Let’s Play: Accessible Toys for Visually Impaired Students
By better understanding a specific type of disability through a cultural lens, students can better understand how to use the engineering design process to solve specific problems. In this activity, students research, brainstorm, and design a type of pre-braille (a type of braille that is used to introduce children at a young age) toy that is readily accessible to young students. They then create and test their toys while gaining information on what needs to be improved within their design through feedback provided by their classmates and teachers. To show understanding of the objective, students create a marketing poster explaining their findings and the use of their toy.
A potential design challenge product is evaluated by a different team.Copyright 2023 Christina Cook, University of Dayton RET
Engineers work with a multitude of clients, including people who are of different cultures and abilities. Engineers have a lot to learn from these clients when considering designs. By learning about the persons they are working with, engineers can ensure that the end users have a voice and presence in the design. This also helps ensure that the prototype is functional and is helpful to the end user.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Create a prototype considering the end user’s needs and strengths.
- Design a functional toy for a visually impaired student using the engineering design process.
- Create a marketing poster that shows how a product works.