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Parsons problems have become a mainstay of computer science education. They are heavily used among students, especially in K-12 and provide a small puzzle-like experience for students to practice their skills. Today, while prior work has explored com- plex issues with accessibility and block languages in general, the 2024 changes to accessibility regulations by the U.S. Department of Justice includes new rules around mobile platforms. These rules are ill-defned and in need of evaluation. In this work, we make several contributions. First, we conducted an evaluation of existing blocks with respect to their regulatory compliance and discuss a new blocks technology that we developed that meets these new mobile guidelines. Second, we conducted three empirical studies using Parsons problems to evaluate the usability of the technology with teachers of the visually impaired (n = 32), high-school students with diverse disabilities (n = 28), and high-school students with blindness or low vision (n = 13). 

This article presents the Smart Quad, a tangible user interface (TUI) designed to enhance quadrilateral learning by integrating physical and digital educational tools. Developed through an iterative, user-centered design process, the Smart Quad is a tangible device that pairs with the PhET SimulationQuadrilateralcreating a multimodal, inclusive learning environment for geometry. We conducted a pilot study with four users with blindness or low vision (BLV) and a formal user study in two settings: a classroom study with 15 students from grades 6 to 8 and individual sessions with five students with BLV from grades 7 to 9. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of the Smart Quad in facilitating hands-on, interactive learning experiences, particularly for students with BLV, and highlight the potential for TUIs to bridge gaps in mathematics education by supporting diverse learning needs and preferences. The results suggest that TUIs like the Smart Quad can significantly improve engagement and understanding of geometric concepts, offering a promising direction for future educational tools. 

In this paper, a learning module is introduced to teach undergraduate engineering students about the principles of haptics and inclusive design thinking through wearable technology. To that end, a novel wearable haptic (touch) device was created, referred to as the HapConnect, that contains modular vibration components for student teams to explore the use of haptics in a simple context, design and create their own versions of the device, and deploy it in a use-inspired setting. Through a series of lecture and hands-on design sessions, student teams were tasked with employing the HapConnect to navigate through a maze exclusively by the sense of touch. This paper evaluates student confidence in topics – such as haptics, human perception, wearable devices, and inclusive design – discussed throughout the module, feedback and performance of the HapConnect, and team design choices to complete their activity. Results indicate that student learning and confidence increased throughout the activity, while each team’s success in the maze was attributed to their differing design choices.