Inclusive STEAM Education: A Framework for Teaching Coding and Robotics to Students with Visual Impairment Using Advanced Computer Vision

STEAM education integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills. However, students with visual impairment (VI) face significant challenges in programming and robotics, particularly in tracking a robot’s movements and developing spatial awareness. This paper proposes a framework that integrates pre-constructed robots and algorithms, such as maze-solving techniques, within an accessible learning environment. The work focuses on the technical architecture and a proposed validation roadmap using CLIP (Contrastive Language–Image Pre-training), where a global camera captures maze layouts and converts images into textual descriptions, which are then transformed into spatial audio prompts within an audio virtual reality system. This framework is designed to enable students with VI to develop coding skills and engage in complex problem-solving tasks. Beyond maze-solving, the framework offers broader applications of computer vision in special education, contributing to improved accessibility and learning in STEAM disciplines.