Watch: How Abacuses Bring Together Students With Blindness or Low Vision

The Abacus Bee, a friendly math competition run by the American Printing House for the Blind, fosters community and confidence for blind and low vision kids.

Established in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1858, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has a storied history of serving the U.S. blind and low vision community. One of the organization’s most recent endeavors, the Abacus Bee, brings together youth ages 5–21 and their families for a friendly national competition to ignite and sustain a passion for mathematics. Centered around the use of a mathematical tool used for millennia, the abacus, the APH Abacus Bee has convened youth from the blind and low vision community for three consecutive years.

And the bee is not just for the kids. Through concurrent educational workshops, parents and caretakers can connect with each other and learn more about resources available to them and their children.

In this video, learn more about how the APH Abacus Bee fosters community and confidence through math.

The American Printing House for the Blind joined the Simons Foundation’s Science Sandbox community of awardees in 2022.

The Stories of Impact series highlights the real-world influences of Science Sandbox projects through personal narratives, videos and interviews. Discover more stories here.