BPC-DP: Accessible Robotic Programming for Students with Disabilities (ARoPability)

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The Georgia Institute of Technology proposes a project - called Accessible Robotic Programming for Students with Disabilities (ARoPability) - to investigate the use of alternative interface modalities in engaging middle and high school students with disabilities in robotics-based programming activities. ARoPability will leverage support from the Center for the Visually Impaired, the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, WizKidz Science and Technology Center, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It will (1) create alternative programming tools and use them in developing accessible modules for students with visual or physical impairments, (2) run Robotic Institutes at the Center for the Visually Impaired and with the National Federation of the Blind to evaluate the modules' ability to engage students with visual impairments, (3) run Robotic Institutes in conjunction with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to evaluate the modules ability to engage students with physical impairments, and (4) provide teacher training kits and documentation for classroom use. The work will focus on questions such as: What characteristics of robotics-based activities need to be transformed to engage students with visual impairments? What technologies can be adapted to enable achievement of robotics-based programming activities for students with physical impairments? Are there existing teaching modalities already employed by educators that can be used to train these new computing professionals? What methods can be exploited to broaden participation in computing for students with visual or physical impairments? The techniques developed by ARoPability will advance the state-of-the-art in engaging students with disabilities in computing activities.