A Case Study in Embodied Cognition: Learning Organic Chemistry as a Blind Student

Organic chemistry presents unique representational challenges that often rely on assumed visual capacity and spatial reasoning, raising important questions about how blind or low-vision (BLV) students access and engage with this content. We employed a case study via participatory action research (PAR) with coauthor Kiandra J. Strickhouser, who is a blind undergraduate student as she navigated the organic chemistry sequence at The Ohio State University, which is a large, public research-intensive institution. Across three semesters, we collaboratively collected and analyzed data including semistructured interviews, course artifacts, lecture and homework observations, as well as reflective sessions. Using embodied cognition as a theoretical lens, we examined how multisensory strategies supported access to different organic chemistry topics. Findings reveal that mechanism-focused topics (e.g., acid–base chemistry, predicting products, retrosynthesis) were accessible through tactile drawing and kinesthetic engagement, while representational topics (e.g., stereochemistry, Newman projections, chair conformations) were more difficult to embody due to the course’s limited modality. These results demonstrate how BLV students can meaningfully engage with organic chemistry when the pedagogy leverages tactile modalities. We conclude by offering implications for instructors and researchers seeking to design multisensory organic chemistry learning environments.