The Perception of Teachers on Usability and Accessibility of Programming Materials for Children with Visual Impairments

Abstract

Programming education is strongly emerging in elementary and high school. Diversity and inclusion are important topics, however insights on suited programming materials for younger learners with visual impairments are lacking. A wide range of programming materials for children exists, diverse in both what is being programmed (output) and how this is done (input), yet often relying on visual features. An understanding of usability and accessibility aspects of these different materials is important to inform educational practice and to increase understanding of what makes programming materials suited for low vision and blind children. The aim of this study is to explore usability and accessibility of programming materials currently used in education to low vision and blind children in the Netherlands. A focus group was conducted with six teachers or IT experts, all working with the target group in special education. The thematic analysis of the discussion of 25 materials (including unplugged lessons, robots and robotic kits, block-based and text-based languages) showed the potential of several materials, especially unplugged lessons, and the continuing search for suited materials and workforms specifically for the blind children. Further, prioritizing “fun” and close connections to children’s daily life as well as careful explorations of usability at the cognitive level came forward as important factors for future research and development in programming materials for low vision and blind children. These insights can contribute to obtain an inclusive approach to programming for young learners.