
of Pontryagin's scientific interests to a remarkable extent, as much in fact as the
personal abilities and inclinations of the young scholar himself.[7] and [8]

3 Geerat J. Vermeij a blind Biologist

Fig3: Geerat J. Vermeij

3.1 Biography and Achievements

Born in 1946 in Sappemeer, Netherlands, Gary became blind since age three, He graduated
from Princeton University in 1968 and got his PhD from Yale University in 1971. He is an
evolutionary biologist and palaeontologist.
Despite being blind he has made a career out of seeing things most people can't see. Dr.
Vermeij has also been honoured with numerous awards including the U.C. Davis Faculty
Research Award in 2004, the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal by the National Academy of
Sciences in 2000, the Paleontological Society Medal in 1997, a $280,000 MacArthur
Fellowship Award in 1992, and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1975. He has published more
than five books and many journal articles in reputable journals.
3.2 Work experience
He has been a member of faculty of Department of Biology in Maryland University from
1977-1988. Currently, he is a Distinguished Professor of Marine Ecology and Paleoecology
in the Geography Department of the University of California. He is a member of Naturalists
(President, 1997) Society for the study of Evolution, Ecological Society of America,
Palaeontology Society, Netherlands Malacology Society, and Institute of Malacology
3.3 Quotes
"Blindness is a nuisance that can be largely overcome," Vermeij says. "It is not a disaster. It is
not to be pitied or revered. It is just a condition that has to be dealt with as you get on with
life."
Most people who try to imagine what it's like to be blind think of blackness, and, you know,
that's just not the right analogy. The world for me is not black. In fact, it's very much the
opposite for me because I hear all kinds of wonderful sounds. I can feel all kinds of
wonderful things. I smell wonderful things. I taste nice things. So for me, the world has not
lost any of its beauty or its appeal or its challenge just because I happen to be blind.
All my life I have fought hard to integrate into society and I think that's the way any minority
group should work,"
"If you give people preferential treatment, others will always say, 'Ah well, he got this
because he's blind.' You can never live that down. The idea is to eliminate the barriers to the
point that nobody will care." [7]
I am a strong disbeliever in seeing things from the point of view of being handicapped,
gender, race and all the rest of it,"
"I've stuck my hands into more holes and under more rocks than I care to mention, but my
feeling is if you want to experience nature you've got to be unconstrained."
3.4 Table 3 Quotes/inspirations
1

He said I listen and smell and feel,"

As at the time Gary was studying science, there's essentially nothing in braille,"

3
"I see it as my main mission to be as successful as I can be at my chosen
profession and that it represents real scientific accomplishment. If that rubs off on
the blind, that's fine."
4
"One of the general sadnesses is that the blind are discouraged by presumably
well-intentioned people from pursuing what they want to pursue.
5
The biggest obstacle to him was when the State Agency for the blind declined to
pay someone to read books about shells to him
6
He can do things with his hands that most of us can't do with our eyes."
7
"They should have equal opportunity. Nobody should be denied a chance at the
fullest life possible by someone else's notion of what's good for them.
8
"Many blind people feel themselves terribly inferior as a consequence of having
been told that so many times. A very important first step is to make people feel its
okay to be blind."
9
In fact, being aware, to me, is so essential in science because by being aware,
you're made a better observer, and observation is where really all of it begins, to
me. If you don't observe, then it's very hard to be puzzled by anything. If you're not
puzzled by anything, then how can you ask scientific questions? [6]
10
Concerning risk involved in his chosen career Gary felt the risk is worth taking and
everyone takes risk it's the same to me as taking risks in the field, if one is
collecting or observing marine life in what is ultimately a very dangerous place. If
you don't take academic or intellectual risks, you're not going to be very
interesting.
4 Emmanuel Karemi Dinglip
Emmanuel, a Nigerian, became blind at the age of seven after measles attack. He attended
Gindiri School for the blind in Plateau State, Nigeria for his primary education. He also
attended Boys Secondary School Gindiri for his secondary education. He made good grades
in his secondary final examination. Emmanuel studied Mathematics at the University of Jos
Nigeria and graduated with second class honours in the year 2000. He is currently working
with the Federal Ministry of Education Headquarters, Abuja [2].
Though, much is not available in the literature on Emmanuel but his ability to study
Mathematics in Nigeria when resources in schools cannot be compared with current situation

in terms of quality and quantity worth commendation. He studied when equal education
opportunity to all Nigerian citizens has not been enacted into law in Nigeria. This shows that
SVI, teachers, teacher trainers and Government should take inspiration from this.
5 Abraham Nemeth

5.1Biography [16 October 1918-2 October 2013]

Abraham Nemeth, a mathematician, was born in New York. He was blind from birth. He
attended regular public school as a totally blind child. He majored in psychology at Brooklyn
College and received a master's degree from Columbia University and a PhD in mathematics
from Wayne State University. The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science
Notation was published in 1952 and he also developed MathSpeak, a standard system of
reading mathematical formulas out loud. This was a landmark step in the opportunity for
blind students to engage in scientific studies.
He joined the department of mathematics at the University of Detroit in 1955, where he
worked for thirty years. He was the chairman of the Michigan Commission for the Blind
between 1991- 1993. He received many awards like the Migel Medal, award by the American
Foundation for the blind in 1999, The Creative Use of Braille Award from the American
Printing House for the Blind in 2001, the Exemplary Advocate Award by the Division of
Visual Impairments of the Council for Exceptional Children awarded him and also a corecipient of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin award.
5.2 Table 5 Inspirations
S/N
1

2
3

His determination to pursue his love of math and science despite the lack of Braille
materials in these fields led, in 1952, to the creation of what is now known as the
Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation.
He was discouraged from studying Mathematics while in the college because it was
assumed that a blind person would not be able to follow equations and calculations
written on a blackboard
"To expect from a blind child what you expect from a sighted child."
His father walked with him on the streets to make him comfortable with his
surroundings: "My father encouraged me to touch the raised letters on mailboxes, fire
hydrants and police and fire call boxes. That's how I learned the letters of the
alphabet."
Nemeth distinguished himself from many other blind people by being able to write

visual print letters and mathematical symbols on paper and blackboards just like
sighted people
5

He never had a guide dog and only rarely used a cane and believed that a blind person
could master virtually any skill or discipline, no matter how technical

Conclusion:
There are lots of inspirations in the sayings and experiences of the role models discussed in
this paper. The SVI should have high self-esteem, to believe in themselves and never yield to
people discouraging them from achieving their maximum potentials [2]. The family members
and the society at large should expect what they expect from the brilliant sighted from the
SVI. The teachers should accommodate them in their classes [1]. Teacher trainers should
inculcate the right trainings for the TVI/resource persons in schools and finally Nigeria
Government should make available provisions in terms of assistive technology and other
resources necessary to make their full inclusion in Science possible.

References
[1] Abilu, R. A. (2004) Tools for enhancing science Braille Notation Skills of teachers and
service providers. Journal of the Association of libraries for the visually impaired (JAVL) 3
(1) 18-28
[2] Adelakun, S. A. (2013) A directory of Visually Impaired professionals in the field of
Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Offa: Adelodun Publishers
[3]http://www.blind.net/resources/employment/blind-professor-receives-macarthuraward.html#sthash.iGv59NH4.dpuf
[4]http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/33576-blind-engineer-paves-the-way/#ixzz2q8ShbQaJ
[5]Coronado R. (1995) Blind Professor Receives Macarthur Award Copyright Davis
Professor Wins $280,000 as "Genius" National Federation of the Blind
[6] http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3072400215/vermeij-geerat-j-1946.html

[7] http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Pontryagin.html
[7] P S Aleksandrov, V G Boltyanskii, R V Gamkrelidze and E F Mishchenko, Lev
Semenovich Pontryagin (on his sixtieth birthday) (Russian), Uspekhi Mat. Nauk 23 (6)
(1968), 187-196.

[8] P S Aleksandrov, V G Boltyanskii, R V Gamkrelidze and E F Mishchenko, Lev

Semenovich Pontryagin (on his sixtieth birthday), Russian Math. Surveys 23 (6) (1968), 143152.
[9]Sterling D. A. (2012) Pure Energy Systems News May 2, 2012
[10] https://www.linkedin.com/pub/cary-supalo/7/14b/686