Understanding Challenges and Opportunities in Body Movement Education of People who are Blind or have Low Vision

TL;DR

This paper explores the challenges faced by blind or low vision individuals in body movement education, highlighting the need for inclusive technology solutions based on community input.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and design opportunities in body movement education for BLV people through community-engaged research.

Findings

Identified ten major themes in body movement education challenges.

Highlighted four key design challenges for assistive technology.

Proposed potential co-designed solutions to improve inclusivity.

Abstract

Actively participating in body movement such as dance, sports, and fitness activities is challenging for people who are blind or have low vision (BLV). Teachers primarily rely on verbal instructions and physical demonstrations with limited accessibility. Recent work shows that technology can support body movement education for BLV people. However, there is limited involvement with the BLV community and their teachers to understand their needs. By conducting a series of two surveys, 23 interviews and four focus groups, we gather the voices and perspectives of BLV people and their teachers. This provides a rich understanding of the challenges of body movement education. We identify ten major themes, four key design challenges, and propose potential solutions. We encourage the assistive technologies community to co-design potential solutions to these identified design challenges promoting the quality of life of BLV people and supporting the teachers in the provision of inclusive education.