Geometric Thinking and Learning Through Educational Video Gaming in Learners with Visual Disabilities

Much of the educational software that supports geometry learning is intended for sighted children, since its main stimulus is based on images, which do not provide enough information to children with vision problems. Consequently, software has been developed to support geometry learning in blind students, however, the understanding of the subject by these students remains complicated. This work consists of the development of a video game to support children who are blind attending 5th to 8th year of primary school in the construction of concepts and geometric thinking in everyday contexts. The gamewas implemented for mobile phones with touch screen, allowing an interaction based mainly on vibration and sound. In the game, called GeoHouse, the player must helpwith a house move, placing objects in a new house. The geometric exercises include the search for tiles in the Cartesian plane and their isometric transformations, concepts that are studied in primary school. Subsequently, usability evaluations were carried out with both children who are blind and their math teachers. The level of acceptance of the video game by the students was quite varied, while teachers considered it a useful tool applicable to their classes. Impact evaluations were also carried out, resulting that the video game helped students learn after interacting with the software for a longer time.