Combining the Maker Movement with Accessibility Needs in an Undergraduate Laboratory: A Cost-Effective Text-to-Speech Multipurpose, Universal Chemistry Sensor Hub (MUCSH) for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

With the advances in open-source technology, many laboratory devices can be built with a modest budget, particularly assistive laboratory devices. The current market cost of most assistive laboratory devices is a major barrier for students with accessibility needs. Specifically, for students with visual impairment, their limited choice of laboratory assistive devices has motivated us to construct a low-cost, multipurpose sensor hub capable of connecting to a pH electrode or a thermocouple, two sensors commonly used in many chemistry teaching laboratories. In this technology report, we present the construction of a text-to-speech (TTS) multipurpose universal chemistry sensor hub (MUCSH) built using an Arduino platform and other associated open-source electronic parts. The cost of this device is between $200 and $300, a fraction of the cost of commercially available products, which cost thousands of dollars.