Towards a Tangible Blocky Coding Design for Visually Impaired Children

This paper investigates the role of coding in children's education and the barriers to inclusion for Visually Impaired (VI) children in this environment. In the learning process, these children face numerous challenges, including the fact that most playful coding-related learning options rely on visualization. This paper incorporates insights from a literature review to design a solution involving a model called DODO through computer vision and tangible paper blocky modules for VI children to learn to code. The main result is the proof of concept prototype demonstrates that the proposed design can recognize the various paper modules used to represent different codes, targeting the tactile sense. The design advocates for VI children to have access to economic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning.