Project INSPIRE 2

On May 10, we had 23 mathletes in grades 6-12 compete in our Mathlete Competition. They rocked it! We are not sure who had a better day - the mathletes or Mrs. Susan and Dr. Tina with the Seniors or Mrs. Sara and Dr. Penny with the Juniors. PD: A mathlete, wearing his t-shirt from the 2024 competition, receives directions via his sign language interpreter. His Perkins brailler is in front of him.

What a great opportunity for people to learn about #braille!

Our mathletes are preparing for our May 10th competition. The mother of a 9th grade senior mathlete shared, “I am so thankful for this opportunity for [my son]. He is a strong math student but just started learning Nemeth this year, so this [competition] has been a great opportunity and motivation for him to practice his skills.” PD: Three blocks, one with a plus sign, one with a minus sign, one with an equals sign, accompanied by a question mark.

EPIQ 2025 Registration The Experience Programming in Quorum (EPIQ) workshop 2025 is in its 16th year as a workshop dedicated to teaching teachers code. This year, we will be exploring user interface design, kid friendly computer gaming, robotics, and exploring the world through data. Come explore exciting new versions of visual but accessible block programming for everyone! See details below. Hope to see you there! Date and Location The Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver, WA July 20th – July 25th, 2025 Registration Registration for Infosys Pathfinders Experience Programming in Quorum (EPIQ) 2025 is open. The deadline to register is May 30, 2025. This year, in order to be considered for a scholarship to attend, you must fill out the application, including your Infosys Pathfinders letter, and be accepted by the steering committee. Please download or make a copy of this letter, fill it out, sign it, and then upload your signed letter at the end of the application. Space is extremely limited (at most 30 applications) for scholarships. Those who submit and qualify earlier will be given priority acceptance. In order to be accepted, you must: Be qualified under the Infosys Pathfinders program. Be a school teacher in public or charter schools. Private schools this year do not qualify. Under some rare circumstances, be from a library or technology position associated with schools. For this condition, we would need to get permission from our sponsor on a case by case basis. If you would like to attend, but do not count under Pathfinders, no problem. We will allow, on a case by case basis, others that wish to attend at their own expense. We still have some space limitations, but suspect we can welcome many applicants in this category, as we have in previous years. Housing Info The Washington State School for the Blind is generously offering housing in their dorms for anyone accepted under Pathfinders. Dorm housing is not required, however, and if you prefer to stay somewhere else at your own expense, that is ok too. Flight Reimbursement For those accepted to Pathfinders, after the event, the Quorum Outreach and Research Foundation will reimburse up to $500, with receipts and approval, for attending EPIQ. Food At EPIQ, breakfast and lunch will be provided to attendees for most days. Dinners are on your own.Those with dietary restrictions should let us know and we will try to accommodate. Website More information will be placed on the following website as it becomes available. https://lnkd.in/gUMTnyf7 Feel free to send questions to any of us on the committee, and we look forward to talking to you all at EPIQ 2025! Please forward this to anyone else who may be interested. Please send any questions or responses to epiq@qorf.org #blind #STEM #coding #a11y

Two great FREE Webinars coming up April 22 and April 29. The first on math vocabulary and students who are blind or have low vision and the second on digital math workflows. Register now! https://lnkd.in/gzDWz-nt

We wanted to share two webinar opportunities with you, your colleagues, and your students/families. Please message me if you'd like a flyer for either webinar or email me at lprosenb@uscupstate.edu. April 22: Strategies for Building Math Vocabulary for Students who are Blind or Have Low Vision by Tina Herzberg and L. Penny Rosenblum 4:00-5:00 PM Eastern / 1:00-2:00 Pacific Register: https://lnkd.in/g7ZbcPkr April 29: A Deep Dive into the Digital Math Checklists 7:00-8:30 PM Eastern / 4:00-5:30 Pacific Register: https://lnkd.in/gy66T-3B We hope to see you at both webinars! Penny & Tina

The inaugural Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon will take flight on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Legally blind birders from across the U.S. (and beyond) will step outdoors wherever they are to document the bird species they hear or see. A list of these species will be compiled from across the country, reflecting new and improve bird identification skills by participants. A national celebration of birds, community, and inclusion. This one-day event marks the first-ever pilot of a national birding event designed specifically by and for legally blind birders—and everyone who is legally blind is invited to join in. Whether you're an experienced birder or have never heard of a chickadee, the Blind Birder Bird-a-thon welcomes you. There’s no experience necessary—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to tune into the natural world around you. Visit the Birdability website at https://lnkd.in/eySfPiQj to learn more about resources to get started, to register, or to get your questions answered. You may also contact Martha Steele at marthajs@verizon.net for more information.

It is time for the endnote at the POSB STEM Institute. Ting Siu and Eli Sanchez are sharing “Tech for Transition to STEM Careers.” It has been a great conference. #STEM #a11y #blind #LowVision PD: Ting and Eli in front of title slide.

Tina Herzberg is at the POSB STEM Institute. She shares, “I just learned of a new resource, Tumble, in Dr. Cary Supalo's session entitled "Inclusion of the Blind in the STEM Workforce: Where are we now? Where are we going?" I am especially interested in checking out the science podcasts about why animals play and what if trees didn't exist.” https://lnkd.in/ghYBf2fU #STEM #blind #LowVision