skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Bentley, Zoë"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Millions of children around the world learn to code by creating with Scratch and other block-based programming languages. However, these programming environments typically are not accessible for blind and visually impaired children to tinker, create, and learn alongside their sighted peers. This paper discusses the ongoing development of the OctoStudio coding app to support accessibility and tinkerability for blind and visually impaired learners. We discuss how we have applied core principles of tinkerability to create an accessible, mainstream app for use on mobile phones and tablets. We describe our iterative development process in collaboration with educators who specialize in the design and testing of accessible technologies for children. We conclude with suggestions for how the core principles of designing for tinkerability can be expanded to support accessibility and engagement of blind and visually impaired learners internationally. 
    more » « less
  2. Millions of children around the world learn to code by creating with Scratch and other block-based programming languages. However, these programming environments typically are not accessible for blind and visually impaired children to tinker, create, and learn alongside their sighted peers. This paper discusses the ongoing development of the OctoStudio coding app to support accessibility and tinkerability for blind and visually impaired learners. We discuss how we have applied core principles of tinkerability to create an accessible, mainstream app for use on mobile phones and tablets. We describe our iterative development process in collaboration with educators who specialize in the design and testing of accessible technologies for children. We conclude with suggestions for how the core principles of designing for tinkerability can be expanded to support accessibility and engagement of blind and visually impaired learners internationally. 
    more » « less