Towards accessible ICT Learning: a study on assistive tools for visually impaired students

Abstract

Despite significant advances in promoting equitable quality education for students with visual impairments (SVI), many barriers persist, particularly in highly visual fields such as Information and Communications Technology (ICT). To address these barriers, various tools have been developed to help SVI understand on-screen content. However, many SVI still face significant challenges in computing courses, indicating that current tools are insufficient. This highlights the need for studies to identify and analyze existing tools and determine why they fall short. The main objective of this work is to identify and analyze tools that aid SVI in universitylevel computing courses. To achieve this, we (i) performed a systematic literature review using primary data sources in the computing field to identify relevant studies and (ii) proposed and developed a tool to address one of the gaps identified during the review. We found 47 studies that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria and extracted information about their publishing details, area, availability, evaluation methods, Technology Readiness Level (TRL), and target audience. Our review revealed that approximately 80% of the studies lacked ways to access the tool, indicating a significant availability issue. Additionally, more than 23% of the tools had no evaluation process. These findings highlight gaps and deficiencies in tools designed for SVI in university-level computing courses. For example, many studies do not include VI participants in their evaluations or lack any evaluation altogether. To address these gaps, we developed CraftPy, an accessible tool compatible with screen readers for creating multiple types of diagrams. We conducted an experiment with eight participants with VI, and CraftPy proved to be accessible and effective, enabling participants to create diagrams using screen readers. By developing CraftPy, we aim to promote equity in higher education, offering SVI enhanced opportunities to succeed in ICT courses.