How can a student who is blind or visually impaired have access to memories of events, just as a student who is visual looks at a photograph? Well instead of sending out and posting only photographs, how about including “audiographs” as well. Most folks today have the ability to use their mobile device to take pictures but they also have the ability to capture audio.
When doing activities with students where you would take a photograph to capture a memory, try adding in a sound capture with everyone in the group saying hello, where they are, what they are doing, and if they are having fun. A student who is blind or visually impaired will then have access to that same memory for years to come and can enjoy reflecting on it. In fact you may even find that students who are visual enjoy having an audiograph in their memory files to help relieve or share a moment they experienced. Just as a person who is visual can see the emotion in the facial expression, such as a smile for joy, the emotions of those in the audiograph will be conveyed in the voices of those in the audio scene being captured.
Photographs from a sporting event, campout, or summer program can are often added to a CD, sent to Dropbox for sharing as a download, or simply E-mailed; sound files can be saved and shared in the same way. So next time how about adding in a few MP3’s to make the memories accessible to everyone!