JBrick

Abstract

Despite advances in assistive technology, relatively few visually impaired students participate in computer science courses. Significant factors in this underrepresentation include lack of precollege preparation, access to resources, and the highly visual nature of computing. This poster describes the development of a prototype to provide an accessible programming environment for Lego Mindstorm NXT. With the popularity of robotics in both pre-college and introductory programming classes, such an environment has the potential to better accommodate students who are visually impaired. JBrick's motivation in addition to its design will be presented.