Summary
In this lesson, students will explore angles of incline on different wheelchair ramps by researching the ADA's accessibility standards, measuring different surfaces of a ramp, and uncovering missing angles using inverse trigonometric functions. Students will have the opportunity to share their own ideas regarding safety and accessibility. Additionally, students will use mathematical findings to justify a written argument.
Essential Question(s)
How can we use inverse trigonometric functions to determine whether a wheelchair ramp meets the ADA's accessibility standards?
Snapshot
Engage
Students participate in a Four Corners activity to open a dialogue on safety and accessibility in their school. They receive a fake "letter" about a new ADA initiative to ensure that all high school campuses in the U.S. are compliant with the ADA's accessibility standards.
Explore
Students pair up to research what constitutes an acceptable angle of incline, measure ramps on their campus, and determine if the angles of incline are within the ADA's accessibility standards.
Explain
In groups, students discuss how they measured their ramps and what they found. Then, they trade their work to check one another's calculations and correct any misconceptions they have.
Extend
Students complete a Think-Pair-Share activity, answering questions such as: "If a ramp meets the ADA's standards of accessibility, does that mean it is truly accessible to everyone?"
Evaluate
Students reflect on their learning and write a letter back to the Department of Education and the Access Board, articulating what they found and whether the ramps are acceptable. Students then submit their work and their calculations to determine if they were performed correctly.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Wheelchair Project handout (attached; one per student)
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (linked; optional)
Tape measure
Pencil and paper
Access to wheelchair ramps in the building or on campus
Student devices with internet access
Engage
Introduce the lesson using the attached Lesson Slides. Display slide 3 and show students the essential question: "How can we use inverse trigonometric functions to determine whether a wheelchair ramp meets the ADA's accessibility standards?"
Display slide 4, which identifies the lesson's learning objectives. Review each of these slides with students to the extent you feel necessary.
Display slide 5 and use the Four Corners strategy to group students. To begin, place four signs around the room that read "Agree," "Disagree," "Strongly Agree," and "Strongly Disagree." Then, read aloud the following statement: "Our school is safe and accessible for all." Have students choose their level of agreement and move to the corresponding area of the room, forming a group with those who have chosen the same.
In their groups, have students formulate justifications for their beliefs before they share out to the whole class. Allow for deep, sustained conversation.
Next, have each student find a partner who is in a different agreement group. Inform students they will be partners for the remainder of the lesson.
Have students sit with their partners. Pass out the attached Wheelchair Project handout, which is a fake "letter" from the U.S. Department of Education and the Access Board.
After students read the letter, display slide 6. Using the KWHL Graphic Organizer strategy, have each student create their own KWHL chart on the back of the handout by writing the following questions in four columns:
Know: What do I know about the task?
Wonder: What do I not know (and want to know) about the task?
How: How will I find the information I need to complete the task?
Learn: What have I learned about the task?
Explore
Display slide 7. Inform students they will research the ADA's accessibility standards. Encourage students to search the internet to access the ADA's webpage and learn more.
Once students find out the ratios for ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps, have them convert the ratios to angles using inverse trig functions.
After finding the standards and the angles, have students find two wheelchair ramps on campus to measure.
Using a tape measure, students may measure any sides they wish, but they need to know and remember which sides so they can apply the correct inverse trig function.
Have students apply the appropriate inverse trigonometric function to the ratios they measured. The result should be an angle that is either less than, equal to, or greater than the angle recommended by the ADA. Ask students to record their findings, explain whether the ramp meets the ADA's standards, and justify their reasoning. If they are unsure, encourage them to remeasure to be certain.
Explain
Display slide 8. After students record their findings, assign two pairs to work together as a group of four to discuss which ramps were measured, where they were located, and what was discovered. This allows students to gain a better understanding of multiple wheelchair ramps on campus.
In the same groups of four, have students trade their work with one another and check to ensure all calculations are correct. This helps students correct any misconceptions they have, and they can start thinking about the information they want to include in their letter.
Extend
Display slide 9. After clearing up misconceptions, have students complete the following Think-Pair-Share activity.
Think: Ask students to think to themselves, "Did I notice any areas of campus that were not at all accessible? Did I see any places that had only lifts or elevators instead of ramps?"
Pair: Have students work with their partner to discuss these questions.
Share: Have a few volunteers share what they discussed with the whole class.
Display slide 10. Ask students to answer the following questions: "If a ramp meets minimum requirements of accessibility by the ADA's standards, does that mean it is truly accessible to everyone? Explain your reasoning. What would a truly accessible ramp look like if you were designing it?"
After they answer the questions, have students work with their partners to write a redesign proposal for what a "truly accessible" campus would look like to them. Next, have them create a list of other things around the school that need to be redesigned to make the campus more accessible.
Evaluate
First, ask students to get out the Wheelchair Project letter they received earlier in the lesson. Then, have students get out a separate piece of paper and divide the page into four quadrants.
Display slide 11. Encourage students to organize their thoughts for their letter by using the following quadrant graphic organizer as an outline:
Quadrant 1 (Reflection - What? So What? Now What?): Ask students to answer the following questions: What did I do? Why does it matter? What am I taking away from this lesson?
Quadrant 2 (Measurements): Have students formalize what they discovered about the wheelchair ramps they measured.
Quadrant 3 (Justifications): Ask students to explain whether their ramps are up to code and how they can justify their findings.
Quadrant 4 (Redesign Proposal): Have students jot down ideas for how to respond to each of the four tasks outlined in the Wheelchair Project letter.
Have students write a letter back to the U.S. Department of Education and the Access Board, informing them of what they found and whether the ramps are acceptable. The letter should include details from each quadrant of the graphic organizer, and it should address each of the four tasks outlined in the original letter.
Finally, have students submit their work and their calculations to determine if they were performed correctly.
Resources
Express Ramps, LLC. (n.d.). ADA Ramp Requirements & Handicap Wheelchair Ramp Guidelines & Ramp Specifications. ADA Wheelchair Ramps. https://www.adawheelchairramps.com/wheelchair-ramps/ada-requirements.aspx
Express Ramps, LLC. (n.d.). ADA Wheelchair Ramp Code, ADA Guidelines & ADA Compliant. ADA Wheelchair Ramps. https://www.adawheelchairramps.com/wheelchair-ramps/ada-guidelines.aspx
K20 Center. (n.d.). Four Corners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/138
K20 Center. (n.d.). KWHL Graphic Organizer. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/127
K20 Center. (n.d.). Think-Pair-Share. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/139
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. (2010). 2010 ADA Standards
for Accessible Design. ADA.gov. https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAStandards.pdf
U.S. Department of Transportation. (2004). Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices handicapped accessible sign [Image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Handicapped_Accessible_sign.svg
