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F. Güldenpfennig, A. Wagner, P. Fikar, G. Kaindl, R. Ganhör:
"Enabling Learning Experiences for Visually Impaired Children by Interaction Design";
in: "Haptic Interfaces for Accessibility, Health, and Enhanced Quality of Life", T. McDaniel, S. Panchanathan (ed.); Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021, Schweiz, 2019, ISBN: 978-3-030-34229-6, 3 - 33.

Interaction design and tangible computing offer rich opportunities for supporting children with impairments by means of enhanced therapeutic toys and educational materials. In order to explore how technology can be utilized to meet special requirements in the education of visually impaired children (and teenagers), we set up a practice-based research project at a special health center and school for the blind. Drawing on a number of design experiments involving educators and affected children, we came up with design proposals that enabled instructive (sensory) experiences despite their impairments in the sensory system. We describe two interactive prototypes in detail - a tangible color-picker toy, that we named The Cuebe, and an Audio-Tactile Map designed for e-learning - and show how they can support children in building new skills by augmenting physical properties and affordances. In both prototypes, tactility, haptics, and interactivity were crucial features, since all experiences originated at the fingertips and then unfolded higher-level sensory and cognitive processes. Moreover, the prototypes were also characterized by a high degree of open-endedness and customizability in their design, allowing educators to incorporate them in flexible ways to meet the needs of the children.

interaction design, disability, children, development, learning