An Accessible and Inclusive Future for Tabletop Games and Learning: Paradigms and Approaches

Abstract

In recent years, the social perspective on disability has been changing, abandoning the more traditional medical paradigm, and replaced by more socially and contextually aware methods. In this sense, disability is now seen as a social construct, as the inability to accommodate the personal requirements of each individual. This has prompted changes in both educational interventions and media creation frameworks, based on paradigms that promote inclusivity. Considering the recognized social and educational potential of tabletop games, their recognized potential for inclusion intervention, it makes sense to look at this medium and how it can advocate the inclusion of each individual player's needs. The present study explores different conceptual structures for the purposes of establishing a framework for inclusive development approaches in tabletop games. Beyond people with disabilities and specific accessibility needs, this study also intends to broaden the spectrum of inclusion through analogue games reflecting on human diversity, with a specific focus on Game-Based Learning (GBL). Results intend to foster evidence based and inclusive GBL interventions, which does not present inclusive design and accessibility as an obstacle but instead a creative process that can be addressed proactively by the different stakeholders. Furthermore, the developed reflections constitute a concrete bridge between the premises of the social model of disability, the broad range of individuals' support needs, and the learning potential of tabletop games.

MATEMÁTICA E APRENDIZAGEM DA LÍNGUA GESTUAL PORTUGUESA COM UM JOGO TANGÍVEL: Uma Abordagem Inclusiva

“…A educação inclusiva segue o denominado modelo social, que considera que a deficiência só ocorre quando há um desajuste entre as necessidades da pessoa e o ambiente que a envolve (Samaha, 2007;Sousa et al, 2022a). Portanto, reconhece a diversidade das necessidades e preferências dos/as alunos/as e proporciona experiências de aprendizagem personalizadas (Salgarayeva et al, 2021;Subban et al, 2022), similarmente ao que a ABJ consegue fazer.…”

“…A ABJ foi identificada como uma abordagem potencial para a promoção da educação inclusiva, pois proporciona uma maneira divertida e envolvente para crianças com diversas necessidades de aprendizagem acederem e interagirem com os conteúdos educacionais (Sousa et al, 2022a;2022b). Para implementar uma estratégia baseada em jogos numa sala de aula inclusiva, é crucial garantir que o jogo é acessível.…”

No Barriers: Strategies and Best Practices for the Employment of Individuals with Intellectual Disability

“…On the other hand, we must also take into consideration that, under the social model of disability, the concept of disability is neither set in stone nor solely based on the physiological characteristics of the person. It is, instead, defined when there is a gap between a person's needs and the availability of the appropriate resources to meet those needs (Sousa et al, 2022). As Léste and Farbiarz (2023) suggest, hundreds of thousands of years ago, when early humans had no way to address myopia, the condition would be considered a disability, because people with myopia would be unable to perform the basic activities that were expected of them as part of a group: keeping a lookout for predators, spotting prey, distinguishing edible plants from poisonous ones, and so forth.…”

Applications and Learning Outcomes of Game Based Learning in Education

“…Cost: Creating high-quality game-based learning experiences can be expensive, as it requires significant resources, such as specialized software and design expertise. (Hainey et al 2016, Sousa 2022.…”