Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Al Renshaw
Phone: 1-800-577-9040
e-Mail: Al Renshaw
QUANTUM® AWARDED $750,000 FROM THE
NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE FOR ACCESSIBLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TUTORING
SOFTWARE FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - April 4,
2007, Quantum Simulations, Inc., a developer of artificial intelligence
(AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software, has
received $750,000 from the National Eye Institute (NEI), a division
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to integrate accessibility
into Quantum's tutoring software for chemistry.
The two-year project involves the integration
of an accessible interface that supports synthesized speech screen-reader
technologies such as JAWS and Window-Eyes with the Quantum Tutors®.
Equally important, the pedagogy of the software will ensure that student
feedback and examples provided by the Tutors are pedagogically relevant
for the blind and help provide a clear mental picture of key concepts
needed to improve performance and comprehension.
"Quantum® is raising the standard
for leveraging technologies to better prepare all students in science
and math," said Mark Riccobono, Director of Education for the National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute. "This company has taken
a leadership role in the field of education technology; instead of
avoiding the question of creating tutoring applications that are accessible
to the blind, Quantum's designers consulted directly with the blind
to produce innovative tools that will benefit all students."
Because the Quantum Tutors® are Internet-based
and equipped with a unique dialogue-driven capability that converses
with students, the software is well-suited for use with screen-reader
technologies and refreshable Braille display systems already familiar
to blind students who navigate web sites and access e-mail. As part
of prior feasibility studies, two of Quantum's tutoring modules, Equation
Balancing and Measurement, have already been certified by the National
Federation of the Blind's (NFB) Nonvisual Accessibility Web Application
Certification Program. This historical achievement marks the first-ever
artificial intelligence tutoring software available for the blind
and visually impaired.
"Quantum® addresses the challenges of
equity for the blind by providing real-time personal tutoring help
in the sciences, an area where accessible learning software is virtually
non-existent," commented Dr. Benny Johnson, President and CEO of Quantum
Simulations, Inc.
"Boston Public School students who are
blind and visually impaired have successfully used the accessible
sections of the Quantum® Chemistry Tutors," added Theresa M. Maggiore,
M.Ed. and Teacher of the Visually Impaired at Boston Public Schools
in Boston, Massachusetts. "Having access to a full curriculum of Tutors
will open new opportunities in the field of science exploration and
education for students with special needs."
In addition to the blind and visually
impaired, other special-needs groups will benefit from the integration
of voice output technologies with the Quantum Tutors® including low-ability
readers, students whose primary language is not English and individuals
with other print-related disabilities such as dyslexia.
About Quantum®
Quantum Simulations, Inc. develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring,
assessment and professional development software that empowers teachers
and inspires students from middle school through college to improve
their knowledge and appreciation for the sciences. Teacher tested
and approved by educators across the United States, Quantum's AI software
is proven in research studies to improve comprehension, problem solving
skills and test scores by as much as 50%. Quantum's intelligent tutoring
engines are integrated with existing web-based learning products,
providing a strong competitive edge for distributing partners. A "technology
think tank," Quantum® is funded and supported by the U.S. Department
of Education, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes
of Health. For more information, please visit www.quantumsimulations.com.
About the National Eye Institute
NEI is the Federal government's lead agency for vision research that
leads to sight-saving treatments and plays a key role in reducing
visual impairment and blindness. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov.
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