Promoting Inclusive Chemistry Teaching by Developing an Accessible Thermometer for Students with Visual Disabilities

This work discusses the construction and evaluation of a digital thermometer especially designed to be operated by people with visual disabilities. The accessibility thermometer can be used as an educational tool in practical activities in classes for sighted and visually impaired students, with the aim of helping those with special needs gain better access to the scientific world. The thermometer measuring scale ranges from -15 degrees C up to 115 degrees C, and the temperature is informed through beeps and vibration pulses similar to Morse code. Two thermometers were used to calibrate the constructed instrument, a LM35 sensor and a 7mercury thermometer; good agreement between the measured temperatures was shown through a linear, correlation of 0.9997 with the LM35 sensor. Tests carried out with blind students show that this instrument could be an important tool in helping them to better understand the proper scientific concept of temperature. Besides being low cost, the device is user-friendly and provides quick response and good reproducibility.