Blind Programmers Research Articles

Exploring an Online Community of Blind Programmers by Using Topic Modeling and Network Analysis

ABSTRACTMuch work has been carried out to highlight the accessibility challenges of blind programmers. Yet, relatively little has been known about how blind programmers help each other to solve problems. We present a data‐driven approach to explore collaborative problem‐solving of users in the Program‐l community of, by, and for blind programmers. We collected 8,344 longitudinal email threads from 778 users from 2004 through 2022 to observe the dynamics of collaborative problem‐solving among blind programmers. Our embedding‐based topic modeling and assortativity network analysis reveal that the knowledge of blind programmers diverges between when asking and answering questions. Our findings also suggest that users who have a high cluster level in the first year of activity and members are more likely to interact with other members with different roles. Our paper contributes to the field of social computing by introducing the first large‐scale study of a unique community of blind programmers.

Accessible Web Development

There are a growing number of jobs related to web development, yet there is little formal literature about the accessibility of web development with a screen reader. This article describes research to explore (1) web development accessibility issues and their impact on blind learners and programmers; (2) tools and strategies used to address issues; and (3) opportunities for creating inclusive web development curriculum and supportive tools. We conducted a Comprehensive Literature Review (CLR) to formulate accessibility issue categories, then interviewed 12 blind programmers to validate and expand on both issues in education and practice. The CLR yielded five issue categories: (1) visual information without an accessible equivalent, (2) orienting, (3) navigating, (4) lack of support, and (5) knowledge and use of supportive technologies. Our interview findings validated the use of CLR-derived categories and revealed nuances specific to learning and practicing web development. Blind web developers grapple with the inaccessibility of demonstrations and explanations of web design concepts, wireframing software, independent verification of computed Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and navigating browser-based developer tool interfaces. Tools and strategies include seeking out alternative education materials to learn independently, use of CSS frameworks, collaboration with sighted colleagues, and avoidance of design and front-end development. This work contributes to our understanding of accessibility issues specific to web development and the strategies that blind web developers employ in both educational and applied contexts. We identify areas in which greater awareness and application of accessibility best practices are required in Web education, a need to disseminate existing screen reader strategies and accessible tools, and to develop new tools that support Web design and validation of CSS. Finally, this research signals future directions for the development of accessible web curriculum and supportive tools, including solutions that leverage artificial intelligence, tactile graphics, and supportive-online communities of practice.

Quality, Nontechnical Skills, Blind Programmers, and Deep Learning

Reports from the 34th International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution, the 44th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications, and the 12th International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM).

Exploring auditory cues to locate code errors and enhance navigation for developers who are blind

The goal of my research is to support the workflow of programmers who are blind; prior work has found that these users face challenges in using screen-readers to locate errors and debug software code. Recent advancements in auditory cues have made them a potential candidate for providing useful feedback to both sighted and visually impaired users, but little known about the effectiveness and the usability of such cues for blind programmers. I propose to investigate the efficiency of two different auditory techniques, to locate code errors and reduce the amount of time required to navigate through lengthy codebases. I will compare learning rates for Earcons (hierarchical representations of musical tones) and Spearcons (compressed speech) as potential candidates for the auditory feedback system. My research aim is to understand the proper way to implement usable auditory cues for these users. This document describes my research motivations, proposed research plan, current progress, and the potential contribution to the field of software engineering and accessibility for blind programmers.

Design Considerations to Increase Block-based Language Accessibility for Blind Programmers Via Blockly

Design Considerations to Increase Block-based Language Accessibility for Blind Programmers Via Blockly

A scripting language to help the blind to program visually

Computer programming, a career path that has been accessible to the blind, has changed in recent years as more systems use graphical user interfaces. These changes make it more difficult for the blind to work productively as programmers. Visual Basic, a RAD programming language that stores forms in text format, requires a great deal of information to be specified. A scripting language is introduced which simplifies the task and allows blind programmers to specify forms in a much simpler fashion. An example and a formal grammar are included.

Adapting a programming editor (EMACS) for persons who are blind: issues, initiatives and problems

This paper describes current research in the ‘programming by ear’ project begun by B. York and recently continued by the author. This research uses an extensively modified EMACS text editor to address general problems which constrain the effective design of human-computer interfaces for blind programmers. These include (1) an information conversion problem, (2) an information reduction problem, and (3) an information compression problem. Recent work has focused on the problem of providing an auditory equivalent for rapid visual browsing of program source code.

Designing software for blind programmers

Designing software for blind programmers

A programming environment for blind APL-programmers

This paper reports on the programming environment we developed for blind APL-programmers. We defined a Braille-APL-Notation and developed an APL-editor, fitting the special needs of blind programmers. Since January, 1980 the Braille-APL-Notation has been successfully used by a blind programmer in our Institute. We discuss various problems blind programmers have in communicating with a computer, and present the hardware and software environment we provided and tested in Stuttgart. Finally, we report on our experience and results.

A punched-card reader for the blind programmer with synthesized voice output

Through digital conversion of codes, a punched-card reader with synthesized voice output has been implemented. As soon as a column of holes passes the photocells, the machine will automatically pronounce the character.

Discussion: Integrated training for the blind programmer

Discussion: Integrated training for the blind programmer

Status report on work for the British blind programmer

Status report on work for the British blind programmer

Blind Persons in Data Processing: The Attitude of Industry

□ In summary, the introduction of blind persons into the field of data processing gives us much to take satisfaction in and much to be proud of. We must, however, work toward the day when the present attitudes and concerns of all levels of management are no longer a problem. From there we must move on to be sure that blind programmers have the same opportunities in supervision and management as others. The success we've had is proof that employment of the blind in data processing is a good, sound business proposition. From a selfish point of view, there is tremendous public relations value to the company that employs blind persons in data processing. The story of our success has spread far and wide. We have probably received as much favorable publicity on this as any other thing we have done. We regularly get calls from all over the country where others are considering the employment of a blind person. There has also been a positive effect on our own employees. It is one more thing that has given them pride in their company.

An inexpensive braille terminal device

The active use of time-shared facilities for blind programmers requires a braille terminal system. Details are given for the construction of a brailler from a model 33 teletype by modifying the print head and increasing the resiliency of the platen. A description of the programming needed to drive the brailler is presented.

The Training of Blind Computer Programmers

The Training of Blind Computer Programmers