Don Winiecki, a professor of ethics and morality in professional practice in the College of Engineering, attended the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind July 7-12 in Las Vegas.
Winiecki, a sociologist, is working with the Science and Engineering Division of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB-SED) to identify, document and map social and technical factors in higher education that help or impede STEM students who are blind or visually impaired.
At the National Federation of the Blind convention, Winiecki also presented collaborative research and development on accessibility to museums, participated as a founding member of the foundation president’s committee for the promotion and advancement of braille, and participated in research with John Gardner on new technologies for making STEM graphics accessible for students who are blind or visually-impaired. Gardner is a blind physicist and CEO of ViewPlus technologies, inventor of advanced embossers for braille and tactile graphics.
Winiecki is certified by the U.S. Library of Congress as a braille transcriber and proofreader. He earned this certification in 2016 during a sabbatical leave from Boise State.