On the Inclusion of Blind People in UML e-Learning Activities

Abstract

The UML -Unified Modeling Language is a standard notation for software development, which has been widely adopted in academy and industry worldwide. However, the inclusion of blind people in UML-related activities is still a challenge, mostly due to the extensive use of its graphical notation. There are several actions that can promote the inclusion of blind people when considering the application of face-to-face UML classes, such as the use of physical devices to represent diagram elements( e.g. illustrative objects and pens for tactile drawings). Needless to say, these actions are not effective in e-learning activities because participants do not share the same physical space. In this context, this paper addresses the problem of including blind people in e-learning activities of UML. First, it establishes the requirements needed for such inclusion by combining the information gathered from a literature review (conducted to identify studies related to the accessibility of UML diagrams by blind people) with the experience from one of the authors in teaching UML for blind learners. Secondly, it analyzes tools that support the accessible representations of UML diagrams and evaluates them regarding the fulfillment of the proposed requirements. The results indicate a lack of solutions that enable the inclusion of blind people in such activities without being affected by the transactional distance, i.e. the learner perceptions concerning distance. Finally, the paper presents the strategies, design patterns and frameworks, considered to develop a web-based prototype of a learning tool that fulfills the established requirements. Directions for future research are presented at the end of the paper.

On the inclusion of learners with visual impairment in computing education programs in Brazil: practices of educators and perceptions of visually impaired learners

“…Also, it may increase the sense of distance between participants [51]. For instance, content and examples based on situations raised in class, which could increase the learner's motivation, can hardly be applied in such an inclusive scenario.…”

“…Despite the extensive research on the subject, further research and technological development effort are required to produce a more inclusive scenario [51,53]. An important step toward such inclusive scenario is to gather information from the parties involved.…”

“…These studies considered both linear and hierarchical access to diagram content. Finally, other studies covered collaborative diagram-based activities involving individuals with visual impairment [48][49][50][51][52].…”

Model2gether: uma ferramenta de apoio ao ensino e a aprendizagem de modelos por cegos

“…em sala de aula, os professores têm de usar ferramentas, tais como canetas, papeis ou impressoras para desenhos táteis, visores táteis, objetos físicos com semânticas específicas, entre outros [9]. Algumas dessas ferramentas, tais como canetas para desenhos táteis e objetos físicos, permitem que instrutores conduzam algumas atividades incluindo alunos cegos e com visão normal em atividades cooperativas (por exemplo, a criação de um diagrama ou a identificação de erros em um diagrama criado anteriormente).…”

“…Como exemplo, por meio da ferramenta,é possível que um instrutor com visão normal clique sobre um elemento de um diagrama e os alunos cegos sejam imediatamente notificados sobre o elemento selecionado, bem como possam navegar pelos elementos relacionados. A Figura 1 apresenta os requisitos implementados nesta ferramenta, adaptados de Luque et al [9,25]. Atualmente, ela oferece apoioà modelagem de modelos de casos de uso da UML.…”