**5. Enabling higher accessibility for visually impaired students**

#### **5.1. Expert design workshops**

To facilitate the process of redesigning the robotics course in order to reach a higher level of accessibility for students with visual impairment as well as blindness, researchers from RWTH Aachen University invited a team of interdisciplinary experts to a series of workshops. The roadmap of the redesign was developed within these workshops. The main goal was defined as follows: to identify the key aspects of required adjustments.

development. To reach full accessibility for the pupils, advancements and changes must be made gradually. This methodology has proven to be a very helpful approach in the process of designing the new course. Some degrees of visual impairment, for example, are even contrary to one another [1], so there is an increasing demand for different technical as well as didactic approaches in each course to reduce or extinguish existing barriers for all participating

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As a first result and requirement, printed manuals with regard to font size should be provided within the first three phases: the introductory part, the construction, and the programming phase. This allows students with less severe visual impairment to be able to reread

Time has also proven to be one major but often underestimated factor [21]. Students who have visual impairments need to be given more time to work on their tasks in terms of reading instructions, following presentations as well as building and programming. The more severe the impairment, the more time will be needed to finish a task. Kabátová et al. [21] found that test participants who were wearing glasses that simulate an eye dysfunction needed four times as long to finish the assigned task without the glasses. Therefore, they come to the subjective conclusion that the time necessary for a traditional course design should be multiplied by a factor of at least four. Further research and evaluations of the course will have to prove

Another important adjustment relates to the teacher-student ratio. It has to be increased compared to traditional course designs, which of course takes up additional time and resources on the teaching end. The required ratio can differ vastly, as students have very diverse needs in terms of support. As we also know from Silva et al., even students without handicap perceive and process experiences in different preferred ways [22]. As a result, the instructors need to provide a high level of flexibility regarding supervision and must provide support throughout the course. Lastly, the supervisors identified pre-sorting the sorting boxes used in the construction phase as a helpful measure in the building process, which no longer excludes students with visual impairments from the haptic and tangible experience of building a robot themselves. Every course is highly influenced by diverse aspects, and a thorough preparation and awareness of all possibilities and influences as well as a pre-analysis of the expected target group of each course proves to be the key to a successful course design. **Figure 2** sums up the results from the workshop in a grid.

After an implementation of the workshop and the guidelines, robotics courses were conducted in cooperation with the Berufsförderungswerk Soest and teenagers of the Johannes-Kepler-School in Laurensberg. An excursion into the mode of operation and programming of

The robotics courses for visually impaired teenagers were perceived very well and were therefore asked to be offered to young people who are blind. Since the robots could not be programmed with the LabView-based programming language NXT-G, a different setup was required for the course. The "Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg" was visited for preparation

students.

instructions at their individual pace.

whether that factor needs to be adjusted.

**5.4. Further development of the courses**

industrial robots was made for the course's participants.

During the workshops, the participants gradually developed a grid of these requirements. In a first step, they divided the course into its individual phases based on the established approach by Vieritz et al. [18]. They used the different phases of the course and analyzed the requirements and necessary adjustments for each individual part compared to those of the original course design. These phases consist of the introductory part, the construction phase, the programming phase and the phase for reflection. Combining their different experiences and testing single elements by simulating specific eye dysfunctions, the experts came to results in terms of requirements for each phase. These results are presented and discussed in the chapters below, which are divided into technical as well as didactic adjustments. At the end of chapter three, the developed grid gives a summarized overview of the results from the workshops.

#### **5.2. Technical requirements**

According to the results of the design workshops, the identified requirements especially include auxiliary means, which can be summed up as objects, software, and computer settings. There are a lot of different eye dysfunctions which call for support by varying objects, for example, magnifiers and common magnifying glasses. Other important objects for different phases of the course are cameras and reading devices, printed handouts for every phase, additional lighting for the building process, and sorting boxes for robot components.

In terms of software, screen readers such as JAWS or Dolphin, graphic programming using, for example, NXT-G [14] as well as textual programming using, for example, JBrick [19, 20] should be provided in the programming phase. Additionally, the computers and provided worktables should allow adjustments of graphic contrast on computer screens. Nevertheless, there is no "universal remedy" for increasing accessibility. In preparation of the course, the teaching staff needs to communicate with the participants to be prepared for any special requirements the students might have.

#### **5.3. Didactic adjustments**

Since not every measure taken is helpful for every sort of handicap and not all changes can be made at once, it is necessary to differentiate between the types of visual impairment. In the presented case, a fundamental distinction between different degrees of visual impairment up to sightlessness has been the essential groundwork for further research and course development. To reach full accessibility for the pupils, advancements and changes must be made gradually. This methodology has proven to be a very helpful approach in the process of designing the new course. Some degrees of visual impairment, for example, are even contrary to one another [1], so there is an increasing demand for different technical as well as didactic approaches in each course to reduce or extinguish existing barriers for all participating students.

As a first result and requirement, printed manuals with regard to font size should be provided within the first three phases: the introductory part, the construction, and the programming phase. This allows students with less severe visual impairment to be able to reread instructions at their individual pace.

Time has also proven to be one major but often underestimated factor [21]. Students who have visual impairments need to be given more time to work on their tasks in terms of reading instructions, following presentations as well as building and programming. The more severe the impairment, the more time will be needed to finish a task. Kabátová et al. [21] found that test participants who were wearing glasses that simulate an eye dysfunction needed four times as long to finish the assigned task without the glasses. Therefore, they come to the subjective conclusion that the time necessary for a traditional course design should be multiplied by a factor of at least four. Further research and evaluations of the course will have to prove whether that factor needs to be adjusted.

Another important adjustment relates to the teacher-student ratio. It has to be increased compared to traditional course designs, which of course takes up additional time and resources on the teaching end. The required ratio can differ vastly, as students have very diverse needs in terms of support. As we also know from Silva et al., even students without handicap perceive and process experiences in different preferred ways [22]. As a result, the instructors need to provide a high level of flexibility regarding supervision and must provide support throughout the course. Lastly, the supervisors identified pre-sorting the sorting boxes used in the construction phase as a helpful measure in the building process, which no longer excludes students with visual impairments from the haptic and tangible experience of building a robot themselves. Every course is highly influenced by diverse aspects, and a thorough preparation and awareness of all possibilities and influences as well as a pre-analysis of the expected target group of each course proves to be the key to a successful course design. **Figure 2** sums up the results from the workshop in a grid.

#### **5.4. Further development of the courses**

**5. Enabling higher accessibility for visually impaired students**

defined as follows: to identify the key aspects of required adjustments.

To facilitate the process of redesigning the robotics course in order to reach a higher level of accessibility for students with visual impairment as well as blindness, researchers from RWTH Aachen University invited a team of interdisciplinary experts to a series of workshops. The roadmap of the redesign was developed within these workshops. The main goal was

During the workshops, the participants gradually developed a grid of these requirements. In a first step, they divided the course into its individual phases based on the established approach by Vieritz et al. [18]. They used the different phases of the course and analyzed the requirements and necessary adjustments for each individual part compared to those of the original course design. These phases consist of the introductory part, the construction phase, the programming phase and the phase for reflection. Combining their different experiences and testing single elements by simulating specific eye dysfunctions, the experts came to results in terms of requirements for each phase. These results are presented and discussed in the chapters below, which are divided into technical as well as didactic adjustments. At the end of chapter three, the developed grid gives a summarized overview of the results from the

According to the results of the design workshops, the identified requirements especially include auxiliary means, which can be summed up as objects, software, and computer settings. There are a lot of different eye dysfunctions which call for support by varying objects, for example, magnifiers and common magnifying glasses. Other important objects for different phases of the course are cameras and reading devices, printed handouts for every phase,

In terms of software, screen readers such as JAWS or Dolphin, graphic programming using, for example, NXT-G [14] as well as textual programming using, for example, JBrick [19, 20] should be provided in the programming phase. Additionally, the computers and provided worktables should allow adjustments of graphic contrast on computer screens. Nevertheless, there is no "universal remedy" for increasing accessibility. In preparation of the course, the teaching staff needs to communicate with the participants to be prepared for any special

Since not every measure taken is helpful for every sort of handicap and not all changes can be made at once, it is necessary to differentiate between the types of visual impairment. In the presented case, a fundamental distinction between different degrees of visual impairment up to sightlessness has been the essential groundwork for further research and course

additional lighting for the building process, and sorting boxes for robot components.

**5.1. Expert design workshops**

140 Causes and Coping with Visual Impairment and Blindness

workshops.

**5.2. Technical requirements**

requirements the students might have.

**5.3. Didactic adjustments**

After an implementation of the workshop and the guidelines, robotics courses were conducted in cooperation with the Berufsförderungswerk Soest and teenagers of the Johannes-Kepler-School in Laurensberg. An excursion into the mode of operation and programming of industrial robots was made for the course's participants.

The robotics courses for visually impaired teenagers were perceived very well and were therefore asked to be offered to young people who are blind. Since the robots could not be programmed with the LabView-based programming language NXT-G, a different setup was required for the course. The "Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg" was visited for preparation


**Figure 2.** Results from the workshop: requirements for the new course design.

in June 2014. Since the sense of touch system is the most important part for people who are blind, the "burrowing" in Lego boxes and the "building" of the robots are the most important components of the course regarding blind-pedagogical aspects. On top, a spoken construction guide is provided to the students as an audio book. The written construction manual was examined by the teachers of the "Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg" and was then tested in the course. **Figures 3**–**6** show impressions of the prepared soft- and hardware as well as students in the course programming a robot.

In 2015, the robotics courses for students who are blind were implemented in cooperation with the Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg. The building instructions, which were previously unusably for people who are blind, were converted into a spoken building instruction. The

instructions themselves were then read out by a free screen-reading program NVDA via a voice output system to create real-world conditions. The program code was read out or put out via a Braille display reader, which allowed even the programming and integration

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**Figure 5.** Prepared software for the robotics course for students who are visually impaired: textual instructions.

**Figure 3.** Prepared Lego Mindstorm system for students who are blind.

**Figure 4.** Secondary school student who is blind programming a robot.

Designing Hands-On Robotics Courses for Students with Visual Impairment or Blindness http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73285 143

**Figure 3.** Prepared Lego Mindstorm system for students who are blind.

**Figure 4.** Secondary school student who is blind programming a robot.

in June 2014. Since the sense of touch system is the most important part for people who are blind, the "burrowing" in Lego boxes and the "building" of the robots are the most important components of the course regarding blind-pedagogical aspects. On top, a spoken construction guide is provided to the students as an audio book. The written construction manual was examined by the teachers of the "Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg" and was then tested in the course. **Figures 3**–**6** show impressions of the prepared soft- and hardware as well as students

In 2015, the robotics courses for students who are blind were implemented in cooperation with the Blindenstudienanstalt Marburg. The building instructions, which were previously unusably for people who are blind, were converted into a spoken building instruction. The

in the course programming a robot.

142 Causes and Coping with Visual Impairment and Blindness

**Figure 2.** Results from the workshop: requirements for the new course design.

**Figure 5.** Prepared software for the robotics course for students who are visually impaired: textual instructions.

instructions themselves were then read out by a free screen-reading program NVDA via a voice output system to create real-world conditions. The program code was read out or put out via a Braille display reader, which allowed even the programming and integration

broad range of basic programming courses for pupils starting at young age. Additionally, to encourage applied computer science in school, some institutions offer robot kits and teaching materials. Integrating students with visual impairment or blindness in student laboratories is a chance to not only encourage interest in STEM-fields but also to show these individuals opportunities for the future. Science curriculum reform efforts have emphasized the integration of educational technology into teaching and learning purposes in the past years. Teachers and educators are asked to explore further ways in which new technologies could be utilized to improve access to science for students with visual

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The paper has described the process of redesigning of a robotics course from an educational robotics laboratory to increase accessibility of the course for students with visual impairments. The evaluation of the workshop has informed a concept for the redesign, which has been implemented and is currently being tested in a second run with various groups of students with visual impairments. The developed grid of the workshop suggests that adjustments to the designated phases of the lecture can provide a higher level of accessibility. A first anecdotal but enthusiastic assessment from the students who participated leads to the

Nevertheless, a huge part of the adjustments requires a consideration for the unique needs and requirements that the specific dysfunctions of the target group bring about. At this point in the research, there is no catch-all solution to the challenge. The evaluation of the designed courses will allow for a thorough analysis, serve the pursuit of continuous improvement, and be the key to future research. Additionally, to broaden the range of accessibility, further research will have to focus on full accessibility not only for those students who are blind but also for those with other impairments, such as hearing and physi-

In conclusion, teacher, educators, and educational institutions should realize and promote the student-oriented benefits and devote additional effort toward accommodating students with (visual) impairments in STEM education. An awareness, and furthermore, an understanding of the academic needs of students with (visual) impairments are essential in striving toward

Though many institutions and educators stress the need to integrate students with (visual) impairments in their scientific programs, there is still room for improvement. Ensuring that full participation in science is possible for everyone will be beneficial for all students and a

Part of this chapter has been taken from our earlier work cited in Stehling V, Schuster K, Richert A, Jeschke S. Access all areas: Designing a hands-on robotics course for visually impaired high school students. In: Proceedings part II of the HCI International 2015; 2–7 August 2015; Los Angeles, USA. Communications in Computer and Information Science. Cham: Springer

assumption that the applied suggested changes were successful.

impairments.

cal disabilities.

this goal.

rewarding experience for teachers.

International Publishing; 2015. pp. 430-435.

**Acknowledgements**

**Figure 6.** Prepared software for the robotics course for students who are visually impaired: illustrated instructions.

of sensors with conditions, loops, and queries. The robotics courses for pupils with visual impairments are frequently requested by different classes and are met with great enthusiasm. Usually, the course takes place between two and five times a year. Furthermore, teachers can request the developed materials, rent LEGO Mindstorm robots, and ask for advice on how to conduct the courses on their own.
