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European Journal of Special Education Research ISSN: 2501 - 2428 ISSN-L: 2501 - 2428 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 2 │ Issue 6 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1040678 DESIGN OF MATHEMATICS AUDIOBOOKS FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL Subagyai Center of Disability Study LPPM UNS Surakarta, Doctoral Student of Educational Science, Postgraduate School of Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia Abstract: This study aimed to identify the need for accessible audio mathematics books for students with visual impairment at the secondary school. The method of this research was mixed method. The sampling technique used in this research was purposive sampling, the sample consisted of 18 visual impairment students and 15 math teachers at the secondary school for children with visual impairment from 9 provinces in Indonesia. The method used in this research was explanatory survey. The instrument validity used was content validity. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistic technique. The results showed that mathematics Braille equipped with audio or vice versa (52.94%) with reason feel faster, more convenient. Subject to reduce the number of pages, then the audio book completeness tactual/Braille only in the form of illustrations and text are considered difficult course. Audio books are expected to be produced by the Daisy format (70.6%) with navigation full text and full audio (81.25%). The narrator could be conditioned, alternating between male and female, while the other musical equipment was presented as necessary. Most of the subjects wanted timbre narrator soft portion (75%), subjects considered most preferred medium tone frequency (100%). Media deviation is hoped can be stored on the thumb drive, hard drives and CDs (87.5%), while the most accessible media is a computer (53%). Level of difficulty 7th grade math book first semester of this when converted into audio format most difficult is the third part is the algebra (38.46%) and the level of average difficulty on all parts is 25.42%. If the book is converted into Braille format is in section 3 that the algebra (53.85%) and the difficulty level of the average on all sections is 27.21%. Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 113 Subagya PDESIGN OF MATHEMATICS AUDIOBOOKS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED LEARNERS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Keywords: audio books, students with visual impairment 1. Introduction The availability of book for the blind students at Elementary School, Junior High School, Senior High School or equivalent is not available like the sharp-sighted students. Meanwhile, all disabled (including blind) citizens have equal right to other citizens to acquire education. Every education institution should give the students equal opportunity and treatment. Justice and equal right include the availability of accessible teaching material for all blind students. The blind students have given an opportunity of studying at any school either special (SLB) or regular school. Basically, the intelligence of blind students have interval not different from that of their peers. Although it is so, the blinds encounter some constraints related directly to their blindness’ consequence. Lowenfeld 1979 states that the blind children have three main constraints: those of acquiring a variety of experiences, socializing and mobilizing. Those constraints are included into the 2013 curriculum as the special characteristics distinguishing it from other equivalent education unit curriculum. The provision of teaching material for the blind can be in the form of teaching material in either Braille or audio format (audiobook). Both formats of teaching material for the blind students have not been available in school, moreover in audio format. When the students need to explore knowledge quickly in order to acquire necessary knowledge, Braille format cannot suffice it. Some previous studies have revealed that reading through visual channel runs more quickly than reading through tactile channel. The mean reading speed of a skilled Braille reader is 90-115 words per minutes, compared with 250-300 words per minutes for those reading visually (Simon & Huertas, 1998). It is because the blind students who have read fluently will be left behind 3-4 times in exploring knowledge compared with the normal students. The result of survey conducted by BPMR Yogyakarta in 8 provinces: North Sumatera, West Java, Central Java, DIY, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara about audiobook use in school, concludes that: a) about 50% of blind Special Junior High School (thereafter called SMPLB Tunanetra) teachers have not used learning audio media in their learning process; b) about 69.2% of blind students at SMPLB level have not used audio-based teaching material: c) about 48.7% of blind students at SMPLB want the delivery of learning material through storytelling presented in the form of monologue, drama, dialogue, and song; d) about European Journal of Special Education Research - Volume 2 │ Issue 6 │ 2017 114 Subagya PDESIGN OF MATHEMATICS AUDIOBOOKS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED LEARNERS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 94.4% of SMPLB teacher and 99.74% of blind students in the 7th grade of SMPLB argue that learning audio media can motivate the students in learning (BPMR, 2014). Considering the result of survey, it can be found that audio motivates the students to learn. The use of audio book at school is highly affected by the availability of audio book material and its hardware. The quality of audio book that has been used by some teacher is the one presenting much text and a little picture with poor configuration, for example language, social science, and story books. Audio book with many pictures, configurations, formulas (for example mathematic audio book) have not been produced yet in Indonesia. It is because of its high difficulty level compared with the book presented in text form only. The survey does not explain the type of audio book and recording format the teachers have used. Considering the author’s experience of being the teacher of blind students for more than 30 years, no mathematic audio book is found or used. The availability of audio book can improve learning independency for the blind students. Aydin & Halil (2004) state that the provision of audio electric book for the blind students in Education Open System of Anadolu University is sufficiently important to the students to learn independently anytime and anywhere they want more productively and efficiently. Aydin & Kiray (2007) conducted a research on the use of audio media for the blind students. Considering the result of research, it could be concluded that audio book used was very helpful for them to obtain their independence when they need to learn and to keep studying individually, so that they can have an opportunity of learning any lesson anywhere they want and can improve their learning ability. For viewing / downloading the full article, please access the following link: https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejse/article/view/1152 European Journal of Special Education Research - Volume 2 │ Issue 6 │ 2017 115