Geometry Appcessory for Visually Impaired Children

Abstract

Visually impaired children face challenges in learning spatial contents and materials, such as geometry. While many existing tools, such as string boards, or protractors with physical angle markers, can facilitate learning, these devices are highly specific: they tackle single issues and it can be hard to generalize the knowledge gained from their use into a broad understanding of the topic. This problem contributes to low levels numeracy in visually impaired individuals. Addressing these problems, this research presents Clicks, a digital manipulative product for visually impaired children that supports a range of geometry education tasks and ties physical adjustments to the device to a dynamic digital representation and additional audio feedback. Clicks comprises a construction kit of simple geometric primitives that snap together to produce a range of more complex forms such as lines, angles, triangles and rectangles. When placed on a tablet computer, the geometry of these objects is sensed (via the capacitive touch screen and electrodes embedded in the objects) and audio feedback is provided. This report describes the physical construction of the product and its accessories and use scenario for future software development.

After reviewing literature to review to understand first-hand the issues faced in the field of geometry by visually impaired children that makes it their least favorite,. gGoals were set of identify a process that can enable us to make geometric shapes easily. Different methods were prototyped and we settled on a mechanism that uses magnets to join the different pieces together. The downside of the form was that we needed to have fixed lengths for the product and also a limited angle formation. Using this first prototype an interview with a visually impaired instructor was conducted to support formative studies. One of the major feedbacks from this study was that the product should be designed to support easy manipulation of the product as well as the tablet application as the use of technology can be challenging for visually impaired students. Progressing the project further, the form of the product was improved which supported the making of small angles. The introduction of a conductive material around the perimeter also solved our problem of the product being recognized on the tablet, but to reduce cost of product, further iteration of form with mechanism was conducted. A ‘circuit type’ mechanism comprising of a conductive cap linked to a magnet (at one end) and a magnet connected to a rubber foot (at the other end that would be in contact with the tablet surface) with both ends connected by a copper wire was used. When the pieces are joined, it closes the circuit and touching the conductive cap makes the points are recognizableed.

The user interaction with the tablet saw the creation of hinged ‘buttons’ on the holder for the tablet to aid navigation of the application. A proposed interface flow of the software was discussed in this report using the Curriculum of Ontario and California Department of Education as reference. A prototype of the software was made with a UX web based tool Proto.io which gives first hand some of the processes of the use of the product.