Tips for Improving Your Calculation Skills

For individuals who are partially sighted

Individuals who are partially sighted may choose to perform calculations by writing out the problem and figuring out the answer on paper, whether with a calculator (with a large print display or audio output), on a computer (with screen magnification or speech output), or on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet (again with screen magnification or speech output).

Some common calculations include: computing the cost of items you wish to buy, calculating sales tax or tips, managing your personal budget, monitoring your bank accounts or credit cards, and using mathematical calculations in cooking.

You can print off the checklist and complete it off-line or simply read through the items and consider whether you have the skills to perform the tasks or will require training or assistance to be able to accomplish them.

Consider using bold-lined or raised-line paper to write on and write with a felt-tipped pen or a very dark-leaded pencil (leaded pencils are graded using H for hardness and B for darkness – the harder lead pencils make lighter marks, while softer leads make darker marks requiring frequent sharpening and may be difficult to erase cleanly).
Consider purchasing and using an erasable ink pen – they have the advantage of being erasable and ink is easier to see than pencil. A variety of erasable ink pens are available in your typical office supply store.
Use a calculator with large print display and/or audio output. The key with calculators is to determine what your needs will be in advance of making a purchase, as calculators range in price—from very economical for a simple four- function calculator to considerably more expensive for a scientific calculator, a business calculator, or a statistical calculator.

If the calculator you are considering has audio output, listen to it before you buy it to ensure that you can understand the voice and find it comfortable to listen to. You’ll also want to ensure that it comes with earbuds or a slot to attach headphones.

You may want to consider using large print cheques, cheque registers, ledgers or an online banking service to manage your accounts or to keep up with the employer’s accounts, if that’s your job.

For individuals who are blind

Individuals who are blind may choose to perform calculations using an abacus, a talking calculator, a computer-based calculator (with speech output), or a calculator on a mobile device such as a cell phone (again with speech output).

Keep an abacus or two handy for quick calculations or for when you don’t have electrical power.
You may also want to consider keeping a tactile ruler and/or measuring tape on hand if your job requires you to measure and do calculations to compute space considerations.
Consider using braille or tactile cheques or cheque-writing templates, as well as brailled cheque registers and ledgers or an online banking service to manage your accounts or to keep up with the employer’s accounts, if that’s your job.
Use a calculator with audio output. If you prefer braille, you may be able to find a calculator with braille output; however, they are few and far between. The best known one, the Leo Braille Calculator, has been discontinued and at the time of this writing there are no plans to reintroduce it.

When evaluating audio output calculators, try them before buying to ensure you can easily understand the audio and listen to it comfortably. You’ll also want to ensure that it comes with earbuds or a slot to attach headphones to.

Many mobile devices and computers come with built-in calculators for simple calculations. So, as long as you have speech output on your computer or mobile device, you’ll have easy access to such calculators at work.