One Classroom. Every Learner.

Accessibility Impact Report 2026

Published: May 2026, Author: Bruce Jackson

How tactile, screen-free computational thinking is opening STEM pathways for blind, low-vision, neurodiverse, and sighted learners.

Executive Summary

Computer science education has largely been built around screens.

That design choice has created a quiet access problem. Many coding and robotics tools rely on visual interfaces, color cues, drag-and-drop blocks, and screen-based feedback. For blind and low-vision learners, that often means computer science is adapted after the fact rather than designed with them in mind from the beginning.

Kai’s Education is working from a different starting point.

KaiBot uses tactile coding cards, Braille support, audio feedback, screen-free coding, and a progression pathway into Blockly and Python. The goal is not just to help blind and low-vision students access coding. The bigger goal is to help them learn alongside sighted peers in the same classroom, using the same learning system.

This matters now because schools are being asked to do several things at once:

Build early computational thinking skills
Improve math engagement and problem-solving
Reduce passive screen time
Support neurodiverse learners
Make STEM more inclusive
Prepare students for future pathways in AI, automation, robotics, and technology

According to APH Federal Quota Census data shared with Kai’s Education, 73,505 learners were eligible for Federal Quota funds in 2025. That includes students of different ages and some adult learners. The total rose from 55,382 in 2024 and 54,962 in 2023.

APH’s Federal Quota Program conducts an annual census of eligible students who are blind or low vision and uses that count to determine the per-student funding allocation for educational materials. Those funds are credited to state-specific Federal Quota accounts and managed through APH and Ex Officio Trustees.

Field testing coordinated through APH showed strong early evidence for the approach. In a field test involving 29 students across elementary, middle, and high school settings, 86% of participating students were rated either “Very Engaged” or “Extremely Engaged” while using KaiBot.

The field test included students who were legally blind, students with no functional vision, students with low vision, and students with additional needs including deafblindness, autism, ADHD, CVI, and complex disabilities.

The report also looks beyond accessibility. In Canyons School District, Utah, participating implementations reported Acadience Math gains ranging from 10% to 24%, with some classrooms achieving growth rates up to four times the national average. Those outcomes position hands-on computational thinking as more than a coding activity. It can become a practical way to support mathematics, reasoning, collaboration, and confidence.

This report explores:

The accessibility gap in STEM education
Why tactile learning matters
What APH field testing showed
How hands-on computational thinking supports math outcomes
Why Federal Quota matters for school access
What districts can do next

The Accessibility Gap in STEM Education

Computer science is becoming a foundational part of modern education.

Students are increasingly expected to understand coding, logic, automation, data, and AI-connected systems. These skills are no longer limited to advanced high school electives. They are moving earlier into elementary and middle school.

But access remains uneven.

Traditional coding and robotics programs often depend on:

Visual drag-and-drop interfaces
Color-coded instructions
Screen-heavy workflows
Touchscreen interaction
Visual robot feedback
Individual screen-based learning

For blind and low-vision students, those systems can create barriers before learning even begins.

The result is not always obvious exclusion. It can look like separate materials, extra adult mediation, reduced independence, or students being placed beside the activity rather than inside it.

That is the real issue.

Inclusive STEM is not only about access to content. It is about access to the same classroom experience, the same challenge, the same collaboration, and the same feeling of ownership.

The same design choices also affect other learners. Screen-heavy coding tools can be difficult for younger students, neurodiverse learners, emerging readers, English language learners, and students who benefit from movement, touch, and concrete examples.

This is why accessible design should not be treated as a narrow special education feature.

When done properly, it improves the learning experience for everyone.

Why Tactile Learning Matters

Tactile learning gives students something a screen often cannot.

It lets them touch the logic.

With tactile coding, students physically build a sequence, test it, debug it, and see the result. The learning is visible, social, and concrete. Students can point to a coding card, move it, reorder it, explain it, and try again.

That process supports:

Sequencing
Cause and effect
Spatial reasoning
Debugging
Collaboration
Persistence
Mathematical thinking

For blind and low-vision students, tactile learning can provide direct access to concepts that are often locked behind visual interfaces.

For younger students, it makes abstract logic easier to understand.

For neurodiverse students, it gives structure, movement, feedback, and a clear task loop.

For teachers, it creates a way to bring coding into the classroom without immediately putting every student behind a screen.

This is not anti-technology.

It is a better entry point.

KaiBot is designed to start screen-free and then grow with the student. Learners can begin with physical coding cards, then progress into hybrid app experiences, Blockly, Python, and more advanced computational thinking. That pathway matters because it helps students build confidence before the learning becomes more abstract.

Field-Test Findings: APH Accessibility Evaluation

KaiBot was field-tested through APH across a range of instructional settings, including public school classrooms, residential schools for the blind, resource rooms, and home learning environments.

The field test included 29 students across elementary, middle, and high school settings.

Students represented a broad range of visual functioning:

11 students identified as legally blind
11 students had no functional vision
7 students had low vision.

The field test also included learners with additional needs:

3 students identified as deafblind
2 students identified as having autism
1 student identified as having ADHD
1 student identified as having profound or complex multiple disabilities
Several students had CVI or other visual-access needs identified through educator feedback.

Engagement Results

The engagement results stood out.

86% of participating students were rated either “Very Engaged” or “Extremely Engaged.” Evaluators reported that engagement was strong across instructional settings and student profiles.

Teachers reported:

Increased collaboration
Stronger participation
More independence
Improved confidence
High curiosity
Better persistence during debugging

Several educators also observed blind and sighted students participating together in the same coding activities. That is one of the most important findings because it shifts the conversation from “access” to “shared participation.”

One student enrolled in continued coding education after the field test. Another signed up for a robotics class for the following year. Several students asked for more time with KaiBot.

Those details matter because engagement is not just about whether a student enjoyed the activity. It is about whether the activity opened a door to future participation.

Educator and Student Feedback

The field test also identified areas for improvement.

The most consistent feedback focused on the Braille coding cards. Educators noted that the Braille dots needed to be sharper and easier to read. Some also raised concerns about card durability and organization.

Kai’s Education responded with updated Braille card designs featuring sharper dots and an orientation notch to improve usability.

Students and educators also suggested:

More audio feedback
Additional movement cues
Tactile tracking options
More advanced lesson content for older learners
Better classroom organization systems for coding cards

This feedback process is important.

Accessibility is not a one-time feature. It is an ongoing design commitment shaped by real students, real teachers, and real classrooms.

Hands-On Computational Thinking and Math Outcomes

Coding is often treated as a separate subject.

That is changing.

Computational thinking connects naturally to mathematics because both rely on patterns, logic, sequencing, estimation, precision, problem-solving, and persistence. When students physically program a robot, they are not only learning coding. They are practicing mathematical thinking in a visible and active way.

Canyons School District in Utah provides an important example.

Under the leadership of Cynthia Lloyd, Elementary STEM Specialist, participating implementations using KaiBot reported Acadience Math gains ranging from 10% to 24%, with some classrooms achieving growth rates up to four times the national average.

That result should be framed carefully. Many factors contribute to student achievement, including teacher practice, implementation quality, instructional time, student needs, and district support.

Still, the Canyons data is significant because it shows how hands-on computational thinking can support core academic goals, not just enrichment.

Educators observed:

Stronger engagement during math activities
Increased willingness to attempt challenging tasks
Better peer discussion
More confidence among reluctant learners
Clearer connections between sequencing, logic, and problem-solving

This is where KaiBot’s role becomes broader than robotics.

It becomes a hands-on thinking tool.

For districts, that matters. Products that support math outcomes, accessibility, collaboration, and computational thinking are easier to justify than tools positioned only as STEM enrichment.

Federal Quota and Institutional Support

APH’s Federal Quota Program is a major pathway for accessible educational materials in the United States.

The program conducts an annual census of eligible learners who are blind or low vision. Based on that census, funds are allocated for educational materials purchased through APH.

Kai’s Education was provided the following Federal Quota eligibility totals:

2025: 73,505 eligible learners
2024: 55,382 eligible learners
2023: 54,962 eligible learners

These figures include learners of different ages and some adult learners, not only K–12 students.

The scale matters because it shows the national need for accessible learning tools. It also helps districts, state agencies, and accessibility leaders understand that inclusive STEM is not a fringe issue.

It is a national education access issue.

Federal Quota availability also matters operationally. Schools and eligible organizations often need clear, trusted procurement routes for specialized instructional materials. APH provides that pathway.

State education agencies also provide annual Federal Quota census training to help ensure eligible learners are properly registered and counted. That reinforces the importance of accurate reporting and clear procurement pathways for accessible instructional materials.

For KaiBot, this means schools supporting blind and low-vision learners can access a tactile coding resource through an established accessibility channel.

The Future of Inclusive Computational Thinking

The future of education is not just digital.

It is hands-on, collaborative, accessible, and connected to real-world problem-solving.

As AI, robotics, automation, and data systems become more visible in everyday life, students need more than screen skills. They need to understand logic, systems, cause and effect, debugging, and collaborative problem-solving.

Those skills should not be reserved for students who can easily access visual interfaces.

Inclusive computational thinking means every learner can participate in the same core ideas:

Build a sequence
Test an idea
Find the error
Explain the logic
Collaborate with peers
Try again

That learning can start with tactile coding cards on a classroom floor and grow into digital coding, robotics, automation, AI, and future workforce pathways.

The most important shift is not the technology itself.

It is the expectation that blind, low-vision, neurodiverse, and sighted students should be learning these skills together.

Recommendations for Schools and Districts

Start Computational Thinking Earlier

Students do not need to wait until middle or high school to begin building logic, sequencing, and problem-solving skills. Tactile coding gives younger learners a practical entry point.

Treat Accessibility as Core Design

Accessible STEM tools should not require a separate version of the lesson. The strongest systems allow students with different needs to participate together.

Connect Coding to Math

Computational thinking should be integrated into math instruction through sequencing, spatial reasoning, debugging, patterns, estimation, and logical reasoning.

Reduce Passive Screen Time

Screen-free and hybrid activities give teachers more flexibility and help students build concepts before moving into abstract digital tools.

Support Teacher Confidence

Professional development should help teachers see coding as a thinking process, not just a technology skill. This is especially important for elementary educators and math teachers.

Use Shared Learning Experiences

Blind and sighted students should be able to collaborate using the same tools whenever possible. Shared participation builds confidence, peer learning, and belonging.

Selected Reference Links

Conclusion

Accessible computational thinking is not a niche idea.

It is becoming part of how schools think about STEM, math, inclusion, and future readiness.

The evidence from APH field testing shows that blind, low-vision, and neurodiverse learners can engage deeply with tactile coding when the learning experience is designed with accessibility from the beginning.

The Canyons School District math outcomes show that hands-on computational thinking can also support mainstream academic goals.

Together, these findings point to a larger opportunity.

Schools do not need separate pathways for accessibility, coding, math, and engagement. With the right design, those goals can strengthen each other.

For many learners, the future of STEM may not begin with a screen.

It may begin with touch, movement, collaboration, and the chance to participate fully from the start.

About Kai’s Education

Kai’s Education is a New Zealand-based education technology company focused on hands-on computational thinking, inclusive STEM learning, and accessible coding education for K–10 students. Its learning ecosystem combines tactile, screen-free, and hybrid learning experiences that help students develop problem-solving, collaboration, and real-world technology skills.

The company’s products include KaiBot, a tactile coding robot designed for inclusive classroom learning, and KaiLab, a collaborative virtual and real-world STEM platform that introduces students to coding, robotics, automation, AI, and future workforce pathways. Kai’s Education is recognized for its strong focus on Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, and cross-curricular learning, including solutions developed for blind, low-vision, and neurodiverse learners.

For more information, visit www.kaiseducation.com.