Introductory Organic Chemistry (First-Semester) for Blind and Visually Impaired Students: Practical Lessons and Experiences

This article describes practical lessons and experiences acquired as part of a journey in teaching a blind student at The University of Arizona to master the written and graphical language of first-semester organic chemistry and its associated concepts. These practical lessons include details on how to adapt an organic chemistry model set (with simple, minimal modifications) to make it suitable for teaching organic chemistry to blind and visually impaired students and lesson examples of how the modified model sets are an indispensable tool to effectively teach a majority of foundational topics in first-semester organic chemistry in concert with a tactile drawing board. Printing chemical structures and text in braille, along with semester printing preparations to ensure smooth experiences for students, teachers, and support staff, is a recommendation, as is the prioritization of one-on-one teaching to ensure the best possible outcomes.