Learning from experience

TU alumnus shares how he teaches math at Maryland School for the Blind.

By Megan Bradshaw and Henry Basta on December 3, 2018



How do you teach a student with a disability you’ve never experienced?

Four students from the Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) accompanied their teacher, Danny Salemie ‘05, on a visit to Towson University and Gail Kaplan’s Methods Class for Secondary Mathematics course to teach exactly that.

Callie Smith, Qualik Ford, Isaiah Ruben Pinales and Tyler Hoppe—all MSB students with low or no vision—split the TU students into groups to help them understand what it feels like to learn mathematics when one has a visual impairment. The TU students were blindfolded and taught to use Braille typewriters to express letters and numbers. They also spoke with Ford about types of walking canes and how individuals with low/no vision travel independently. 

The MSB students then led an Ask Me Anything (AMA)-style panel for the TU students to ask about blind/low vision learning and life and how best to teach a student with visual impairment. 

Watch the video above to learn more about the visit and what it meant to each group.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: Diverse and Inclusive Campus.