Tactile Chemistry

Tactile strategies for teaching chemistry to students who are blind and visually impaired have been developed by Dr. Lillian A. Rankel, Hopewell Valley Central High School, Hopewell Valley, NJ 08534.

A Tactile Adaptation Kit, containing many of the materials described below is available from MDW Educational Services. For information about the Tactile Adaptation Kit, email MDWEducationalServices@gmail.com. Click here to download a flyer on the Tactile Adaptation Kit.

Supplies for Tactile Chemistry

Teaching Formulas and Manipulation of Formulas

Use a Chemistry Stencil to Make Magnetic Lab Equipment

Lewis Dot Structures and Valence Electrons

Ionic Bonding

Structures for Organic Compounds

Showing 3-D Organic Structures

Aufbau Diagrams The Aufbau diagram shows the electrons in the energy levels of the various atomic orbitals for each element or ion. For example, Na has 11 electrons in the following energy levels:

₁₁Na

3s ____

2p ____ ____ ____

2s ____

1s ____

This can be hot glued to make raised letters and lines or Brailled as shown in the figure below:

Braille Labeled Magnet Board Showing Aufbau Diagram on the Top and Covalent Ethene on the Bottom


Tactile Equipment Models

Some of the materials presented here are based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants HRD-0435656 and HRD-0726417. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.