Tangible Programming Learning System (TPLS) for Programming Class with Visually Impaired and Sighted Students

Abstract

In the inclusive classroom, the visually impaired and sighted student participate together in programming classes. However, familiar tools for the sighted students are difficult for the visually impaired students, and tools available to the visually impaired students are unfamiliar to the sighted students. These differences in tools make it difficult for these students to communicate and collaborate. To solve this problem, we developed a tangible programming system (TLPS). The system has an intuitive interface which can be used by both the visually impaired and the sighted people. To validate this system, 16 elementary school students participated in a usability evaluation and gave a positive evaluation of the system. In addition, the evaluation showed improvement in the participating students’ disability awareness of the visually impaired and in programming.