Leveraging Robotics to Enhance Accessibility and Engagement in Mathematics Education for Vision-Impaired Students

There is potential to use robotics in education to revolutionize teaching and learning in mathematics. This is particularly relevant for vision-impaired students, who face different challenges when accessing mathematical content. Educational robotics can potentially enhance accessibility, motivation, and engagement in mathematics for students through enjoyable and novel interactions. Students commonly experience positive interactions with educational robots during learning activities, which influences their learning motivation. Recent studies show that students with disabilities face issues related to classroom participation, lack of collaborative learning, reduced social engagement, and potential for isolation. Digital-based learning technologies have transformed how vision-impaired students engage with and learn mathematics. Leveraging robotics in mathematics teaching and learning through personalised guidelines offers considerable benefits for vision-impaired students, including enhanced engagement, multimodal learning opportunities, and improved collaboration and communication skills, which enhances the opportunities for inclusive classroom experiences. This paper outlines the role of educational robotics in inclusive education. It examines the challenges and benefits of using educational robotics in mathematics for vision-impaired students. The importance of human-robot interaction (HRI) in steering the design and functionality of educational robots and their potential use within the classroom to facilitate learning is also highlighted.