Oct. 14, 2014 | By Alec
Let's start with a shocking statistic. Did you know that only 32.2 percent of visually-impaired people above the ages of 21 have a high school diploma or an equivalent of it? This stands in stark contrast to the 88 percent of all citizens above the age of 25 with that degree, which suggests that – for all the improvements that has been already made – being visually-impaired remains a major handicap.
Why would we write about this on a 3D printing website? Well, that's because of the inspiring initiative LibraryLyna, which seeks to use 3D printing technology to combat that statistic. As they explained to 3ders.org, they believe that 3D printing can be used to greatly increase the rate of visually-impaired high school graduations:
We want to create a haven for teachers, students, family, and friends of the visually impaired, so that whenever teaching becomes tricky, they can find refuge in our extensive repository of 3D models. Biology teachers would feel giddy about the array of DNA Replication models, and chemistry teachers about the α-Amino Acids, and parents about the accessibility of LibraryLyna from their home computer so that, if they have a 3D printer, they could print for their child... multiple Lewis Structures of NH3!
An interesting math model of the Pythagorean theorem. This math model gives blind students a "view" into the meaning behind the equation that they learned- A^2+B^2=C^2.
By setting up this database of 3D printable models, the team behind LibraryLyna seeks to level the playing field and greatly increase the graduation rate 'so that 32.2 percent can one day be 40 percent, 50 percent, maybe even 88 percent – on par with sighted peers.'
Kevin Yang & Peichun Yang
LibraryLyna was founded in January 2014 by father and son Peichun & Kevin Yang in Arizona. While father Peichun Yung has been blind for the past 16 years, he has a PhD in Material Science, while his son Kevin has extensive experience with software like Wordpress and SolidWorks.
Kevin explained that his father's constant struggles fuelled their ambition to make LibraryLyna a success: 'Memory eludes me – there is not a time that I can recall my dad with vision. Having a blind father has just been one of those things that seemed completely normal, like losing baby teeth.' However, he has always been struck by the friendliness and ambitions of blind people, despite their disability. 'They have constituted a yearning to be of beneficial assistance to the visually impaired.'
Kevin first came into contact with 3D printing while working for Polymer Braille Inc, a company that develops braille reading aides. Sharing his experiences with his father, it lead them to a realization: 'When my father felt the 3D printed enlarged braille display that I had created and printed, his eyes seemed to brighten [...]. My dad and I put 3D printing on a pedestal, as if it were the holy grail for clear communication.'
3D models of a set of 16 chips that each have the symbol of a prominent world religion extruded on top. These chips help
blind students retain their learning by allowing them to associate a religion with a symbol.
Furthermore, it is very difficult to create these extrusions through conventional techniques.
They decided to bring this exciting new technology to schools everywhere, as they realised it could hold the key to blind-friendly communication. As father Peichun explained:
3D printing is the future of education for blind children. There are thousands of concepts that are too difficult to grasp, but I believe that with 3D printing they will come much easier. I had always believed that 2D tactile graphics or vocal descriptions were the most efficient means of communicating, but I had not known the full implications of the 3D printer. The transfer of ideas into tangible models will have huge impact on not only blind students, but also all students.
Chemical element 3D models that were created by Roman_Hegglin help blind students learn about elements, electron configurations, and the Octet Rule.
With help from various institutions, like the National Federation of the Blind Convention, the Diagram Center, the Foundation for Blind Children and Pearson, Kevin started librarylyna.com, an online database and toolkit that hosts a large number of 3D models and seeks to help in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education of blind students.
On their website, you can already find numerous detailed 3D models of scientific concepts, from anatomical parts to DNA Helixes and just about every geometrical shape you can think of. They have even developed a clever braille-like concept to give 3D shape to chemical elements. All of these are easy concepts for common people to grasp in 2D photographs, but 3D printing offers a quick and affordable way to actually place them in the hands of visually impaired people and allow them to understand them through touch. 3D printing thus really enables the creation of a proper educational curriculum for the blind.
3D printed vertebrae, a double helix and a printed concept of Pythagoras.
Anyone working with visually-impaired students can download their files for free and print them using just about any common 3D printer. If a model has not yet been designed, and you lack the skills or time to do so yourself, the Library Lyna team will develop (and at times even print and ship) the requested shapes for you. While all of their services are free, donations are always welcome to enable them to continue this wonderful and inspiring database. Skilled designers can also easily do their part by uploading 3D designs of scientific concepts.
All teachers should definitely visit their website, which can be found here. Know a teacher? Also be sure to refer them to this inspiring endeavour that seeks to improve the lives of millions of visually-impaired children everywhere.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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I'm a TVI/OM in California but I have no experience in CAD design. I want to create some tactile building materials with 3-D printers so that my students can use the Lego robotic kits and K'nex solar kits. Do you have any already created by any chance? Thanks!
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