Veronica With Four Eyes

Free Science Websites For Low Vision Students

When I first published this post about science resources for students with low vision and free science websites in 2018, I had just finished taking a science course called Great Ideas in Science (now known as COS 301 at George Mason University). One of the reasons why I enjoyed the class so much was because it gave me the chance to revisit many of the topics I had learned in previous science courses and find resources that presented information in accessible formats, many of which had not existed or were not available in my middle school and high school science classes.

Instead of struggling to follow along with visual information in class or straining my eyes to closely examine every character of text (an all-too-familiar experience from previous science classes), I discovered technologies that let me re-explore concepts at my own pace, with the font sizes, contrast settings, and audio supports I need to access the content independently.

I still love learning about science and finding free science websites and web-based applications that can be useful for students with visual impairments, especially students with low vision. Most of these tools were originally created as instructional technologies for sighted students rather than as assistive technology, but offer some accessibility features that can be used to provide additional context or clarification on visual information in science lessons.

Here is a list of free science websites for low vision students that can be used in a variety of K-12 and/or college math classes, organized by tool category. Each entry describes what the tool does and notes the accessibility features that may be relevant for low vision students, including screen magnification, high contrast, screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and sonification. Accessibility varies widely across these tools, so it is worth previewing each one with the assistive technology the student actually uses before assigning it.

Inclusion of a tool or website in this list is not an endorsement or guarantee that it will be suitable for a particular student or classroom environment.

Citizen science projects and connecting with scientists

Skype a Scientist

Skype a Scientist matches classrooms, families, and other groups with working scientists for live video conversations on platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Teachers and groups can also specifically request a disabled scientist using the Google Forms sign-up.

The EcoLearn Project

The EcoLearn Project, from Harvard, develops immersive ecology and environmental science learning experiences for K-12 students. The browser-based modules include text descriptions alongside the immersive content, which can be read with screen magnification or text-to-speech. Some experiences are visually complex, so the accompanying text and teacher guides may be useful when making lessons accessible.

Globe at Night

Globe at Night invites students to measure and report night sky brightness in their area. The website uses a simple text-based data entry form and printable star charts that can be enlarged for low vision use, though the actual observation step depends on residual vision or partner support. Globe at Night can also be paired with another accessible app such as Night Sky for iOS.

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is a community for naturalists where users upload observations of plants, animals, and other organisms for identification. Observations can include audio recordings in addition to photos, which is useful for documenting bird calls, frog calls, and other sounds.

Project Noah

Project Noah is a wildlife documentation community geared toward students and educators. It is image-heavy by design, but observations posted by other users include written descriptions and identifications that can be read with screen magnification or text-to-speech, which makes it usable as a reference tool.

Merlin Bird ID

Merlin Bird ID, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, identifies birds from photos, written descriptions, or audio recordings. The Sound ID feature in particular lets students identify birds entirely by ear, which removes the visual step of trying to spot the bird through binoculars or in a photo. Results are returned as plain text and pair with screen readers and screen magnification, and observations contribute to eBird, the Cornell Lab’s larger citizen science database.

Birdability

Birdability is a nonprofit organization that works through education, outreach, and advocacy to make birding and the outdoors welcoming, inclusive, and accessible for people with disabilities and other health concerns, including blindness and low vision. The Birdability Map is a crowd-sourced, searchable map of accessible birding locations where community members contribute details about the accessibility features of trails and birding sites, making it a practical planning tool for birders with visual impairments.

Zooniverse

Zooniverse hosts crowdsourced research projects across many scientific disciplines. Most projects involve classifying images, but a smaller set of audio-based projects can be completed by ear. Browsing by media type and searching for audio or sound-based projects before joining is recommended.

SciStarter

SciStarter is a directory of citizen science projects searchable by topic, location, and time commitment. The listings are text-based and work well with browser zoom and screen readers. Filtering for audio, sound, at home, or accessibility can be used to find projects that do not require visual classification.

CitizenScience.gov Project Catalog

CitizenScience.gov hosts a federal catalog of citizen science and crowdsourcing projects across U.S. agencies. The catalog can be filtered by topic, age group, and location, and project entries link out to individual project sites that can then be evaluated for accessibility.

EarthEcho Water Challenge

EarthEcho’s Water Challenge is a citizen science program where students test local water quality and submit data to a shared database. The submission web form works with screen readers, screen magnification, and high-contrast browser settings. The physical testing kit may need partner support, talking pH meters, or large-print color charts depending on the student’s usable vision.

Exoplanet Watch, NASA

Exoplanet Watch invites volunteers to help process telescope data on exoplanets. Instructions and tutorials are presented as text and video with captions, and the data processing tools are primarily mouse and keyboard driven inside a browser.

Eclipse Soundscapes Project, NASA

Eclipse Soundscapes was a NASA-funded citizen science project run by the ARISA Lab that was designed so that people who are blind or have low vision could participate in eclipse science alongside sighted peers. Volunteers collected audio recordings before, during, and after the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total solar eclipse.

The data collection phase has concluded and the project is wrapping up in 2026, but verified recordings are being released through the Eclipse Soundscapes community on Zenodo, and the design, app, and educational resources remain a model for what accessible citizen science can look like.

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Simulations and Virtual Labs

PhET Interactive Simulations

PhET, from the University of Colorado Boulder, is a free library of interactive science and math simulations covering physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science. Many of the newer simulations include options for filtering simulations for specific accessibility options, which are labeled as Interactive Description, Voicing, Sound and Sonification, Alternative Input, and Pan and Zoom.

LabXchange

LabXchange, from Harvard, is a free platform with virtual labs, simulations, and curated science pathways that supports keyboard navigation and browser zoom. Many of the labs incorporate high-contrast colors and a variety of different images, including photos, 2D images, and 3D images.

NASA’s Eyes

NASA’s Eyes is a suite of 3D visualization applications for exploring real NASA data on the solar system, Earth, and exoplanets, all from inside a regular web browser. The visualizations are primarily visual, but each view is accompanied by descriptive text that can be read with screen readers or text-to-speech, and the interface pairs well with browser zoom for closer inspection.

ChemSims

ChemSims is a collection of free chemistry simulations covering general chemistry topics such as equilibrium, kinetics, and acid-base chemistry. The simulations are HTML5 based and embedded into text explanations, so the surrounding content can be used to provide more context or clarification for visuals.

CK-12 Chemistry Simulations

CK-12 Foundation provides free chemistry simulations alongside its larger library of open educational textbooks. Simulations are embedded into FlexBook chapters, which can be used to supplement text content.

PBS NOVA

PBS NOVA’s Explore Topics section includes free interactive simulations and visualizations alongside documentary content. As with other PBS resources, videos are captioned and many include transcripts and audio description, while the interactive elements vary in accessibility.

Gizmos interactive STEM simulations

Gizmos provides interactive STEM simulations and virtual labs, with both free and paid access tiers. Accessibility documentation is available on the ExploreLearning site, and many simulations support keyboard input and high-contrast browser themes, though screen reader support varies across simulations.

Next Gen Science Storylines

Next Gen Science Storylines is a free curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. The materials are downloadable as Word and PDF files, which means font size, color, and contrast can be adjusted for low vision use or paired with screen readers and text-to-speech for offline use.

Smithsonian Science Education Center Games

The Smithsonian Science Education Center’s Game Center hosts free educational science games for K-8 students. Accessibility varies by game, but most titles include captions for spoken dialogue and use large, high-contrast visuals that work reasonably with browser zoom.

Quorum Programming Language Science Activities

Quorum is an evidence-based programming language designed from the start to be accessible to blind and low vision learners, and the Quorum tutorials include guided activities for audio games, robotics, and scientific charts. The chart tutorials specifically include sonification and screen reader support, making them a useful entry point for non-visual exploration of data visualizations in a science class.

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3D models, AR, 360 videos, and tactile graphics

Google Arts and Culture

Google Arts and Culture includes augmented reality experiences for exploring artifacts, animals, and historical objects through a phone, tablet, or computer browser. The AR objects can be resized within the camera view, and many experiences include written and audio descriptions alongside the visuals.

Visible Body Suite

Visible Body Suite is a 3D anatomy platform used in many secondary and post-secondary anatomy and physiology courses. Models can be enlarged, rotated, and recolored, and the accompanying labels and descriptions are presented as text that can be read with screen magnification or text-to-speech.

Sketchfab

Sketchfab is a 3D model viewer and library used widely in science education. Many uploaded models include annotations that can be navigated with the keyboard, and the viewer supports browser zoom and fullscreen mode for closer inspection of details.

Tinkercad

Tinkercad is a free browser-based 3D design tool from Autodesk that is often used in middle and high school engineering classes. The workspace supports browser zoom and keyboard shortcuts, and the resulting models can be exported and sent to a 3D printer or to a service like See3D for tactile use.

National Geographic 360 videos

National Geographic publishes a library of 360-degree science and nature videos on YouTube. The videos can be navigated with click and drag or with keyboard arrow keys, and YouTube’s captioning and playback speed controls apply, which lets low vision students slow down narration and read captions at their chosen font size.

APH Tactile Graphics Image Library

The American Printing House for the Blind maintains the Tactile Graphics Image Library, a collection of vetted tactile graphic files that can be embossed or produced on swell paper for use in science classrooms. Topics span anatomy, biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and astronomy, and the files follow BANA tactile graphic guidelines.

Perkins Tactile Graphics Library

Perkins School for the Blind maintains a separate Tactile Graphics Library on its Paths to Technology site, which contains digital images ready for a tactile graphics machine alongside accessible digital worksheets that have already been teacher-adapted for students with visual impairments.

IAGD Tactile Image Repository

Created by the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD), the tactile image repository includes free downloadable files to create raised-relief graphics with braille labels that can be used for earth science lessons. There are also several research articles and additional resources on teaching geology to visually impaired students.

See3D

See3D is a nonprofit that connects people who are blind or have low vision with free 3D printed tactile models of scientific concepts, including anatomy, astronomy, biology, and geology. Anyone who is blind or has low vision, or a parent or teacher of someone who is, can submit a request for a model, and a network of volunteers prints and ships the finished piece at no cost. This is one of the most direct ways to get a tactile representation of a science concept when no off-the-shelf model exists.

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Science videos

Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)

The Described and Captioned Media Program offers free access to a large library of audio described and captioned educational videos, including a substantial science collection. DCMP is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is free for qualifying U.S. students, families, and educators of students with disabilities. Users can also generate text-based scene descriptions or audio descriptions for specific video clips.

YouDescribe

YouDescribe is a free crowdsourced audio description platform from the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute that allows volunteers to add audio descriptions to any publicly listed YouTube video. Blind and low vision students can request descriptions for science videos that do not already have them, browse the existing library of described videos, and rate descriptions. Recent updates have added AI-assisted description tools to streamline the description process.

PBS LearningMedia

PBS LearningMedia offers free standards-aligned science videos and lesson plans for K-12 classrooms. Videos include closed captions and many include audio description in the form of descriptive narration. Lesson materials can also be downloaded for offline access and converted to accessible formats.

JoVE Science Video Journal

JoVE is a peer-reviewed scientific video journal that demonstrates laboratory techniques and experimental procedures. Many academic libraries provide free access through their subscriptions, and JoVE videos include captions and accompanying written transcripts that can be read separately from the video. Pausing, replaying, and rewinding to observe visual changes makes JoVE a useful preview tool before in-class experiments.

BrainPOP Science

BrainPOP Science provides animated videos and accompanying activities aligned to middle school science topics. Videos include closed captions and downloadable transcripts, and the site offers a built-in read-aloud option for accompanying quizzes and activities.

HippoCampus

HippoCampus is a free academic video site from the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education, covering high school and introductory college science topics. The videos are captioned and the surrounding study materials are primarily text-based, which works well with browser zoom and screen readers.

Kanopy

Kanopy is a streaming service offering documentaries, classic films, and educational content, with free access through many public and academic libraries. Most science documentaries on Kanopy include closed captions, and playback supports adjustable speed for students who prefer slower narration.

Curiosity Stream

Curiosity Stream’s kids’ documentaries cover a wide range of science topics for elementary and middle school viewers. Videos include closed captions, and the platform supports playback speed adjustment and standard streaming accessibility features through the web player and mobile apps.

The Kid Should See This

The Kid Should See This is a free website filled with educational videos covering STEAM topics, nature, space, conservation, and real-world science discoveries, selected by an educational media curator rather than an algorithm. All videos are hosted on YouTube and can be played directly from the website without auto-play, comments, or other distracting content.

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Science articles and science lesson plans

DOGO News

DOGO News publishes current news articles written for kids, including a regular science section. The articles are short and presented in a single-column text layout, which works well with browser zoom, high-contrast themes, and text-to-speech tools.

BioGraphic

BioGraphic is an online magazine from the California Academy of Sciences featuring long-form environmental and biodiversity journalism. Articles use a single-column layout with large body text and high-contrast typography by default, which makes them comfortable to read with browser zoom.

Compound Interest Chemistry Infographics

Compound Interest publishes free chemistry infographics on everyday topics such as food chemistry, medications, and chemistry in the news. The infographics themselves are image based, but each one is accompanied by article text that provides the same information in a screen-reader-friendly format, and the infographics can be enlarged with browser zoom for low vision viewing.

Learn.Genetics

Learn.Genetics, from the University of Utah, is a free genetics and bioscience learning site for students and teachers. The site uses a clean, text-and-image layout with consistent navigation, and most interactive activities include written instructions and summaries that can be read separately.

OpenSciEd

OpenSciEd is a free, open-source middle and high school science curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Materials are downloadable as Word and PDF files, which means font size, color, and contrast can be adjusted to fit student needs.

Perkins Accessible Science Microsite

The Accessible Science microsite from Perkins School for the Blind is a curated collection of techniques and strategies for making science instruction accessible to students who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind, including lesson plans and adaptations for elementary through high school topics.

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Generating and accessing scientific data

Desmos accessible graphing calculator

Desmos is a free online graphing calculator widely used in math and science classes that is fully compatible with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack, and ChromeVox. Students can enter equations and explore graphs through sonification and high-contrast graphics, among other accessibility features.

SAS Graphics Accelerator

SAS Graphics Accelerator is a free Chrome extension that turns supported charts, graphs, and maps into accessible alternatives for users with visual impairments or blindness. It pairs each visualization with a text summary, a data table, and sonification, which together provide both low vision and non-visual paths into the same dataset. It works with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and other screen readers.

Arduino Science Journal

Arduino Science Journal is a free mobile app that uses a phone’s built-in sensors to record data such as light, sound, motion, and acceleration. Sensor readings can be viewed as numbers or graphs, and the live numeric display can be read with screen magnification or paired with sonification for audio feedback during experiments.

WaterViz, Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study

WaterViz translates real-time hydrologic data from environmental sensors in New Hampshire into science, art, and music. The accompanying six-lesson curriculum for grades 6 through 8 was developed with consideration for students with visual impairments, and the data representations include sonification alongside animated visuals and scientific graphs. Perkins School for the Blind has partnered with the USDA Forest Service to offer WaterViz as a program specifically for braille-reading students in grades 6 through 12.

FX ChemStruct

FX ChemStruct, from Efofex, is a chemistry diagram tool for drawing structural formulas, reaction equations, and other chemistry visuals. It does not advertise specific low vision features, but it allows customization of colors, line weights, and font sizes, which can be used to produce print materials at a chosen size and contrast.

Skynet University

Skynet University, from the University of North Carolina, provides students with online access to a global network of research telescopes for astronomy projects. The interface is primarily text-based and supports keyboard input, and the resulting images can be downloaded for further processing in software that supports magnification, color inversion, or tactile output through a service like See3D.

Slooh

Slooh is a live online telescope service that streams real-time views from telescopes around the world and lets users schedule their own observations. The streams are visual, but each observation is accompanied by written background and identification information that can be used to further understand what is happening.

Science.gov

Science.gov is a federal search portal that aggregates results from across U.S. government science databases and agencies. The CSV files can be imported into data visualization or spreadsheet tools for further exploration.

Authentic Data Repositories for K-12 Educators

This curated list includes public datasets from NASA, NOAA, USGS, and other agencies that can be used in K-12 science classrooms. Each repository follows its agency’s accessibility standards and provides downloadable data files that can be used with other activities.

Science Buddies

Science Buddies is a free library of science fair project ideas, step-by-step procedures, and background research guides. The site is primarily text and image based with a single-column layout that supports browser zoom, and project guides are downloadable as documents for offline adaptation.

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Podcasts and audio-based science resources

NASA Sonifications

NASA publishes a growing library of sonification tracks that translate space data such as images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory or the Hubble Space Telescope into sound. Each sonification is paired with a written description of what the listener is hearing and how it maps to the underlying data.

Audio Universe: Tour of the Solar System

Audio Universe: Tour of the Solar System is a 35-minute audio-visual show about the Solar System developed at Newcastle University and designed in collaboration with blind and low vision individuals. Every object in the show is represented with sound as well as visuals, so the experience is intended to be enjoyed and understood at any level of vision. It is freely available on YouTube and in planetarium formats.

TwoTone Data Sonification

TwoTone, from Datavized, is a free tool that turns datasets into music, with each column becoming a track and pitch and rhythm representing values. For science class, this can be used to explore trends in environmental data, lab measurements, or astronomical readings without relying on visual charts.

Brains On!

Brains On! is a science podcast for kids from American Public Media and NPR. Each episode answers listener questions through interviews, sound effects, and explanations, and full transcripts are published alongside each episode for screen reader access or follow-up reading.

Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

Tumble is a science podcast for kids that focuses on how scientists actually work, including interviews with researchers. Transcripts are available on the show’s website for episodes that have been transcribed, which can be useful when a topic needs to be reviewed in writing.

Cyberchase Cyber Sound Quest, PBS KIDS

Cyber Sound Quest is a Cyberchase interactive game from PBS KIDS in which players use math skills, including directionality, reading gauges and meters, and basic addition and subtraction, to track down hidden noisemakers and learn about noise pollution and ecology. The game is heavily sound-driven, which can support students who rely on auditory cues, but it is played on screen, so preview it with the student’s magnification or screen reader setup before assigning. It is available in English and Spanish.

Terrestrials

Terrestrials, from Radiolab and NPR, is a science podcast that explores wild and strange stories from the natural world. Episodes are richly produced with sound design that can help convey environments and creatures by ear, and transcripts are published for each episode.

Smologies

Smologies is a kid-friendly spinoff of the Ologies podcast, with shorter episodes covering one science topic at a time. Episodes are conversational interviews with scientists, and transcripts are available on the show’s website.

Listenwise

Listenwise is an educational platform built around public radio stories and podcasts, with lessons and quizzes tied to current events and science topics. Each story includes a transcript and listening comprehension questions, which can be used to pair audio with written content.

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Blind/low vision scientist resources

Beyond free science websites: More science resources for low vision students

Published January 23, 2018. Updated May 2026

Reference
Lewis, Veronica. (2018). Free Science Websites For Low Vision Students. Veroniiiica. https://veroniiiica.com/free-science-websites-for-low-vision/ (Accessed on May 27, 2026)
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